Three Posts in One Day - Ridiculous or What?

Was up early this morning (did you guess?) so decided to enter the Play Date Cafe challenge.  Why am I still making Christmas cards - ah well, this will be a start for next year - a good intention!  Only trouble is it is a bit too big for my box so no doubt it will be put somewhere and forgotten.

As you can see, the colours this week are Blue, Gold and Cream.  For some reason I used a Pale Blue and now wish I had used a more Royal Blue - but what the heck!

Here is my card:

Another of TH's stamps and another of my favourite Father Christmas images.  I stamped and embossed him in Gold, mounted him on some Pale Blue cardstock and then on Gold Mirror card which had been through the Cuttlebug with the Snowflake Folder.  Finally mounted on Cream card and Merry Christmas (TH again) stamped in Dark Blue, cut out and mounted on Gold.

Winter

View from the front of our house looking down the drive this morning

Just after posting I went to make a cuppa and noticed the bird table covered in snow.  Well, I couldn't leave it like that could I?  In my sandals I went out and reached over clearing a patch big enough to put some seed down.  Before a couple of minutes had gone my favourite blackbird (the one with the grey feather sticking from his wing) was on there eating away.  Sadly I did not get a photograph of him.

I had to try to get photographs from inside the house and was not at all successful.  They are not good, but here are a couple.

Cheeky Mr Robin - kept the other birds away but this blue tit is so brave (look to the right of the photograph)

A little blue tit makes it at last

It was difficult with the blue tits as they landed and took off almost straight away.  Didn't get a photograph of the chaffinches either.

I need a better camera!

It Snowed

Yesterday we went to - wait for it - another Christmas Market.  Where?

This is a photograph Paul sent me which he took - you can see the snow falling

(I have removed my photograph of the Wheel as Paul's is so much better)

Quite close to home - Manchester - not really a holiday but I am putting this blog under that category because it does not fit anywhere else.  Met my friend Paul and did the markets.  My how it has grown!  If you go to the Manchester City Council website you can see a list of all of them, all within easy walking distance of one another.

We started off in St Ann's Square with Paul having a hot chocolate (a mug of hot milk with a "stirrer" which had a humongous blob of chocolate on the end of it which melted as he stirred) and then proceeded to a Gluhwein stall where I had to partake of a mug.

What did I buy?  Various German sausages (bargain bag of them for £10), three Cheese Truckles, Italian Nougat (chocolate and pistachio), Sweet Garlic and Ginger and some chocolates.  Notice, all foody things!

We ended up having a cup of coffee by the Big Wheel and it started to snow.  It was lovely sitting there in the warmth looking at the wheel all lit up with the snow falling gently in the dark sky behind.

After 'oohing' and 'aahing' over the gorgeous papers in Paperchase we walked up to Piccadilly (making a stop to look in Hotel Chocolat) where they have a huge toboggan run and a "tent thingy" where you can bounce up and down on one of those wired harnesses.  No, we did not partake in either.

Paul took some more photographs with his camera and has promised to send them on to me so watch this space.  A great afternoon out with one of my favourite men - thanks Paul for showing us YOUR Manchester and for your delightful company.

Another of Paul's photographs

I loved this modern tree just by Piccadilly Gardens

ASIDE:  Craft Stamper have a blog giveaway of Sharpies markers - to be in with a chance follow the lilnk.