And I still have my last few days in England in September to complete. I hope to do that tomorrow. For now, though, I will just post a photo from Halloween in AZ with my grandchildren. Somehow I skipped posting at the end of October.
I decided to dress as Elphiba (sp?) from Wicked because I'd enjoyed the show so much and I took one of the songs she sang "Defying Gravity," as my mantra during my trip to England this summer. So, here I am with my beautiful granddaughter. After seeing myself with black hair, I was tempted to hit the hair dye, thinking that it made me look younger. Then I realized the amount of maintenance that would involve as well as having to keep painting my face green and all the heavy makeup. So I will remain grey :)
At the beginning of December I was back in AZ enjoying my granddaughter's first ballet performance in The Nutcracker. She played two parts--one of the children at the party at Clara's house and then one of the bonbons who emerges from Mother Ginger's skirts. She did very well at both performances and was so happy. Here's her big grin after the first performance.
We had a very quiet Christmas this year. Moved out of Flame's house on December 24th and we both collapsed on Christmas Eve. I gave dh a box of chocolates and he gave me one too. Plus I received a box of Walkers shortbread biscuits from Sheila in England. I will need to do some serious hiking and healthy eating next week to regain my girlish figure! I did have my annual view of "Scrooge, A Christmas Carol" with Alistair Sim. I think I have watched that film over 40 times as I have seen it almost every year since I was 10. I never tire of it though. Didn't watch Miracle on 34th Street this year though nor It's a Wonderful Life.
And, the next to last day of the year, we have finally stopped living in other people's houses, among other people's stuff and are settling into a condo. Here is a photo of our fireplace and the chair in which, just prior to my getting up to take this photo, I was sitting and typing out this blog on my laptop. I took the photo with my Blackberry and somehow it's come out quite grainy. But it still reflects the feeling of warmth and contentment that I have right now. We don't have much more furniture than this at present--it's still in Las Vegas--but I am so very grateful for what we do have. And I am glad that I put up my Christmas trees. I bought the taller one last week on sale just before Christmas and the small one in the photo is a wooden "Advent tree" that I bought in Vancouver several years ago. It has 24 small wooden figures and miraculously I haven't lost any of them in all the moves. The boat that is sailing in front of the fire is one that I bought for dh in Cornwall--I have yet to post my blog for the three days I spent in Cornwall in December; that is what I hope to do tomorrow but I will put the blog in chronological order so look for it labeled "September 15-17."
For now, though, I reflect on all of my Christmases past, and my Christmas present. I hope, like Scrooge that I have more Christmases to come and that, like him, I will keep Christmas in my heart. And, to end tonight's post, a photo of some special people with whom I shared many Christmases
Christmas 1994. From left to right, my late stepmother, late father, my honorary sister in law, my late honorary grandma Dooley, me (yep, brown hair), my stepsister in law, my daughter, my niece and my stepbrother. What wonderful Christmases we had in Ottawa!
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