The Last Day of November

 

The air is crisp and a cold wind has been blowing lately.
A walk downtown in the early evening with a companion.
We wanted to eat roasted chestnuts and drink a goblet of mulled wine.
We stopped in the area of this church called St. François.
I did like the illuminated leaves against the dark blue sky.

There were still leaves on the surrounding trees, also illuminated by Christmas lights
which have now been installed across town.

Market day is one of my favourites.
I usually go on Saturdays, but occasionally on Wednesdays too.

When I was downtown, I passed by the barber's and saw this lovely scene.
I liked the striped capes and the smart barbers in black and white wearing waistcoats.
The young lady barber saw me with my camera behind the big glass window.
She smiled and put up the v-sign with her fingers! So friendly!

In my neighbourhood, I saw this elegant lady all in white
holding a very large Poinsettia plant and waiting to pay.

One day, I visited the lakeside village of St. Prex, in the Morges area.
The weather wasn't beautiful enough that day to take likeside pictures,
but I did love the village shop which sells cheese and also groceries.
I'll be returning to this lovely place on a sunny day.

My aroma-diffuser which changes colours constantly
 I made a collage of them here so that we may enjoy
some of them which I took in a darkened room.
Today, I'm diffusing Eucalyptus and it smells wonderful in my home!

As the trees have nearly lost all their leaves, I picked up the most beautiful
and took a picture of them. 
They were mostly from my own street, but the dark pink and green one
slightly to the right of the middle is a vine leaf picked up in the vineyards.

The title of this book in English is: 'A Rose and a Broom'.
I heard the author speaking on the news. He is a road sweeper who writes books.
He sounded really interesting so I decided to order his first book above.

You can listen to him talk HERE
in German, with English sub-titles.

You can also read about Michel Simonet in this article in English

***
As anyone who does crafting or handiwork knows, to make things for specific
events, we need to start well in advance.
This is some of my Christmas crochet. 
On the upper left is a partial view of a large table-top mandala 
which measures 50 cm across.
Can you see the heart shapes?

This collage shows smaller doilies.
The pattern at the top is called 'Christmas Rose Coaster'
I find it so pretty. I bought the pattern on Etsy.

"One of the reasons crochet is so relaxing is because it allows us to achieve mindfulness,
the state of being in which we are fully immersed in the present moment.
This gives the mind a much-needed break from worries about the past and future,
allowing the brain and body to both rejuvenate themselves."

Tomorrow is the first day of December
and I love to prepare seasonal decorations, both to give as gifts and to create
a festive atmosphere in my own home.
Do you have special decorations that you like to put up at this time of the year?

10 comments

  1. Thanks for taking me on a trip around your neighbourhood. Your diffuser looks really pretty. I must get mine out!!

    Will be decorating my tree this weekend.

    Hugs, Sarn xxx

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    1. Essential oil diffusers are lovely at this time of the year. I always use organic oils that are healthy to breathe in.
      It's always lovely to put up our seasonal decorations at this time of the year. You will enjoy decorating your tree. I'm wondering if you make paper decorations to hang up?

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  2. Hello, very nice trip around your neighborhood. Nice pictures again. I think the barbers were ready for celebrating. Your doilies are pretty. Tradtional colors are best.
    My special decoration are my "Angels Orchestra" and my little shop which reminds me of my childhood.
    Have a wonderful time and take care,
    Gabi

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    Replies
    1. Yes, the barber's was a great discovery to find all the chairs occupied! I like traditional colours too at Christmas, my second favorite colour scheme would be white with sparkles and tiny touches of red!
      Your 'Angels Orchestra' and your little shop sound charming. I wish I could see them!

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  3. Beautiful end of November photos, Sandra, but my favorite is the barber shop! You have such a great eye for capturing an interesting photo in something that seems so ordinary. Well done! Your Christmas crochet is so pretty and I totally understand what you are talking about when you say that crocheting allows you to achieve mindfulness. I get the same feeling with my cross stitch and I so miss it if I don't get to do at least a bit every day. Hope your December is a lovely one! ♥

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Carol! I ewas thrilled to get a full house at the barber's too and that friendly lady barber just made the capture extra special! Yes, we both know how much handiwork makes us feel good! We understand each other very well on that point!
      Our weather has become quite a bit colder of late and we had snow flurries today!

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  4. Nice pictures as always. You have been very good capturing that moment at the barber shop, but my favourite is that one with the little shop. It seems a little ancient shop in the villages of times ago. Your doilies are nice too, I prefer Christmas with traditional colours. Our Christmas decorations are all already ready. We started before this year. Hopefully you are enjoying your new reading.
    Have a nice weekend,
    Miriam

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    1. Thank you, Miriam! I love that village shop as well. I shall be returning there to capture more photographs of the whole village, the lakeside and go into that little shop to buy something! I have to finish reading a book before I start the one shown here. It sounds as if you're nice and organised for Christmas!

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  5. As always, I enjoy looking at the photos. I've always thought crocheting as a art form and your pieces are like art. The one with the heart and flower ones are super cute. I'm guessing the green, reds are holiday colors.

    Have a lovely day.

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    1. Thank you, Lissa. Yes, crochet can be an art form. It is kind of you to find that my crochet includes this title. I love trying out new patterns and colour combinations. Yes, the red, green and white tend to be Christmas colours, though at the moment I'm working on some sparkling yarn which also looks festive!

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