festive photos

Here are some christmas pictures of my Sudbury and Kirkwall families. I have to find out how to delete certain photos before my daughter kills me!

Perfect Christmas-es

Well Christmas is over and we shall soon be in 2010.

Our celebrations were perfect, although our Christmas eve and Day were "green"....but cold! We had three fantastic meals with Fiona, John and Bryn: both Fiona and John are superb cooks and produced first a delicious ham suppper for the Eve, a wonderful egg, 3 cheese and spring onion "bread pudding" for brunch on Christmas day followed by capons with wonderful trimmings as our main course, followed by a flaming xmas pudding (which Bryn felt compelled to keep blowing out resulting in repeated lightings!) made by John, on Christmas evening. All this garnished with Christmas cake baked by Fiona, mince pies and shortbread.

Sheona and Ken joined us and Bryn found another playmate in his Aunt giving Grandma a break! It was wonderful watching Bryn take control of the gift giving on Christmas morning....by the way Fiona had to wake him we were all up before him! She had been persuading him to stay in bed at 3.30 am and he certainly did as he was told!

We sat around a wonderfully "fat" and beautifully decorated pine xmas tree, the lights sparkling as we had our first cups of tea and watched the overwhelming excitement of one little boy.

So we have enjoyed two perfect Christmases and been thoroughly spoiled my my daughters because we are hardly permitted to lift a finger! I was allowed on both occasions to make the brandy butter we (my daughters and I) always have with the pudding.....although John makes custard, another English tradition.

I hope soon to be able to add photos to my blogs....that should perk them up! Until then bear with me please....it won't be too long before I shall be sending these epistles from the ship, all being well.

Christmas Eve

Apologies for the mistake in the first address. Now you know it is:



http://semsteratsea2.blogspot.com/

In error

I have foolishly made an error in my blog address. As you may notice it is http://semsteratsea2.blogspot.com/ leaving out the 2nd 'e' in semester. Hope you all find it.

semester at sea 2

Back home again without Bess! How I miss her. We had clear roads all the way, blue skies and bright sunshine most of the way so that Northern Ontario looked at its most beautiful; the pines dark green against the sky, the lakes frozen or snow covered still too dangerous to walk or skate upon and the glare from the pristine snow blinding at times.

But it's lovely to be back in Dundas and in contact with family and friends. We shall be going to Fiona's place in Kirkwall on Christmas Eve for supper, sleeping overnight and waking up with Bryn (what am I saying?!) to open his gifts. We are not doing adult gifts this year but donating to MS research in honor of Tessa and in the hope that all the new research might finally bring about a cure.

Looks like a green Christmas for us but a very white one for Tessa up north. As we ate our turkey last night the snow fell softly outside and it was evryone's favourite Christmas scene. We gave presents to Liam and Katie. Katie's all Olympic themed and Liam's about his February ski, (or should I say snowboarding), trip. It was such a happy meal and we shall al remember the upside-down turkey....sorry Tess!

As I get older time seems to fly and I remember Christmases past....at this age so many family and friends have gone and there is nostalgia and sadness mixed with the inevitable excitement I always feel at this time. I remember the many years of tropical celebrations, still with all the trimmings but days spent on the beach in the hot sunshine of the southern hemisphere.

I look round the apartment and know how much remains to be done before we leave...oh dear! I'm off to bed, it's all too much............

Greetings from Sudbury

We are once again in snowy, freezing Northern Ontario and loving the feeling and look of Christmas...sparkling lights. dark green pines, rocks, lakes and white, white snow. We are staying with my middle daughter Tessa and her family: Dan, (husband) Liam and Katie my grandchildren. Tonight we are having our first Christmas dinner of turkey and all the trimmings. Tess, Dan and George are sitting in the hot tub, Liam and Katie watching TV and I am talking to all of you!

We drive home tomorrow morning, weather permitting, and i am dreading leaving our little Bichon terrier Bess who without a doubt suspects that something is up and is staying very close at all times. She spent our last voyage with Semester at Sea up here and actually has a great time with the other two little dogs, Meg and Chai. and is showered with affection by the whole family...in fact I was concerned lest they refused to return her to us in May!

More to come as the days go by...5 until Christmas day, and then another 16 until we leave Dundas for Toronto, flying out of Toronto on the 11th, staying in San Diego for 2 nights before boarding the MV Explorer on the 13th and sailing to Mexico to pick up students and Life Long Learners.

We shall be spending Christmas with youngest daughter Fiona, husband John and grandson Bryn (just 6), staying with them over Christmas Eve and waking to watch Bryn opening his presents on Christmas morning. They live in an old Scottish stone house in the tiny village of Kirkwall (25 minutes from our front door), Ontario. We shall be joined for Christmas dinner on the 25th by eldest daughter, Sheona, and partner Ken.

We wish you all seasons greetings and look forward to hearing from you (!) as the months go by in 2010.