My advent calendar that I made. There are suppose to be little pockets hanging but I lost them about 3 years ago. I nearly turned the house upside down looking for them but as it was nearly a year before that, that I had lost them, I didn't find them. so this year I treaded cotton through some sweets and hung them instead

A difficult object to photograph because of relections and lighting (I got the camera lens reflected in one shot).



Here's the same object photographed in the evening and lit from underneath.

Trust me ... this stuff looks far more appealing/inviting on Currier & Ives prints than it does first thing in the morning out the front window .

*For a glimpse of the less-than-thrilled photographer after being slapped squarely in the head with a wet, snowy 8AM wind *click here* (Blech...)*

You have the same view I do, Gats! The only difference is, I love it!

A quiet Tuesday lunch-time down the pub.Some of my friends,
most of the others were at work.

Here's an advent calendar I stitched for my children when they were younger. I still put it up to count down to the big day.

Thanks djsgal, I go round there quite a lot but this was the first time I noticed that pair of houses.
Here's another traditional British view, the signal box on the Dudding Hill goods line in Cricklewood.

All these images of snow - great if you like it! We only have wind and rain at present, but I wouldn't mind some snow!
Just for contrast here's an image of the view from one of our bedrooms, taken during the summer!

I'm a sucker for these little miniature houses. These are some of my Christmas display.

Another camellia bush starting to bloom. This is a peppermint camellia.

I am enjoying everyone's photographs of snow - especially yours, Gats, which really does look like very Currier and Ives. However, as much as it looks beautiful, I am so glad I don't have to live in it. Been there, done that and hope never to repeat the exercise. I loathe the cold. I'd rather be too hot than too cold any day. Give me the topics!

The first Christmas cards of the season are arriving. Here is a small selection hanging above the entrance to our kitchen/dining area. The large one on the right is a beautiful hand-made card from our very own Sue. Thanks Sue! (Yours is on its way).

MG, I moved back to the snow from the sunshine - how dumb am I, eh?

Here's the sun shining on the snow on the roof of my garden shed at lunch time today, taken from my computer room window.

Sky or water?

I took this in Mt Gambier, and I have stumped a few people with the question.

Very Classy Hand Made Card today from Sue. Wow!

Wow what a lot of snow, We don't see snow here very often and when it does come, it only last a couple of days.

But we had a beautiful day yesterday and I took this shot of our 14 year old cat Buttons enjoying the sun.

Getting into the swing of things here, I thought I ought to post the awesome card that arrived in Gatsbyland from our Miss Sue. The woman is a true artisan ~ the card is lovely (it's the one on the left, of course). I get so few cards at Christmas time these days (what with ecards and the tiny fact that I'm godawful at getting any sent the regular way *sigh*), but I really really cherish the ones that find me. Especially those impressive hand-crafted ones! Honestly, I can't imagine even a little being able to do such things!

A miserable rainy day today and just the time for dusting off the guitar and seeing if I can still strum a chord or two. I bought the guitar from a customer about 30 years ago. A friend of ours used to do in-house 'Tri-Chem' (painting) parties and she decorated it as shown.



Link to a larger photo.

Sheep pens at the local christmas fatstock market. They had to get special permission to move the cattle etc as there is foot and mouth still in the country.

It is in the middle of the city (Truro)in a marquee.

lynn

A little industrial building in Dollis Hill. The architecture probably points to the old Water Board but I'm not certain.

Mothergoose, I'm not sure whether or not you meant 'give me the tropics', though 'give me the topics' seems just as appropriate
Lioness, I reckon it's sky - please tell me I'm right
Yesterday I posted a bedroom view taken during summer, so today here's the same view - cold, wet, and windy; how I wish we had snow

Yes, Lioness, I'm guessing sky, too. And TW, what an exquisite guitar.

One of our holiday traditions is this advent "calendar". We began on the first Sunday of advent, and go through epiphany. Every day we add or move the felt characters - the girls love this. The sky is made of navy velvet with tin foil behind it, and I cut holes in the velvet to make stars. The velvet has a real sheen to it, reflecting the flash. Here's its current status:



Closer View

This is what it will be about Dec 13-14.
#2

Dec. 24/25 (Notice the first wise man appears, following yonder star...)
#3

Epiphany (Jan 5/6)
#4

This is Amber, my dad's dog.

More snow, it never seems to stop. Here is our lonely fire hydrant wearing it's cap of snow.

Icicles dripping in the sunshine this afternoon.