Ridgeway Cottage anyhow

On the 1st January this year, I set myself a challenge to take a picture everyday for a year and I did it, I completed the challenge and now have a unique collection of photographs that reflect a whole year of my life. I still have to add some photos to my picassa daily photo album but they are on the laptop and ready to go, probably the ideal job for New Years Day. Here are some of my favourites, one from each month. Tulips - January 2011 Herbie - February 2011 Josie - March 2011 Bluebells - April 2011 Rhubarb Champagne- May 2011 Home sweet home - June 2011 Camping - July 2011 Charlie - August 2011 1st day at school - September 2011 Alexandra Palace - October 2011 Sparklers - November 2011 First craft fair - December 2011

Trees The dramatic bare branches The spidery silhouettes against the moody winter sky The glorious bark of the silver birch The sunlight on the firs No tinsel, no lights, just trees

It's seems that there is always an end to things, no matter how much you want them to continue, people and their circumstances changes and the world just keeps on spinning. I remember every single one of my inspirational dance teachers, as they are a group of people for whom I have the greatest admiration. For me a life without ballet would be a sad one but one without dance, an impossibility. Changes are a foot at the gym which mean I am no longer able to attend my much loved fitness ballet classes, but perhaps this is the push I needed. Perhaps I will now take that plunge to return to the ballet of tights and leotards, of plies, port de bras and enchainements. So it is regret that I say goodbye to Fitness Ballet, DW Fitness and the completely fabulous Kirsty. Photo courtesy of http://likeadiamondsky.tumblr.com/post/8029975533

It wasn't until recently that I even had a pair of slippers. I am definitely a one for bare feet and I still wonder around first thing in the morning without them, but I am learning to appreciate their worth. It's probably down to the fact that I now have several stylish pairs, with my latest addition being some grey ballerina style ones with felt flowers, all the way from my sister in Australia. She is the queen of pyjamas so my slippers always remind me of her. The children also received slippers for Christmas and as a celebration of slippers and Josie having a friend for a sleepover, here are our cosy slippered tootsies. I think you can probably judge a person by the slippers they wear!

It's family tradition to track Santa for a while on NORAD leave out a mince pie glass of milk and carrot and to read "Twas the Night before Christmas" as a bedtime story.   Twas the Night before Christmas Poem Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads. And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below. When, what to my wondering eyes shou...

Sometimes you just get an idea in your head that you can't shake and for some reason I've really been wanting to make a yule log and then after watching Kirstie Allsopp not only make one but enter it into a competition, I had to give it a try. My mother in-law arrived today so it  was the ideal opportunity to have a go a making one. I need an extra pair of hands and eyes when I'm cooking with the children. They are a little like octopuses with their tiny little fingers dipping into everything. Whisk 6 egg yolks and 150g of caster sugar Gently fold in 60g of sifted cocoa Whisk 6 egg whites until stiff and then fold into to the chocolatey mixture Bake at 180c for 20-25 minutes and allow to cool Whilst still warm, roll in grease proof paper and leave to cool whilst you make the decorations. The chocolate covering is a secret recipe completely made up and inspired by my research into chocolate yule logs, the chocolate bars that Josie and Charlie persuaded me to b...

I'm having too much fun making things for Christmas to come and go as quickly as it does. There are still so many thing that I want to make and only two days left until the big day and then the Christmas making will come to end for another year. I'm also lucky to have had little helpers with most of the things I've made and I think that's what has made it so much fun. Today we made mini Christmas stocking with some of my scraps of fabric. They honestly were super simple and my friend's son has made one for her with very little help from me, however I can't post a picture of that one as it's a surprise. First of all I cut a very simple stocking shape from some old red fleece and then we cut out shapes from scraps of fabric to create the design.   The machine sewing was a joint effort, I did the steering and Josie and Edward turned the wheel. We did a zig zag design to catch the edges of fabric. Finally the children hand sewed a plain piece of f...

Wrapping presents is my favourite. I love it completely. And not just plain wrapping with 3 for 2 Christmas wrap from the supermarket. I like to print my own paper, use recycled ribbon for my ribbon jar, individually designed and handmade tags and mini hand-crafted ornaments. That's what makes Christmas special for me, not even the presents but just taking as much care and thought as possible over the wrapping. Josie is my perfect wrapping companion and she is just as passionate about the printing and the making and those little touches that make each present look exceptional. Lino cut snowflake print for Mark by me   And Josie's beautiful stamped paper for Charlie   Add some Christmas songs on the radio and a pot of tea and we had the perfect afternoon.

Charlie's fascination with Christmas wreaths is quite endearing and has also meant that we had to make another one today for the front door which was actually quite a lot of fun. Thanks to the advice from a good friend, we started with a wire coat hanger as a base and wrapped a little old fleece around it. I am lucky to have plenty of evergreen foliage in the garden, including rosemary (which smells delightful), verigated ivy and eucalyptus. I did a bit of wiring, poking and generally wrapping in a rough circular shape. The best part though, was employing my little helpers to make strings of popcorn. They were brilliant and although they ate a fair amount of the popcorn, the strings turned out perfect and so did the Christmas wreath.

The other day I over heard a man's conversation at the school gates. He was explaining how his wife always decorates the lounge and does it very tastefully and the rest of the house is left to him and he doesn't hold back on the tinsel and decorations, with it ending up rather like a grotto. I quite like that contrast between slightly stylish and tasteless tat. And now that it's the Christmas holidays, I get to spend every day with my crazy over excited children decking the halls with a mixture of beautiful hand crafted traditional decorations and gaudy, glitter encrusted recycled objects de mysterie. The Christmas tree is always left entirely up to the children and is no way colour co-ordinated, themed, vintage or traditional. It is however adorned with decorations that the children have made themselves; salt dough stars, glittered cardboard hearts, wooden peg reindeer. We also have tinsel that has been shredded to tatters by the cats when they were kittens, gold beads tha...

I rather like baubles, I don't think you can ever have too many! I love the colours, their shine and sparkle and their uncompromising cheeriness. In fact I didn't really feel that we had enough so I went on a charity shop hunt and now have plenty to create fabulous decorations in the weeks holiday the children and I have before Christmas. Charlie has been asking if we could make a wreath for our front door so I found a couple of inspirational posts on Pinterest . This one is rather beautiful but unfortunately I was unable to gather such an incredible collection of vintage baubles. I will have to add them to my wish list. I do have an ever growing collection of vintage wooden cotton reels but not enough for such a spectacular wreath as this. Josie and I went for a red and gold colour scheme and included several apple baubles which I think are quite fabulous. We recycled an old wire florist ring and wrapped a little fabric around it to give the baubles something a litt...