Sunday, December 18, 2022

Christmas♡




A lovely, almost Christmas, welcome to all you, lovely lovelies It's not long now till Christmas Day comes aknocking softly on your front door, and mine. Though truth be told Christmas arrived at our place just a wee bit early. So, so much has happened in this last little while. Christmas came early to me. The best present anyone could gift me. Just two weeks ago I was able to enjoy time away with my two girls. A little holiday in Melbourne.

The last time I chatted here, I was meeting my youngest daughter in Melbourne all set for a fabulous time together. Well, after disembarking from the plane 'like a bat out of hell' hurrying to meet my youngest daughter, lo and behold my daughter, who lives in San Francisco, was waiting for me, too. She had just disembarked from a fourteen hour flight ready to meet her dear ol' mum. Of course I lost 'it', rather reminiscent of those airport scenes from the movie Love Actually. It seems, my Pete and my girls had been plotting and manoeuvring behind the scenes to cause this momentous event to happen. As for me, completely and utterly unaware of what they were up to. So, so glad they did, though.

We three girls shopped till we dropped. I hardly bought anything for me. This was a time when a mother spoils her girls. I mean, shopping where we three are in the same country at the same time is very rare. =) We 'high tea-ed' partaking in delectable, baked confections, sipping champagne and drinking cups of tea. Such a celebratory occasion♡




We three girls went to the Monet and Friends immersive exhibition. And, may I say, it was beyond amazing! I felt I was part of an epic adventure into the exhilarating world of the Impressionist artists. It was a revolutionary experience where old and new culture, and art collide. It seamlessly blended traditional art with modern technology. I felt submerged in an exhilarating symphony of light, colour and sound as animated masterpieces of Monet, Renoir, Manet, Pissarro, Renoir, Degas, Cezanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, Morisot, Caillebotte, Cassatt, Sisley, Guillaumin, Seurat, Signac, Cross; rippled across the floor and up the vertiginous walls of 3,000 square-metres of gallery space. Why, I felt as if I was part of the art myself. I felt as if I was one of Renoir's pretty ladies in the midst of his charming scenes, or standing on Monet's bridge arched over his pond of water lilies. But then, I equally felt like one of Toulese-Lautrec's dancing girls kicking up my heels in a lively can can dance in Moulin Rouge. A multi-sensory experience invigorating all my senses as I was transported back in time to this artistic period; all while the vivacious sounds of Debussy and Tchaikovsky music floated across the room. It was truly the most sublime of experiences. I will never forget it

Then we saw Hamilton! Another fabulous experience. I have been to quite a few musical theatre productions but nothing quite like Hamilton. Lin Manuel Miranda's fast-paced, high-energy show tells the story of US founding father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the Caribbean who became George Washington's right hand man during the American Revolutionary War, as well as the first US secretary of the treasury. Have you seen it?? I loved every minute of it! Each and every actor was brilliant...and all their voices....the music....just wow!! A story and production, for our times.













Just this week, my Pete had knee replacement surgery but is home now, and slowly recovering. So, he will be out of action for a little while. Nursemaid, chief cook, gardener......that will be me. Not that I mind, of course. A very quiet couple of months in this little place; me thinks.

The garden♡ The beginning of summer has been a wee bit cool down here, but the garden is beginning to get into a summery groove. As are the weeds. With Pete out of action for a while it will be my task to try and curtail those pesky, weedy interlopers! I just may well need a knee replacement after all the weeding! The roses, poppies, nigellas, sweet peas, snap dragons are in flower; and the dahlias, gladdies and the hydrangeas are just beginning to get into the groove. A sense of excitement is mounting as each little hydrangea flower begins to  form then morphing into their glorious hues.



When I last chatted here, I was enjoying a little embroidery on a bodice of a dress. Well, I finished the embroidery but alas haven't quite finished sewing the dress. Who knows when this will be done. There is only the neckline and cuffs to be done....perhaps this week.....but then, perhaps not. =)



Next Sunday it will be Christmas Day. Can you believe it??!! I cannot. A little decorating has been achieved here and believe it or not all the presents are wrapped. A first for me with a week to go before the joyous day begins, but I knew if I didn't tick the Christmas decorating on the list before Pete's surgery I knew it would never have got done.





