This weekend

This weekend I got to grips with Christmas! You wouldn't think so to look at the photo above, would you? This is my entrance hallway looking out to the front garden - lovely, luscious, tropical greenery! Delightful, it is indeed, but it can be a tad difficult to feel the festive spirit in the heat and humidity of Malaysia! However, I'm just back from Singapore where the streets are brightly lit with decorations and the Christmas rush is in full swing (sorry no pics - forgot my camera!) and I felt inspired to make an a start on Christmas, chez nous! First stop on Saturday, was Ikea, for a real tree :) Not to be, unfortunately. I was so disappointed to find that the only good trees to be had were about 20 feet tall, whilst smaller ones had clearly seen better days in Sweden. I came away with just three Pointsettia plants instead!



Not to worry, I had another idea for the Christmas tree! We hauled a potted fir tree in from the terrace and I set to work! My decorating style is traditional - no colour coordinated, contemporary purple or blue trees for me! Though I do admire chic designer trees I have collected so many individual decorations over the years that my tree has to be an ecelctic mix of glass stars and snowflakes, silver bells and red baubles and lots of handmade pieces - I love to unwrap all the quirky decorations every year - each has its own story to tell!

I bought this little fellow in Sweden 30 years ago!

One year I made little teddies from Fimo clay.

One of a pair of golden metal birds, also from Sweden.

I set a clove scented candle in this glass holder and surrounded it with a twig wreath decorated with berries, pine cones, silk hellebores and aromatic cinnamon sticks,



and used some really flamboyant red flowers and berries for this piece.

I found this little silver reindeer this year and thought he looked perfect with a tray of gilded apples and pears.

Last, but definitely not least, this is one of my most precious ornaments! I remember my father taking me shopping for this sweet little blue angel when I was about 5 or 6 years old!

With the decorations done I headed to the kitchen to do some baking! Christmas just isn't Christmas without some sweet mince pies!

Ready for the oven, marked with a little Xmas tree design.

Golden brown and almost ready to eat..

just a final dusting of icing sugar ... delicious!

Bob gets a carefully supervised visit to tree!

I've also been making little books as gifts - this one is 'A little book of Malaysian Birds'

I printed some of my bird illustrations onto watercolour paper and made a little accordion book.

Now I'm feeling a bit more Christmassy!