After a very mild Autumn I think we were caught out with the early arrival of winter weather; snow, hail and very cold days have arrived.
The woods looked lovely with a covering of snow but unfortunately it meant that any thoughts of gardening had to be put on hold.
I think we'd almost forgotten how cold this old house could be and so there was nothing else for it but to light the fire. It never takes Jess long to notice when the fire is lit. To be honest I love having the fire lit and snuggling up watching a good film or drama. We eventually managed to finish watching Dickensian and War & Peace, both of which we had recorded ages ago.
At the very end of October we headed off to the SECC in Glasgow to visit the joint Crafts for Christmas and Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts shows. We had a great time and it was so easy to get to by train. Although we didn't buy very much we couldn't resist this absolutely gorgeous bowl by Muggins Pottery and the funny piggy salt and pepper set (can't remember the name of the seller) where the salt and pepper comes out of their snouts. There was also the wonderful stand by Beth Currie, she produces beautiful hand crocheted jewellery which is definitely worth a look for that very special and unique gift.
I think the pigs were slightly confused with their first experience of snow and were running around very excitedly. Unfortunately after it melted we realised that their enclosure was becoming pretty waterlogged. They didn't seem to mind the mud too much but we were worried about the effect of constant wetness on their feet and so started to look for alternative accommodation. Also after M's face plant in the mud it was getting difficult to walk through the area, sadly I didn't have a camera to catch the moment of him lying in the mud being nuzzled by Ginger.
Although part of the byre roof is missing we decided that we would be able to make a dry area for the pigs inside along with access to an outside grass area. Jess and Finn were slightly bemused at losing part of their paddock but needs must. We were dreading trying to walk the pigs to their new enclosure but with 2 buckets of food they followed us. Yay, we had a major pat on the back after this as we had visions of them running off around the woods.
It took a wee bit of getting used to but they settled in quickly and the nice new grassy enclosure was completely de-turfed in 24 hours. After a few adjustments to the sleeping area they can be found cuddled up together snoring away in the afternoons.
One of the best things about rainy cold days is that they become our craft days and M has been very busy. He has made some Christmas decorations but as Christmas doesn't officially begin in our household until Dec I'll save those photos for later. However, he did also make this charming owl who is now very much at home in our garden. I have been knitting but I'll come back to that at a later date.
I mentioned a while ago how we are fortunate to have so much wildlife around us; well, this little fella somehow found his way into the kitchen. I didn't even spot him at first, I thought it was some grass/dirt (not that our house is that dirty!!). M noticed him and it was lucky that I hadn't stood on him, funnily enough the dogs hadn't even investigated him. M was very brave and relocated him back outside again.
For us November is always a very important time for remembrance and so we went to our local church for the Remembrance Day service. It was a wonderful service with numerous poems and writings from past servicemen and a very important message of learning from the past. The organist also played the Last Post on his trumpet which was beautiful and always brings a tear to my eye. After the service we stopped at the local war memorial. We have passed this point many times over the last year and never been to see it. The gardens are so well tended, always full of beautiful flowers and the standing soldier is always freshly dressed at this time of year.
We had an attempt to harvest our sweet potatoes in October but decided they needed a little longer and this was our harvest. Not the most spectacular display but oh they are so tasty. It hasn't put us off trying them again but I think fewer plants to the pot and an earlier start may produce a bigger harvest.
With a birthday and wedding anniversary in November and another birthday just after Christmas this is always a busy pressie time of year for us. This year M bought me the complete collection of The Good Life, it is loosely what our lives are based on but hopefully without quite so many disasters. If you've never seen it then it's worth lighting the fire, snuggling under a blanket and spending a few hours giggling - it's good for your health.
I nearly forgot to say massive congratulations to Andy Murray for finishing the year as World Singles number 1 with a magnificent win at the ATP World Tour Finals. Also huge congrats to Jamie Murray (sorry, couldn't find a photo) for finishing as World Doubles number 1. (There are some great pictures posted by their mum on the BBC News.)
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