Here is Phoebe, settled on the back of the love seat in our living room. Don't
you just love her fluffy tail? You can't tell from the picture, but in the centre
of that white fluffy tail tip is a dot of black fur. Right now she is laying here
on the desk top, on her blanket, next to my elbow purring away.

So how was every one's Christmas? Hope it was wonderful. Since DH has
been nursing a bug for a couple of weeks we decided this year to skip the
outdoor Christmas Eve service that we usually attend in Ballinafad, a small
town just north of here. Instead, after dinner, we drove to the homes of a
couple of our friends to drop off gifts and share a cup of cheer (beer for DH,
tea for me). And to look at the Christmas lights around town. We were
home around 11:00, and into bed soon after that. Didn't want to risk
running into Santa doing his rounds by staying up too late. I hear he doesn't
care for that sort of thing, with adults anyway.

On Christmas day we spent part of the morning doing light household
chores. I made my turnip casserole, which my SIL and Mom and I love and
DH hates. Then I brought the gifts down from the spare room where they'd
been kept safe behind closed doors, away from curious Kitties who find the bows and trim fascinating things. DH arranged them under the tree so that
we could have at least a few hours of seeing them looking pretty under there.

DH picked my Mom up around 2:30 and brought her over, and SIL arrived
soon after. The roast went into the oven to cook, and then we opened gifts.
As usual we were all quite spoiled. I gave DH tickets to a concert by one of
our favourite bands, the Irish Descendants. They are coming to the Rose
theatre in Brampton next March and we love seeing them live. This will be
the third concert of theirs that we've been to. Proving that we certainly
think alike, DH gave me a lovely card, with a beautiful note that he'd written
inside which brought tears to my eyes, and a promise to take me to any live
show that I'd care to see next year. So sweet. I think I'll keep him.

Another gift that knocked my socks off was from Darlene. My very own
digital camera!! Yes folks, soon I'll be taking my own pictures and posting
them all over my blog. And poor Darlene won't have to spend half her visits
here walking around the house, with me pointing at things and shouting
"Ok, take a picture of that! And that! And that over there!!". Of course, first
I have to figure out how to work the thing, which of course means
instructions and assistance from Darlene. So she's not quite off the hook, yet.



More Christmas stuff from around the house. This lot is in the front bay window of our living room. Note the green grass on our front lawn. It has been unseasonably warm for this time of year here, with lots of rain and no snow to speak of. Which unfortunately meant a green Christmas. We should be below freezing now that Winter is officially here, but we're actually 5 or 6 degrees warmer then that, and sometimes more. DH reports that our Crocus's are poking up out of the ground at the front of the house.

Dinner was delicious and we all stuffed ourselves silly. SIL made a heavenly coconut creme pie, which made a nice change from the usual pumpkin pie I usually make. And best of all, she left us the leftovers to finish off. Tonight dinner will be warmed over left overs, which will probably taste better then they did last night.