And so,  another year will soon be drawing to a close. Thank you, for visiting my little place throughout this year. There is such love and kindness which swirls around in blogland. So many lovely lovelies, who each week visit Kathy's place, encouraging one another; delighting in the hand stitching each lady is working on. Thank you for the gift of your visits, patiently reading my stuff and nonsense, for taking the time to gaze upon much too many happy snaps; and for blessing me with your sweet comments each time. You truly make my heart sing! May your Christmas be decorated with love and joy as you celebrate with your family and friends.  There are some of you, I know, who will find Christmas difficult for your own unique reasons. Sometimes Christmas is well.....just darn hard. To you I am sending an armful of hugs wrapped up in much love Here at my little place Christmas will be a quiet one, but I am peaceful; joyful with the gift of having spent  time with my two girls and delighting in them. Truly the best gift a mother could ever have I am deeply thankful; filled with gratitude Wishing each one of you a wonderful Christmas♡ May there be moments where you ponder the Christmas story and the beauty therein♡ I know there will be many moments this week, where I will gaze upon our tree bedecked in all its wonderful wonderment and think upon the Christmas story, when Jesus was born that first Christmas morning long, long ago; and the love and grace that is woven throughout the story. So very thankful for the depths of God's love for me.....how amazing! I am reminded yet again, that Jesus is the reason why I celebrate Christmas♡

Until next year.............




42 comments:

  1. It sounds like you had a fantastic time with your daughters. What a wonderful surprise! W saw Hamilton this year..truly amazing show! We are going to an immersive VanGogh exhibit after Christmas. Cold and blustery here but no snow yet. My daughter had over 20cm of snow this week. She will be here for Christmas. We have some fun activities planned but also some quiet reading time. Your gardens look amazing. You will be busy looking after them. I hope Pete is reviving from his surgery well. He will be itching to get back out into the garden. Take care and Merry Christmas to you and Pete. Gail at the Cozy Quilter

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  2. What a wonderful Christmas present Pete arranged for you! Sounds like you and your girls had a wonderful time! Blessings to you and Pete, may he have a speedy recovery and Happy Christmas!

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  3. So glad to see you blogging again... Merry Christmas! Looks like you have been having fun! And enjoying lots of flowers blooming too <3 Kathi

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  4. What a fun surprise to get to spend time with both daughters. Since mine has moved much father away, I appreciate the time we get to spend together. The art displays look gorgeous and so do your gardens and Christmas decorations. Have a very happy Christmas.

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  5. So glad you had a precious visit with your daughters! Best gift ever! The embroidery on your dress is lovely and loved seeing all the crochet pieces on display in your home. Making crochet window curtains was something that I always wanted to do. Best wishes for a good recovery to Pete and Merry Xmas and a wonderful new year!

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  6. that is so nice that you got a surprise visit from your daughter that lives in the states - what a thrilling surprise for you. I can see you enjoyed your time with the girls - Merry Christmas to you

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  7. What a wonderful surprise Pete and your daughters planned for you! It looks like you had a magnificent visit. I want to see Hamilton. I have only seen the production on TV. That immersive experience looks fabulous. I do like the impressionist artists. I hope Pete has an easy and speedy recovery. Take care and enjoy your spring/summer garden. Merry Christmas!

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  8. What a wonderful surprise for you at the airport. I'm sure you will be spoiling the knee surgery patient, tell him to keep doing those exercises. I love your embroidery of the dress front. Happy stitching.

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  9. I am so happy that you got to have such a special time with your daughters! Lovely. I wish Pete a quick recovery.

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  10. Hi Kim
    How wonderful for you to spend time with your beautiful girl’s. Looks like you had a great time, and afternoon tea looks delicious.
    Wish Pete a speedy recovery. You are certainly going to be busy.
    Wishing you all a very merry Christmas. Kay Cxx

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    1. Lovely Kay, I am so sorry I didn't reply to your beautiful words earlier, but I thought I had. My visit with my girls was the best time and yes, the afternoon tea where many delectable treats were enjoyed was delicious. Pete is slowly recovering, but it is going to take a while. I hope you had a very merry Christmas, and may the new year be kind to you. As ever, thank you for your beautiful visit. Your visits always sprinkle sunshine to my day. Kim Xx

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  11. How wonderful you could gather with your precious daughters, just adorable. I hope your husband has a complete and fast recovery. Love your beautiful pictures. Merry Merry Christmas my dear friend.

