As you are only too aware of by now, Christmas is just around the corner,, (or round the bend might be more appropriate for most of us), With the way things are at this moment in time, we certainly need something to get distracted by, that said you can’t beat some soft twinkling lights, candles,or a pine scented trees,(foil scented in my case, is foil scented?hmmm) anyway it certainly does improve the most dreariest of wintry atmospheres,…I started adding small sparkling things to my Bower around the 1st of December, i think I’m nearly to the point of no return now, well maybe so😁….I just can’t help myself…

There’s just no escape from my child like delight in this time of year, always something so so magical…even to someone who lives alone, will spend Christmas day alone…it will always remain a special and quite beautiful time, for me at least😊, …I am fully aware that it can be a sad time for others, depressing even, evoking memories of those not here to share it with, I know I miss my parents terribly, there’s remains a candle alight each day in memory of them both, and every time I see the flickering amber glow, it’s serves as a focus for warm reflection …I chose happy special memories with care, Christmas evenings, with my three children, young, the large family drop leaf pine table, extended fully, covered with my mothers special occasion embroidered table cloth, table groaning under plates of Turkey sandwiches, every kind of pastry, crisps and pickles, bottles of sparkling juices, mum called Gassy, it was a traditional time I hold so close, so dear, it will always bring a smile or three😊.

But as I’ve already touched upon, like the last eight Christmases the actual day itself will be somewhat anticlimactic, loneliness hanging about like sad dark Spector at the feast, I try to hide from its effect by keeping myself constantly busy, .Back around September time, I had started a new venture, a diary, only with an added twist….instead of words, this diary/journal whatever, contains pictures i painted I’m water colour …I’m not the best at artistic creation by any means, but I gave myself permission, special dispensation if you will, to not be, I’m allowed to mess it up.😊, it’s more about creating, a raw depiction, thought or memory that crosses my mind on that day….One page contains two rosy pink lady apples, why????, Well I’m particularly fond of an apple😊, and that day I had none in😐… So it almost bordered on obsession, a craving…so two red apples on a pale blue background, jazzy gold dots became my muse 😊, this weeka creation a rather whimsical little misshapen house, decked out with colourful fairy lights, snow and even a rather devious looking lopsided snowman, listen I’m never going to be a Picasso, Constable, Monet or Van Gogh, Old masters is not ever going to be associated with my work, but it’s somewhat fun, serving as a relief from the ever circling mind monkeys or bouts of over thinking,

Between this, extensive reading, filling my tiny home with brightness, I find I can bear the depredation of company quite well..but there’s one mischievous madness, call it distraction if you will, (but i must confess, I have confession I need to make, therefore I will ….😊😊😊😊😊, I couldn’t help myself folks, it was just there, too bloody tempting….

The little tree of temptation….

We had one perfect day last week, which dawned cloudless, bright, clear and breezy😊, (no honestly we did, I know that’s rare for the uk but it happens occasionally all the same😮),. So out I ran without haste, to dispense my washing upon the line,. just then the sun broke through and I swear I heard a choir of starlings burst into hallelujah,.😁😁😁😁. As I picked my way back more carefully across the squelching rain soaked grass, trying my damndest not to slide over onto my derriere, for we had already had one Earth quake that week, another being a little excessive don’t you think?…but even though staying upright took more concentration that an elephant on ice, Something drew my attention, out the corner of my good eye😁, I saw a sparkly thing, it glittered in the sunlight, .. standing there in my neighbours front garden a Christmas tree🤗, in all its gloriousness, a vision, a poem of perfection, a cacophony of flamboyantness, grandiose even …..sighs!, Now whether we should call it a moment of madness, a psychotic state induced by over caffeine consumption I will never know….whatever it was m,lud I can’t be held responsible….within a twinkling of a doodah, I shot in the house, grabbed a solitary icicle decoration left over from my own decorating of harth n home, slid out the door, sleeker than Bildohead cat, (I think that’s it’s name anyhow) after a bird, …..before I could stop myself the icicle hung in full glistening view on an empty branch….proud of my deception I ran back in giggling to myself😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁, served me right if I had slid over on my Christmas ass….😁.

Over the course of a week, that icicle was to be joined by fellow icicles, who ever heard of one lone icicle uh uh….. A star I had roped my poor daughter into making for just this occasion, and a glass droplet or three…, I woke up before the sun each day to sneak yet another ornament upon the waiting tree….I just couldn’t help it…honestly !!!!😁, I then sat inside my house grinning wondering if my neighbours had any idea who the Christmas culprit was….did they suspect?, Had they sat crossing off likely neighbours, if so I’ve no clue, but they didn’t remove the decor that’s the main thing….So I felt emboldened, daring, audacious even, next day I ordered two elves from “the Zon”, Amazon, it was too good to resist…..I just had to…and I did😊,

Saturday morning….synchronise your watches…

Saturday morning at barely light o’clock, before the Rooster had roostered, (the Coooooo, erm maybe not😁) .I could wait not a moment longer, I was up and out, an elf in each frozen little hand, staking out the terrain as I went, on the look out for rogue passers by….😊, …..I had the all clear…Jesse sat in phone land, in my pocket peeking over the top as my able look out….We timed our approach with utter perfection….we were indeed glorious…..before anyone could suspect our intention, I had one elf attached to the top of the tree, the other hanging off the flashing security light, looking mischievously down upon his buddy….proudly I strutted in for more coffee…the Eagle had landed, I had struck once more……

Later That same morning, while going to put out laundry, I spotted both my neighbours in the distance, bringing their grandchildren back with them, so i took longer than expected to hang out my few bits of washing😁, coward Treez !!!!, ….but from this hidden vantage point I could hear the childrens excited voices, they had already spotted the carefully choreographed elves and were telling their grandparents where they were….it was cute as hell to listen to and the fun part was the grandparents feined surprise, playing along….it honestly made my whole week….

Next week….

In the week I took in a package for the same said neighbours, while they were out, it’s something we do for one another… Later that same day, I heard Catherine chatting to the window cleaner in her garden….So grabbing the package and took it out there for her, As I handed her the parcel, she turned to the window cleaner with a huge grin saying, “oh look my little neighbourhood Christmas tree fairy “😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁, I don’t know about little so much😁, but it was more than obvious, even to us partially blind folks, the game was now up, I had been rumbled, stookered, . But in fairness to Catherine she took it all in the good fun intended…we shared a moment of how much the children had enjoyed the surprise element, and really I’m not sure who enjoyed it all more, me, the kids, or the elves, but you can rest assured, this xxl Christmas fairy will find something else to get up to in the week or so before the festivities 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁. Anyhoo enough from me, whatever your about this week, whether it’s high jinks or keeping warm at home over hot chocolate and a twix, look after yourself and behave like what I does 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁, 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛x