@Bearsinmotion Sympathies. Small footprints in the heart leave prints every bit as deep as big ones.
@IngenTing Those clouds are absolutely glorious and beautifully described. .
@PricklyBob Life so often gets in the way of enjoyment of it, but the appreciation of small things can be an affective salve.Glad you're enjoying natures gifts and hope things level out for you.
@piscofrisco Congratulations on the job, fingers crossed for the masters.
@Bimblesalong We're all held together with string and packing tape sometimes. Aren't we just! Lovely photo diary.
Hoping both @SheherazadesSeasonalNonsense and @RainbowZebraWarrior trips go well, and for lovely photos.
@GlomOfNit I've been so good not reading ahead, but for a vegetarian version of that sounds like I may have to go look.
Our Accuel breakfast on the 13th was chaotic and horribly early, but heartening to see adult Dc keen to understand origins of their traditions and wanting to take them on better.
Caught up CC on the ferry, in between watching the perfectly performed aerial dance of accompanying black winged gulls silently sliding sideways and interweaving as they rode the currents across the prow in foggy half light.
Nigel is never happier than on an aeroplane, I feel the same about ships and being on the road.
So we're back from Belgium which was lovely but also very hard work. Wheelchairs and wall to wall cobbles are both painful and exhausting, but offset a bit by staying out of town at an amazing hotel on a lake that treats disability as totally normal!. Arrived in pitch blackness to late night rabbits crisscrossing our path, and rose to a large group of coots, some very different ducks, and even a pair of cormorants beckoning in the morning. Braved the bitter cold in search of tiny pine cones and shells for Christmas decorations, not that we don't have more than enough, even before we took my savings to De Witte Pelikaan and Käthe Wohlfahrtin in Brugge and my favorite vintage decoration seller in Ghent, which is a great deal of what we came for, along with the creative ideas they inspire for me. I've saved hard and it was slightly unnerving to spend so much on what isn't actually needed, but... well, happy days!
Brugge was it's lovely self, full of history, beautifully decorated, and despite being absolutely packed, the vast majority of folk were really civilized, and those who weren't really stood out as not on, an eye opener when used to London.
Bitterly cold, we discovered that gluhwein with amaretto is not just a thing to part visitors from their money, and have brought that idea back. We also caught part of a free light trail with some interesting ideas, a marching band, a parade, and a rehearsing choir. Not a bad toll. It's been two and a half days of extreme extravagance, but we have brought back amazing ornaments, oils, cheese, marzipan, alcohol, ideas, memories, and photos, and hopefully some reminders of what is worth saving for, and what we find actual value and joy in.
Back to reality now, and picked up a 'pre-used' real Christmas tree last night after work, that's sat in a van for now, as I need to do so much reorganization to even get it in and see what work needs doing to bring it up to ready for use for another month. It weathered a storm while hung with heavy lights and is in need of a drink, but I have 12 hours at work today so it will have to do with a good misting for now and wait for tomorrow.
A small snapshot, lots of lovely things to post later.