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    1. Thank you, dear Maristella, for your beautiful thoughts and well wishes for my husband. I have so loved your lovely visits to my little place throughout this year. May you have a blessed Christmas with your loved ones, dear lady♡

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  12. Hi Kim ! Lovely post full of joy (having your daughters with you, it's Christmas time sooner) colors and beauties...
    Monet had a beautiful garden (in France his house is a museum with the garden around it) but your have too ;)
    Hope your husband will be well soon.
    I wish you a Happy Christmas ! Gorgeous decorations you have.
    And a year 2023 full of health, joy and creations !
    Big HUG !
    Anna

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  13. How absolutely wonderful you got time to spend with your girls, and the Monet and Friends exhibit and Hamilton. What a joyous time! Your flowers are beautiful as always, as is your narrative! Always brings a smile to my face! Happy Holidays and wishing Pete a swift recovery! I most likely need a knee replacement but am holding off as long as I can.

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  14. What an amazing treat for you and your girls, Kim! The Monet exhibit and Hamilton sound wonderful. I enjoy your blog and seeing your lovely place there so much. Merry Christmas!

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  15. What a marvelous surprise to find both daughters waiting as you arrived in Melbourne. And you made good use of your visit together. I'm sure Pete is recovering at warp speed with your gentle ministrations, but don't let him out doing garden maintenance until he is thoroughly and properly healed. Quiet Christmases are no less special than raucous ones. May yours be heavenly and filled with flowers.
    Pat

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  16. What a wonderful, wonderful early Christmas present! How incredibly lucky you are! :-)

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  17. Oh my............so much here that I love.....I hardly know where to begin but I can do this! The Afternoon Tea trios looks soooo delicious and how wonderful you could enjoy with your girls. That bakery takes ones breath away but the tea will revive that. I love your garden photos and that garden is so amazing. I pray your husband will heal quickly and have newly restored strength. I love, love your beautiful needlework creations! Have a very Merry Christmas and all joy and happiness.

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  18. Cuanto me alegro de la gran sorpresa que has recibido, que hay más grande y maravilloso que el amor de una madre por sus hijos-hijas y que te llevaras la sorpresa de que las dos vinieran a visitarte gracias a una gran complicidad y esfuerzo escondido para que no te enteraras ¡¡que bien!! me ha gustado ver a tus hijas y a tí por supuesto y como siempre he disfrutado de tus bonitas fotos.
    Yo también te quiero mandar unos regalos desde aquí, desde España, y mis regalos para tí son:
    🎀paz
    🎀maravillosas costuras
    🎀un año lleno de amor
    FELIZ NAVIDAD🎄🎄Y MUCHOS BESICOS.

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  19. Dear Kim, what a wonderful time you had with your two daughters. I can just imagine all the plotting going on to make it happen. I'm a High Tea girl myself, a delightful way to spend an afternoon. The Monet exhibition looks wonderful too. I'm sure Pete's recovery from his knee replacement will go well. Robin had his right knee done about 3 months ago so I know all about playing nursemaid and chauffeur. The surgeon warned us that recovery will be painful, and he went to physio classes for some weeks to help getting movement back. Wishing you oth a very Happy Christmas.

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  20. Yes, I have tears running down my face and I don't know why. Was it your words, your pictures, your amazing trip, your girls, yourself...I can only say that you are the star of my life. Thank you for being you. Blessings to you, Pete, and the girls. Have a Merry Christmas, .

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  21. Oh what a wonderful surprise to not only have one daughter but both of them to spend time with, I am so happy for you!! It sounds like you took every moment to make wonderful memories and enjoy each others company! I have not been to either one of those but friends have told me about it, so wonderful to share those with your daughters too!
    Oh my how lovely summer is popping in your area, lovely flowers to enjoy and along with those comes the weeds, I am the weeder in our family. It is amazing how much we realize our spouses do when they are out of commission and we have to take over their duties. I hope he has a good and quick recovery. Also that you enjoy a lovely Christmas, celebrating our dear Saviors birth!

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  22. Certainly a very busy few weeks Kim. And how delightful to meet up with both your daughters and to have such a wonderful time together. The Monet experience looks amazing. I do hope that Pete's knee heals well and that he is getting plenty of physio - the key to success I think. As always your Christmas decorating is fantastic. I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas together - blessings to you both. xx

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  23. What a fine time you must have had. The best build-up to Christmas you could have had, by the sound of things.

