A wonderful Christmas

As promised I'm here on Boxing Day to do an update about our awesome Christmas celebrations. I've loads of pictures (of course) so I'll try and be selective and not overwhelm with them however I'll probably fail completely.

Christmas music and dancing

Stickers done on Rosie's car

On Christmas Eve Eve after I did that last update I went downstairs to find Rosie and Angela dancing around the kitchen to some Christmas music which was lovely. Then, after Rosie was in bed, I got her police car and stuck all the stickers on it and this time I got them pretty straight!

Early morning Christmas Eve

Rosie excited by the tree

The sun rises on Christmas Eve

Rosie jumps off the kitchen platform

Angela and Rosie preparing the goat leg

It fits in our big pan

Decorated the dining table

The kitchen got tinseled too

Angela's car is now a reindeer

Christmas Eve I was up early, and so was Rosie, even before the sun came up. We opened up the lounge and lit the fire upstairs and had some lovely time together watching the sun rise before it was time to go downstairs (and jump off the kitchen platform) and then start to prepare the goat for the oven. Angela was marinating it over night so she prepared all that and Rosie helped until I took her to town for some last minute shopping for tinsel to decorate downstairs, and also a few bits for myself in the workshop. When we got back we kicked Angela out of the kitchen for a bit and did the decorating then brought her back in for the surprise. I also got her (by accident, to be fair) some antlers and a nose for her car.

Rosie in the tree house

She loves it up there

Sat in the tree seat looking at the view

Usmivka gets his gift and is very excited

The goat marinating and looking amazing

In the afternoon we had some fun out in the garden and Rosie went onto her tree house first with Angela and then I climbed up with her and we sat there for a bit enjoying the view and the lovely weather. It was so warm. Inside Angela was working away still getting prep done for Christmas Day including making an awesome pudding with a crushed up biscuit base. Late in the afternoon we headed next door to give our gifts to the neighbours and stayed for a chat and a bite to eat before heading back to continue work on the goat (the marinade was looking amazing!) and then we had a nice cold cuts, cheese and fresh bread meal before it was time to send Rosie to bed with strict instructions that she wasn't to wake up as she may scare Santa away. She was asleep and snoring within about five minutes - it had been a busy and exciting day for her.

A box set suitable for Christmas Eve

Louise relaxes to the max

With this, Christmas officially begins

As every year after she was in bed Angela and I settled on the sofa and watched Die Hard to ensure Christmas was a huge success. The puppies slept and we watched Hans fall off the Nakatomi Plaza and then it was time for bed for us as of course Christmas Day would be even longer.

Early morning Rosie with gifts

Rosie loves her Belinda doll

Lots of wooden track

Thelma loves her toy

Struggling to get the bottle open

Rosie didn't wake that early on Christmas Day, I was up before her and got some nice quiet time reading a book before she was up. Her first words to me where "has Santa been?!" and so we went straight upstairs and saw what Santa had left. He had drunk his beer, eaten his biscuit and Rudolf had taken a big bite of the carrot but the thing that excited Rosie most of all were the gifts; the drivable Police Car was one from Santa and the other was a walking talking doll that went to sleep when it lay down. She was pretty pleased indeed. We then remembered the gift from Santa at the school and got that out first thing too; more wooden railway tracks so of course the existing box was brought up and me and her set it all out to play with. After that it was time for the puppies to have their first presents which is always a laugh; Thelma in particular gets into unwrapping things (she tries to help on every present!) and they have loved these toys. Next up, cheap plonk time which was a huge struggle to get open but eventually I managed it so we were able to have a sip and get our family picture for the year taken.

Bacon and Eggs sets the day going

Rosie and Mummy do the magnets

Louise destroys a chew

Thelma and Xena working on theirs

Rosie is a policewoman

Beautiful dress from Nanny P

After that I cooked bacon and eggs for us all with our own eggs which is always a bonus and then it was back upstairs for some more presents. My friend who visited a few weeks back left an awesome couple of gifts for Rosie, magnets and a book, and she had lots of fun putting the magnets all around the fire guard upstairs. Then more gifts for the puppies which were chews this time round and this settled them down for a bit which gave us a chance to get more gifts unwrapped. The Policewoman outfit and lovely dress were from Angela's mum and Rosie loved them as well.

Heading out for our Christmas Day walk

The fog in the valley (arty farty shot)

The family having a lovely walk

This sun burned the fog all away quickly

Goat cooking and looking amazing

Playing with her marble race game

The next part of our lovely Christmas Day routine was a walk out the headland; this would be a test for Xena as it's the first time she's ever been on a lead and she did SO well; she wasn't too sure at first but didn't cause too much trouble and by the end was walking perfectly. It had been a bit foggy first thing however this was just burning off as we left and the sun was blazing as we reached the far point of our stroll before turning back. A lovely way to spend half an hour or so. The goat had been cooking for ages by this point and was looking incredible when we got home but still needed in for some more so we took Rosie outside to drive her Police Car around the patio which she did with great joy, and not a few crashes. The neighbour's grandson saw us out and came running over to see Rosie and so they had some nice time to play together before we sent him back home as we were about to have our Christmas Dinner.

Carving the first slice

I only put a small amount on my plate...

Rosie tries a sprout for the first time

Pleased with another present

I do love my new hat!

