What Does December Mean to You?

When I think of December, I think of the colour red.

Do you?

This sweet tiny Christmas angel comes out every year to decorate my home,

so do my crochet pieces that remind of us of winter.

I also think of the trees, here in the park, which have lost almost all their leaves.

The fallen leaves gather in a fenced enclosure, catching the late afternoon sun

illuminating the autumn colours

and the first snowfall reminds us that winter is really here.

The pond has frozen over

Offering us a still-life of fallen leaves and lily pads under the ice.

Pine branches are lain across the flower beds to protect the spring bulbs.

The snow melted in the daytime and then became ice overnight

Look what I found in a store downtown!

Would you wear one of these jumpers? If so which one?

I wouldn't mind one of the scarves or some fancy socks!

I like to add sparkles in my home and like to see  discreet and beautiful

seasonal decorations.

I do not like blinking or flashing lights!

I made a nest for my rose from muslin with gold and silver dots.

A walk in my neighbourhood just before sunset

When a rosy glow illuminated the mountain tops.

I caught a glimpse of the sunset through the trees with the lake and mountains.

One of the things I like to do during the month of December

is creating small gifts for others, like these sparkling snowflakes.

I'll be slipping them into certain envelopes with a Christmas card!

Do you have special things you like to do in December that are meaningful to you?

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?