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  24. How wonderful to have a surprise visit with both of your daughters. Time together is such a gift. I hope your husband recovers quickly and easily from his knee replacement. Merry Christmas to you!

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  25. Wow, what a surprise and experience you had with your beautiful daughters. It was wonderful just to be a part of what you tell and through the beautiful pictures you share. What an exhibition! It must really have been an experience to walk around among the art of all these famous artists. When I look further at the pictures from your garden, the flowers, your beautiful handicrafts, and your wonderful Christmas decorated house; Then I think you are surrounded by beauties where you live. Wishing you a merry Christmas!

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  26. It looks gorgeous at your house, Kim.
    And what a wonderful trip. So pleased to read that you were with your two beautiful daughters. What a grand surprise! And high tea too.
    The exhibit looks beyond wonderful.
    A speedy recovery wish for your husband, Pete.
    Christmas blessings to you and yours, Kim.

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  27. Merry Christmas Kim 💗 For some strange reason your posts no longer pop up on my blog roll ... so I went looking!!! Yours is not the only one doing this ... blogger has a mind all of its own these days 😣
    Anyway your trip away looks wonderful . ... I love Melbourne & all it has to offer too. How special to spend time with your daughters. I hope your husbands knee surgery mends well - wishing you both a wonderful festive season. Take care Kim xxxx

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  28. How exciting to be expecting to spend time with one daughter and there were two! Sounds like you all had a wonderful time. I love the Hopetoun Tearooms. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas Kim. xx

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  29. I am so happy for you, Kim, that you were able to spend time with your two lovely daughters and that having them both was such a surprise! It looks like you had a wonderful time together enjoying art, theater, shopping and delightful food. I hope Pete has a speedy recovery so he can get back out into the gorgeous garden once again. It is so nice to see all of the flowers while we have snow on the ground here. Your embroidery is so pretty and I am looking forward to seeing your finished dress. And your enchanting Christmas decorations made me smile - so delicate and ethereal. I hope you and your loved ones have a peaceful and joyous holiday and a new year filled with health and happiness, dear Kim. a hug xo K

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  30. A lovely blog post. So nice to spend time with your daughters and visit such lovely places in Melbourne. Your flowers and decorations are lovely. Greetings from Canada. Have a Blessed Christmas.

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    1. Thank you so much, Thelma. My little holiday with my daughter's was the best time! May you enjoy a beautiful Christmas in your Canadian, wintry wonderland. Kim Xx

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  31. I simply can't imagine that immersive art experience - it's magical just seeing your photos so I can only begin to imagine what the real thing must have been like. The true magic was spending that time with your girls!!
    You know how much I love seeing photos of your amazing gardens (as I sit here in the throes of a winter snowstorm). How I wish I could teleport myself right there so I could see those flowers in person (can't fly - the airports are closed today due to the storm).
    Please give a get well hug to your Pete - I know he's in the best hands with you as his nurse.
    And, finally, my Resident Chef and I wish you and Pete a happy Christmas.

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  32. What a fantastic exhibition... and those cupcakes. Yes, exactly mine... also :-))) In my blog you can see the Dresdner Christstollen... this Christmas pastry has a long tradition.
    I wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas, dear Kim. A big hug from Viola to you

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    1. Thank you so much, lovely Viola, for sprinkling some Christmas love to my little place with your beautiful visit. Your Dresdner Christstollen pastry does sound delicious. I hope you enjoyed a beautiful Christmas celebration with your family and friends. See you in the new year. Kim Xx

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  33. How good you got to spend time with your daughters in Melbourne, they were good to keep the surprise! Hope your hubby is healing well and that the weeds are not to rampant in your garden. I have looked in the window of the tea rooms you went to but have never been in. Lovely post once again.

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  34. Looks simply amazing. Hope you're enjoying the holiday season, dear Kim. All the best for the new year!
    Amalia
    xo

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  35. Kim - belated Merry Christmas! I am so, so, so happy for you that your family "engineered" the get-together with your two girls. Fabulous for the time together, and all the more so for the experiences such as high tea and Hamilton (which I have not seen). We have thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas week with our son, and I am sure a few tears will be shed when he departs tomorrow. Thank you for your always-effervescent posts - I look forward to your 2023 fripperies and delightful musings. Happy New Year!

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  36. What a wonderful time! I wish all of you you the very happiest of years in 2023 :)

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