Chatterbox

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Hopefully it's better in February then.
As we were taking our car over, we were not sure if we would meet with blockades at petrol stations.
One tank would not have got us there and back.

Ah well. Can't be helped.

[Joanbunting Profile]

We were warned last night that they were going to block the distribution depots in Avignon so we went into town expection long queues or no fuel. Only one other car at the supermarket gas station so our tank is full to tbrim

[Alexandria Profile]

Joan,

Hope all is safe and have a lovely holiday season & a healthy, successful and happy new year just ahead ..

We shall be taking our annual trip from the evening of the 1st January - 6th January. We are headed to ski country in Switzerland with our 2 sons and 2 daughter in laws.

[Alexandria Profile]

Sakkarin, Renée, Joan, Sue Stokey, Uschi, Strickly, Karakoolaide, Petronius, Gil the Painter, Mark & All the other Members of the Food Board ..

May all the best of health and happiness be your´s during this special time of the year and Have a healthy, successful and a Happy New Year 2019 just ahead.

The Guillamet Family ..

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Thank you Member 461.
We are now well and truly on the run up/ count down. We have our first date/ wedding anniversary (25 years) to come first.

Joan
The Foreign Office here is still issuing warnings. Not to use the motorways, for blockades at the peages.
Plus make sure you have mucho fuel, as filling up is difficult.
I'm really pleased you are well out of it all.

Still, we've now got our deferred anniversary trip to look forward to in February.

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

Thank you Member 461, and Feliz Navidad to you and your family

[Uschi Profile]

Thank you Member 461!

Here's to a happy Advent time for us all!!! May it be peaceful and may you find a few moments to light a candle and enjoy!

Advent by natterjack3, auf Flickr

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

Danke Schon Uschi, your illustrations are always so enchanting to see at this time of the year. This one has put a big smile on my face

[Uschi Profile]

Thanks Clare! I use them to motivate myself sometimes. In Germany we usually have an "Advent wreath" with four candles. And each Sunday one candle more is lit. It's a nice tradition, one gets to pause for a moment to enjoy a coffee and biscuits or cake.
Well, not everybody, but many people still hold on to that tradition. Gives you a break from the Christmas mayhem.

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

One of our longest running UK childrens TV programmes, Blue Peter, has an Advent Crown, which is made from 2 interlocked wire coat hangers with tinsel wrapped around it, plus 4 candles. The presenters light one on the last 4 programmes before Christmas. They used to do this when I watched the programme as a child, and probably still do.

[Uschi Profile]

Ah, Advent Crown! Thanks for that! I keep forgetting that it is not "Advent wreath", but "Advent Crown". Isylta kept telling me that and also the story of the Blue Peter crown.

A North German parson invented it in 1839. He worked in an orphanage and the children kept asking him when it would be Christmas. To make things clearer he took an old wheel from the shed, took twenty small candles and four large ones, the former signifying ordinary weekdays, the latter the Advent Sundays, and placed them on the wheel which he hung up. Every day a candle would be lit and so the children could see how close to Christmas they were.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Thanks for the background, Uschi, and the sweet hamster drawing.
I've gone mad with the tea candles and led lights, and it takes quite a while to turn them all off before going out, or going to bed.

[Renee Profile]

Thank you for that lovely story Uschi!

[Alexandria Profile]

Thank you for all the lovely Christmas messages.

Uschi: Thank you for posting the wonderful Avent Crown Poster / Card ..

Gil The Painter: Happy Anniversary !!


All our best wishes ..

[Alexandria Profile]

Is everyone finished with their Christmas Shopping ? Any un-usual gifts for those special people in your lives ?

We are finished with the retail end or wholesale end ..

We are still deciding on how to wrap and / or place in Christmas Stockings or Paper Shopping Bags etcetra ..

We have 4 grandmothers ( my maternal and paternal ) and my husband´s maternal and paternal ..

Since they are grand fans of wool scarves and yes, they still use aprons: there are 4 aprons and 4 amazingly lovely wool scarves to wrap yet ..

Deciding how to wrap 8 more gifts !!!

Nothing we would call un-usual however, we have several Gifts from The Thyssen Museum of Madrid´s boutique, a few treasures including a caffé set of Mondrian Ceramic Coffee Cups, Mugs and Saucers for one of our daughter in laws who is a grand fan of the late painter Mondrian.

And a few Coffee Table books including Octology, by Author, Three Michelin Star Chef & Food Designer Andre Chiang in Singapore for my other daughter in law who has a grand penchant for for Asian Cuisines.

Have a lovely day.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Well I got an old fashioned travel clock in London, Member 461.
They type you fold down into the case, but this one is a battery operated one, in tartan. Very simple, it doesn't even have a second hand.
Tony is fed up of "programming" digital alarm clocks.

This stylee, but it's modern & light:



Other things may not be of use to you. As he's an open water swimmer, I've got water things. And a hand held mobile bike cleaner for his racing bike.
It's the acid in mud and roads that rots bike frames mostly, not rain water. So you have to wash it off.

I take my time wrapping gifts.
In brown paper that I decorate, I don't use sellotape. I glue the edges. It takes some time.

[Joanbunting Profile]

I prefer to give peole experiences rather than things. So M, although he doesn't know it yet is getting on-line chess tuition for a year. He is a member of the local chess club but he has rather out-played them at that level and he really wants to do better but has no-one to play with. One of the disadvantages of living in the wilds of Provence.

The only other things I know he would like include a new weather record book - he;s now on his 4th 4-year book. A private Eye annual - so he doesn't have to keep the actual magazines he gets every 2 weeks.

I know DD has sent him a 25 year-old single malt because I had to wrap it!

[Renee Profile]

That's a very smart-looking alarm clock Gill!

Have a very Happy Wedding Anniversary!

[Alexandria Profile]

Gil,

That is an amazingly attractive clock ..

I am sure he shall be very pleased ..

Happy Anniversary.

We all have different hobbies and surely you have selected things Tony would appreciate ..

Have a lovely holiday season ..

[Alexandria Profile]

Joan,

Yes, my dearest and I are going skiing ( a fave Winter hobby for us ) in Switzerland .. This is our gift to each other.


Your gifts for "M" are highly innovative ! Outstanding ideas ..

I like useful gifts and so does my dearest ..

We always travel from the late afternoon on the 1st and return on the 6th ..


Have a wonderful holiday season ..