It’s the last day of 2018 so I thought I’d better cram in my last bog of 2018, especially as I haven’t got round to sending Christmas greetings!
So here’s my DIY Christmas card to all which is a Happy New Year card too. Print onto A4 paper and fold along the dotted lines.
We had a lovely Christmas with dear friends from England who were staying. Like the 3 kings of Orientaarh, (yes, I used to think that was a place in the Middle East like catarrh) they came laden with presents, the most beautiful of which were these exquisite tree decorations, which Clive Hicks-Jenkins designed and had made for us by the textile artist Chloe Redfern, see this link:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChloeRedfernArtist
They gave us some a few years ago as well, which I treasure and carefully wrap in tissue every year after the festivities. The tree is now brimming with handmade animals and birds, it looks so very pretty.
The veggie “turkey” looked as though it had been run over by a bus, flaky pastry stuffed with nut roast, perhaps I should have made him wear his gilet jaune.
This is how the veg should have looked, successful on my trial run last week, but in the panic of getting the hot food to table it ended up looking like a shrub rather than a Christmas tree.
Our new addition to the household is Gypsy Rose, (who after a week with us became very ill with gastric. She’s now recovering, although still on antibiotics, that’s since 28th November). She lost a lot of weight poor thing. She’s a delight to have around, so playful and eager to please, here are a few pictures of her. We still miss dear old Meggie a lot, but it helps to have a another wee soul to look after.
Happy New Year to all, may you have a Healthy and Prosperous 2019!
lizkingsangster 
Thank you so much for your post Liz.
I wish you a happy new year to share with Graham a
Merci Nicole! Here’s wishing you a very happy and healthy 2019 too! xL
Bonne année dear friends! Hope to see you soon in the brand new (hopefully better) year! lots of love, Nancy and John
Thanks Nancy! and wishing you better health in 2019, the worst is over……the only way is up! xxxL
Happy New Year Your pictures have made me feel very hungry Thank goodness it’s lunchtime MH 🙏🏽 Ps I am pleased your doggie is named after my grannie. ( gipsy Cinderella Rose) M.
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Hey we missed you this Christmas! Hope you had a good time in Blighty. Yes, fancy you being of gypsy heritage, and what a lovely exotic name your grandmother had, (hopefully she didn’t have the same habits as our Gypsy has……?) see you soon XxL
A lovely post. And Gypsy Rose with her toy is hilarious! Happy New Year.
Thanks, yes it’s really funny, unfortunately sh’e hidden it somewhere now and we can’t find it, (no doubt she suspected we were laughing at her expense!) Happy new Year!
Lovely post, Lizzie. Peter and I had such a spectacularly good time with you, Graham, Lucy and Gypsy at La Crabouille. We had to wrench ourselves away, and were it not for work, I fear we’d be with you still. (I think we may then have outstayed our welcome!)
I should just say that I didn’t design the tree hangings. That was all down to Chloe.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChloeRedfernArtist
I just suggested a theme of Russian Folklore, which she responded to wonderfully. But afterwards I commissioned a set of hangings from her which did require an element of collaboration, and she made a gorgeous set of hangings themed to the sugar-iced Lebkuchen from Hansel & Gretel.
Thank you both for giving us such a very special break away over Christmas. We enormously appreciated it. Our fairytale bedroom, the trip to the Christmas market, the teashop treat with the cat that fell in love with Graham, the fabulous restaurant in Bergerac and the stupendously picturesque drive to Lascaux 4 and the wonders we beheld there, all made our trip away the BEST!!!!!!! Thank you so much. May 2019 be gentle to us all. Love from Clive (+ Peter) XXXXX
Thanks Clive, we so enjoyed your stay. So sorry I got that wrong about thinking you’d designed them. Thanks for pointing that out, it’s hard enough being original without false information flying around to take the glory! I dutifully packed them away last night, admiring each and every one of them as I wrapped them and placed them in their golden box (following your advice so not wrapped in coloured tissue this time), they are so very special and we will treasure them always. We took 2 friends to the same tearoom on Sunday, and the cat sat on Graham’s lap the whole time we nibbled our lemon drizzle cakes and supped our teas whilst chatting. Yes, I second that, may 2019 be kind to us all. xxxxx L