Tuesday 21 December 2021

Tuesday: Advent day twenty one

 Good morning!  Another damp and dismal early morning here - again!.  I thought, as I drove over to Lindsey's yesterday, that there was a slight break in the clouds but, if there was, the Wise Weather Woman mended quickly!
Beeb tells me that it's going to be fairly cold overnight but that's just a blip and Christmas itself looks to be mild, damp and soggy.  Oh, well, it's just as well we weren't planning a trip to the seaside, isn't it?

As usual, yesterday was a good day.  I had a parcel - two books that I had ordered from Amazon over the weekend.
One is a book of comprehension exercises for my student - lucky think!
The other is a book that Eileen mentioned on her blog - A Year With My Camera, Workbook 1.  As you know, I do like snapping away with my little camera and am often a but frustrated with the outcomes, thanking the powers that be that I can delete them with a couple of clicks, not like the Good Old Days when you paid for and took possession of a pack of photos only to find that 95% of them were rubbish!!  Well, I did anyway!
It starts off with the the technical stuff which is the area I am most ignorant about and find hardest to make any sense of whatsoever so I am very much hoping that I don't crash out at the first hurdle because this book wasn't cheap!  When Eileen mentioned it, something inside me just sort of 'resonated' so maybe this is my Grand Project for 2022.  Maybe I will end up, in twelve month's time, a better photographer than I am at present - which isn't saying much, I know.  Fingers crossed!

I forgot to mention The Cake yesterday - it was the first think I did so now it is all nice and decorated and looking pleasingly old fashioned and not the least bit 'stylish' - just what I wanted, in fact.

Here it is, although I had to take the figures back off to put the cover back on.  They're not stuck on, they just sit there, so that's OK.
I couldn't decide whether it looked better with the red background or the green, so you have both!



The flower is there really to hide the join of the ribbon - it's a bit too big so I might have another think about it and see if I have anything that would work better.  I'm not going out to look for anything new though!  There's plenty of ribbon left and I did learn how to shame a nice ribbon at the wreath course so nothing ventured, nothing gained.   
Perhaps I should have used a smaller cutter for the holly leaves?  Not to worry, it looks great anyway.  It has the child-like vibe I was aiming for.

Circuits was great.  There were three of us there in the end and, being a Good girl, I did my LF test before going.  That's it now until Jen 3rd although there are other Lindsey run things going on.  PT on Wednesday, of course, and next week she is doing a five day 'Festive Blast', nine till nine thirty, online, Monday to Friday and I'm booked into that!  If nothing else, it might get me back on the food track again but, knowing Lindsey, it should be fun anyway!

In the evening, I binge watched a series of three programmes I have seen before, The Sound of Musicals, by Neil Brand.  You can get it on iPlayer.  He goes through the 20th century, from the rise of the musical to the mega-musicals, such as Les Mis and so on.  It's really interesting, loads of songs and some most interesting background info.  I just have the last half of the third episode to finish today.

The lovely Sharon arrives at ten to make sense of my hair and then, some time after eleven, a young friend is arriving to discuss power washing my patio and repairing a few pots, etc.  I'm glad about that!

Apart from that, the December diary says 'Blue room beds' but I've done that.  I will dive into the workbook and get linked up with the support stuff - there are weekly emails, I gather, a Facebook page and so on, and I must locate my camera manual, either the real one or online.
Also, I MUST complete my shopping list for tomorrow.

Should be a nice day - how about you, what are your plans?


The music for day twenty one is that lovely, jolly carol, I Saw Three Ships.  I just enjoy a dancey carol and this certainly dances!
Wiki tells me that the earliest recorded version is from the 1600s and is possibly from Derbyshire.  


28 comments:

  1. Lovely cake, not sure why you would need to hide the join of the ribbon though, couldn't you just turn it to the "back" of the cake? It'll come off soon enough.

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    1. Well, I didn't want the join to show at all, you see, but it might come to that! :-)
      xx

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  2. Cake looks very professional well done

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    1. Thanks, Diane. I am quite pleased with it. xx

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  3. Your cake looks magniicent and that ribbon around it is much nicer than the frilly paper bands I found for the cakes I made

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    1. It was just luck - I was doing one of my trawls around the Christmas displays and there it was - just what I didn't know I wanted until I saw it.
      It's nice and substantial so may do again next year.
      It was just a bit wide so I ironed the sides under.
      Thanks, Sue. xx

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  4. Your cake looks amazing Joy and I love the little characters. I'm afaid mine is very basic but I know it will disappear very quickly.
    Been having a tidying morning now that I have finished all my festive makes. I only have 3 more days of things to show and then I can enjoy the big day x

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    1. I'm sure it will and there's nothing wrong with basis - it's what's under all the decor that really matters.
      I'm looking forward to seeing what else you have made. :-)
      xx

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  5. You did a lovely job on the cake. It is just perfect.

    God bless.

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    1. Thank you so much, Jackie. I'm happy with it. xx

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    2. Beautiful cake
      My holiday food sagas over
      Boys so many allergies so mom makes everything healthy
      I am vegetarian 30 years so do fine
      Love your blog
      We do snacks Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
      No big meals…more about just being together than the food…
      Merry Christmas

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    3. Very definitely way more about being together than food. The prepping, for me, is part of the whole build up and part of the fun but I know it's not everyone's cuppa!
      Have a wonderful time with your family. xx

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  6. If it’s Emma’s AYWMC course,it’s very good - - yes, technical but emphasises creativity.

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    1. Yes, that's the one, thanks for letting me know. I'm hoping I will come out of it knowing a bit more.
      xx

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  7. Your cake is gorgeous! I am so impressed. It's great that you are keeping up with your training and hobbies.

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    1. Thank you.
      My Dad always said 'If you don't use it, you lose it' and I think I need something to move me on. Photography can be done alone so, at the moment, it's quite a good focus.
      Mind you, I think the first chapter is going to take a whole lot of mastering - all the technical stuff. Eeeeek!
      xx

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  8. I can help you with the technical stuff if needed Joy, but it really is a very good course and Emma (the author) gives clear and easy to understand explanations. I hope you enjoy it ... when are you starting?

    Love your cake! xx

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    1. Well, I sort of have already. Just trying to get my head round the 18% grey thing. :-)
      But I should get the first email on Thursday.
      xx

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  9. The cake is gorgeous, on both backgrounds. You might not think it stylish, but I think it's very Christmassy and isn't that what counts. The slightly large ivy leaves just make it all the more magical.

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    1. Thank you, Sue, that's lovely.
      Yes, it is Christmassy and it really does have the vibe I was after.
      xx

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  10. Magnificent cake! Well done, you. :)

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  11. Beautiful new header, Joy! And the Christmas cake looks too good to eat!

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    1. Thanks, Chris, I'm glad you like it.
      Too good or not, I will get eaten, slowly and surely but the chances of it being cut on Christmas Day are pretty small, probably!
      xx

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  12. Your cake looks wonderful! A Year with my Camera is how I learned to use my camera. It's a great course and there are lots of resources - plenty of Facebook support groups too. If you're on Instagram you can network with other AYWMC people. Can you tell I'm a fan? I graduated from that course and am now a member of Emma's Camera Club.

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    1. Interesting, thanks very much. The only Facebook thing I can find is dated 2021 so I wasn't sure if I should join that. Maybe I will and see what happens.
      Also, maybe I will start getting yo use Instagram - I am on there but haven't a clue! Some networking would be helpful, I am sure.
      Thanks for all this.
      xx

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  13. The cake looks fabulous, Joy, and your icing looks so neat. Very professional. X

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    1. You're very kind, thank you. I'm happy with it.
      xx

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