on baking and on being a Grinch

It has been a good pre-Christmas weekend! With a few hiccups as you will see but nothing out of the ordinary.

I finished work at lunch time on Friday and after walking Jack we set off to find the perfect Christmas tree. As tradition dictates, the heavens opened the moment we get to our local small garden centre to choose a tree. I am calling it garden centre for lack of an appropriate name, it is really just a wee shop tucked away in shed behind two houses. The helpful owner has huge umbrellas for such rainy moments and the buckets catching the water from the leaking roof inside are comforting in their own peculiar way. We took our time choosing because real trees cost and arm and a leg (unless you are more organised than us and pop out to Ikea and get yours for £25) and it has to be just right. We got home shivering and wet but we do now have a tree and I am pleased to say that now, on Sunday evening, it has finally made its way into the living room. Winter Solstice is just the perfect day for decorating a Christmas tree, isn't it?

I stayed in bed until 9 on Saturday, and, feeling energised and noticing the sun outside my bedroom window immediately rounded up James and Alistair and the dog up for a walk in the woods. Sunshine is rare these days and there was no way in the world I was going to miss the opportunity to spend an hour outside without getting soaked or having my coiffed hair ruined by the wind. We did of course get soaked because the sun was an illusion that disappeared almost as soon as we got to our walking destination. Oh well, it was worth a try. At least to puddles on the road are always deep enough to wash muddy wellington boots before clambering back into the relative dryness of the car.

I left the offspring to their own and spent the afternoon baking. I like baking Christmas cookies in true Swiss fashion and have only got the jewels of the lot to make now, the Spitzbuebe.  I'll bake these as soon as the oven is free. I made the ones I like most because I probably eat the most (from left to back right): Chräbeli, Brunsli, Mailänderli, Pfeffernüsse.

I enjoyed some with coffee later on. What I liked most of all is that I could listen to my audiobook undisturbed for the entire afternoon. I immersed myself into the fantastic story of peculiar children recommended by Tammy (Mrs Peregrines home for peculiar children by Ransom Riggs). I listened for nearly 4 hours, lost in the story and in my baking. I had to download the second book because I wanted to know what happens to the children and was still listening at 2 am.

Today was yet another stormy day with the rain lashing against the windows and the wind howling in the chimney. Not a day for walking that is for sure. I took the three younger ones to see Paddington this afternoon, to get out of the house at least. I really enjoyed the movie, it is funny and not boring at all. Some children's films are dreadfully dull and ever so unbearable. This one wasn't.

Annie and I argued a bit on the way home. Quite unnecessarily so, it was about eating popcorn too greedily, but there you go, we are good at getting cross with each other. I am not always very grown up and continued to be annoyed when we decorated the Christmas tree. I quite like taking my time, she was hanging the most beautiful ornaments as quickly as she could.....at least this was my childish grumpy thought, Annie was just exited really..... then there was the laundry. I swear Annie puts more clothes in the laundry basket than she wears..... then I got cross with Sam for not putting any washing in the laundry basket and leaving wet towels to fester on his bedroom floor..... then I got cross with James for winding the dog up...... then I got cross with Richard for leaving the dismantled little people beds in the middle of the hallway (the have now big boy bunk beds). He countered that I had said to leave them for the time being, until they were freecycled. I did indeed but didn't mean right in the way..... Then I got cross with the dog for peeing on the kitchen floor. .... then I decided that I hated my life..... Alistair was lucky, he had done nothing to annoy me. Then I had dinner and felt better and I baked some more cookies. Tomorrow, when everybody is up I will apologise to my poor family for being such a Grinch. I will not listen to my audiobook until 2 am again.

So, a perfectly normal weekend comes to an end. The fire is on, the tree is decorated, I knitted a repeat of the fiendishly difficult Celtic cable pattern (for my December sock), the house smells of baking and life is good once again. How was your weekend? Were you rushed off you feet with last minute preparations for Christmas? Or did you sit back and relax? Maybe a bit of both?

I hope you can enjoy the last few days before Christmas! Cx