I carved the meat while Angela served everything else out and then we all sat at the table and enjoyed our amazing Christmas Dinner - roast goat really is the best thing ever! Rosie even tried a sprout for the very first time and said she liked it; she's awesome! After dinner we had some more present opening, including lovely gifts from my mum and my sister, and then it was time for a sleep. We were hoping to get back over to the neighbours early evening but by the time everyone woke up again from our naps it was late and we were all still very very tired so we called that off; even this late there were still a few gifts yet to open and the last of my gifts for the day was an awesome hat that I had wanted; thank you Angela! Rosie was quite late to bed again but did settle eventually and Angela and I sat and watched Die Hard with a Vengeance which was a lot of fun before it was time to collapse after an excellent and fun Christmas day.

Rosie plays with her slinky

A new toy; sticklebricks. Superb fun

The hot wheels that I posted back from the UK

This is such an epic breakfast

Rosie drives her car around again

Angela weeding and spreading mulch

Clearing this tangle

And so we reach today and while the day isn't done we have had a good morning. Rosie had a lovely lie in, and so did I to be fair (though I've woken with a sore throat and a bit of an ache which hopefully will clear quickly). Before we went upstairs to play with her new toys, Rosie found the slinky and had fun with it on the stairs. Yesterday had been such an intense day that we kept a few toys back unwrapped but unplayed with and this was a good idea as this morning Angela and Rosie played with the sticklebricks for quite a while as I built the hotwheels track up. After a nice playtime I went and made the traditional fry up for Boxing Day of all the left overs and then we headed outside again with the police car. Once more the neighbour's grandson came over to play with Rosie and they went in the tree house then inside to play with her gifts. This morning I had remembered the Bagatelle that I bought many years back so I brought that through as well and Rosie loves it; she showed the grandson and he had a lot of fun with it also. While they were playing Angela and I did some of our garden chores; she spread some more mulch and did some weeding while I pulled out the old tomato plants and tidied up that area of the raised beds. As I sit typing this Rosie and the grandson are watching Home Alone and everything is (currently) peaceful.

So there it is. I am not 100% sure when I'll post again so enjoy the rest of your week and Happy New Year for next weekend! Thanks for reading.

Christmas Eve Eve

Today is Christmas Eve Eve and the last working day of the year for the men (and probably for me as well).

Rosie's super hair do

The sun burns through the fog

A metal strip to secure this block

Continuing to lay blocks

A beautiful flower on my dad's plants

Angela did Rosie's hair in a very lovely plat today and I liked it so much I had to take a picture to share it. I took her to school again this morning, the last day of the year for her as well, and it was foggy and frosty and cold and on the way back I stopped at the top of the village to photograph the sun burning through. Upstairs the workmen were in and carrying on with laying blocks for the walls up there. Bekir showed me how he is tying in the single bricks going up by the wooden beams either side of the storage access doors; he is attaching these metal strips to the wood and then embedding them into the cement. This will make these walls very strong and not likely to topple. I did a little tidying and that while Angela headed to the dentist and saw that my Dad's flowers are blooming where we put them on the windowsills in the lounge. They look lovely, and Angela has done such an epic job of keeping them alive.

A pile of leaves and grasses that Halil raked up

Ready to dump this into the toilet

Starting to clear out this unsightly mess

Burning the waste

Thelma and Xena play tug with the toy

At lunch time I took my food to sit outside on the patio as it was such a lovely day and saw that Halil had been doing some tidying by the end of the patio; he had raked out all the leaves and long grasses that were clogging that area. When I finished my lunch I grabbed the wheelbarrow and started to sift through all this material, removing stones, and put three barrowloads into the humanure and then another three or four over by the garden for Angela to use as mulch. In the mean time Halil was now cracking on clearing up the rubbish pile that has developed in the old lime pit we put there all those years ago. He separated out any wood that could dry and be used in his fire at home while taking the rest over to the other dump to burn. Angela came home while we were doing this and we discussed plans for the garden for next year while watching Thelma and Xena play with the toy.

Bekir continues the block work

Shoveling out years of rubbish

A goat leg, all ready for Christmas

Look at what an excellent job Halil has done

The cable ducts are cemented in place now

Inside Bekir was working away on his own to get as much of the walls finished as possible and he also moved the network cable that goes to Angela's art room. Halil continued with his clearing and tidying task outside and was making great progress, shoveling years of leaves and ashes and other assorted rubbish out of the pit. At lunch time the men had headed out and picked up the goat leg for our Christmas dinner and it looks like a very good chunk this year. By the end of the day Halil had completely cleared that horrible pile of rubbish while upstairs Bekir was done with the walls and had also cemented in the ducts that hold the power lines for the right hand side of the roof.

Rosie with her gifts from the men

Four eggs from two days

Rosie stirs the jelly

As the day came to a close and when Rosie got home from school we gave the men their Christmas gifts and Rosie received some awesome presents in return. I had heard a chicken laying an egg earlier and popped into the chicken house to find that we now have two chickens laying; this is two eggs each from two chickens. Very exciting. While I was writing the first part of this update Rosie was with Angela helping to make jelly for over the Christmas period which she did very well indeed. She's now in bed and hopefully sleeping well as she is understandably very very excited for Christmas.

So there it is. The year is done for the builders and near enough done for us. I may well be back during the week before New Year to catch up on Christmas but we shall see how it goes. Thanks for reading, Happy Christmas to you all.