Baby it's cold outside...

Winter has really found us here this week. I'm not sure if it's due to my recent weight loss efforts but I have been freezing my butt off! I'm usually the crazy woman in short sleeves when everybody else is wrapped up in a beanie, coat and gloves.
Mr B and I wandered outside in the freezing cold pre dawn hours hoping to see the lunar eclipse this morning. Alas we couldn't see it. I crawled back into bed and my electric blanket whilst he bravely went off to work for the day.

We have an old fashioned wood stove here that is used for cooking and warming the house. A job it does admirably but it takes a little time to rebuild the fire each morning and get the temperature back up again. Thank goodness for the back up heating system.

The only thing that could be better about my lovely stove is having a glass door so I could sit and watch the flames!

Here is a shot with the door open. Don't you feel warmer already?
I'm a bit like a bear on really cold days. All I want to do is curl up inside where it's warm and relax with a good book.

(My current read, a jolly good read btw)
Indoors I usually have bare feet or slippers when it's really cold. I actually bought myself a new pair of slippers at the op shop today. They look brand new and unworn! I'm not usually big on second hand shoes but these were a bargain at $8.00 and did I mention they looked WARM!
So unusual for me to buy something I actually NEED at the op shop too.
They aren't real ugg boots of course, just acrylic fleece lined boots but they will do me for now.

Other essentials for a cold day inside include coffee ...or the beverage of your choice.
I pinched this pic from google images. I like a little cinnamon in my coffee.

Something yummy to snack on. Chocolate would usually be my first choice but today I actually had an apple strudel scone.

**photo courtesy of Bakers Delight.
What do you do when it's cold outside? Do you delight in all things Winter or are you like me and just want to curl up inside until Spring?
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Birthday blues...pity party warning!

It was my birthday yesterday. My birthday usually passes quietly with little fuss. (much to my despair)
Don't get me wrong, I hate being the centre of attention but on my birthday I always wish I felt a bit more special. I suppose I haven't really asked my family to make it more special but for me it's one of those things that just aren't the same if you have to ask. (like valentines day)

I received one card for my birthday, just one. My children did remember to wish me a happy birthday. My beloved Mr. B gave me chocolates and a chiller/cooler bag that has been on my 'wish' list. To be fair Mr. B never forgets my birthday and usually gives me a lovely card but he hasn't had much time to himself starting his new job.

Maybe I just have the Winter blues but I still felt a bit disappointed with my 'special' day.
I spent yesterday at home doing housework and playing around on my computer. My online friends and family made my day special by inundating my facebook page with birthday wishes. My thanks to them all.

One other person that made my day special was my ex mother in law. We still get on well and my son stays with her during the school week. I never expected a gift from her (I don't think she gave me one last year) so it was a great surprise when she handed me a lovely gold gift bag with two boxes inside.
This is what she gave me....

Aren't they just divine? I love them to pieces. I know where she bought them so may just have to go in and see what other matching pieces are available! I love that the little spoon in the sugar bowl is made of china as well.

The one card I received was from ex mother in law.
We had cake and coffee in the afternoon and that passed as my birthday cake. Since I am trying to lose weight I suppose I shouldn't care that nobody organised a birthday cake for me at home but I did.
Oh well next year I'll organise my own I guess. End of pity party, it's still good to be alive.

wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Winter is on the way...

Some simple pictures of the latest offerings in our garden. I love seeing the changes as the seasons turn.

One of our roses produces the most enormous rosehips I have ever seen!

The lemon tree is still producing well.

The pomegranates are starting to swell - it's a shame none of us like them LOL!

We have lots of grapefruit with both newer green fruits and ripe large yellow fruits all on the one tree.

I am not sure what to do with all the grapefruit. None of us is terribly keen on them. I thought of making marmalade but we don't eat that much of that either. It is a terrible shame to see them go to waste. The orchard was planted by Mr. B's parents and contains many strange or unusual fruits. Perhaps they were popular fruits of the time.

Although my daughter loves them just as they are I am hoping to pick enough quinces to make some quince jelly.

We have lots of different trees in the garden, both natives and exotics but I love the deciduous trees. I enjoy seeing them shed their leaves at the end of autumn and love the structure of the bare branches through the winter. Of course spring brings buds and tiny green shoots followed by flowers and fruit.

We have half a dozen different apples in the garden, they all fruit at varying times. This one has finished fruiting and has changed it's colour, ready to shed it's leaves. I love the shape of this lovely old tree.

This is one of our two almond trees. It has already shed it's leaves ready for the dormancy of winter.

I took this photo of the hawthorn tree just two days ago. It has lost almost most of it's leaves now after the heavy winds we have had the last few days. It is such a pretty tree to watch change. In autumn the leaves turn yellow and fall. Winter sees it bare only to burst into life in the spring with green buds and new young leaves unfurling. The leaves remind me of oak leaves, they are a pretty shape. The blossoms remind me of apple and it is so beautiful when in full bloom. It also sports tiny red berries in early autumn. The tiny birds love it for protection. Although not a native I think it adds much to the garden and I am glad we have it.
Have you wandered around your garden or neighbourhood lately to see what delights nature has to offer the senses?

wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen