"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort" - Jane Austen

That quote was from a bookmark that Wendy gave me in today's advent present and seems to sum up the last few days.  Not only that but Phil and Chris' advent present was this lovely Mary Berry organiser - they go together well don't they?





I woke up this morning eager to see the white stuff coming down - after all the weather forecast has been telling us to prepare all week.  The BBC forecast said that we could be getting snow from 8am (good job that I didn't wake up until gone 8 then!).  I opened the curtains gingerly - peeling back the surprise as if I was in the final few scenes of "White Christmas" - only to see nothing, nada, zilch.  There was some white - frost - but that was all!  Ah well, the Christingle starts at 4pm so we should be ok then.  It's strange isn't it - I love to see snow, but then worry about driving in it. (I should add that there was some thin flakes seen around 9:21am - but not thick enough to cause any real problem and rain soon followed!)



So, with most of the day at home, I set to cleaning up and sorting out.  The kitchen needed a good bottoming out and the hoover needed putting around (the joys of dogs in both cases), before setting to and writing the Christmas cards for church this afternoon.  Several friends go away for Christmas so I like to get them sorted earlier enough.



By now, the temperature had dropped somewhat and the sewing room can get a little chilly (the rearrangement I did earlier in the year tends to block the heat from the radiator) so I brought a portable radiator down from storage and set it up - whilst I, wait for it, sewed the last two rows on my advent project, quilted it and then sorted the perle thread ready for some hand quilting tonight -yay!!

Next on the "to do" list was a couple more stocking fillers (I finished the presents too early so there's too much time on my hands and too many ideas rolling around in my head) before getting ready for the church service.  I had volunteered to go early so that I could help set out the candles etc - they take ages to put out, and then ages to light!!  However its really lovely to hear the young children ooh and ah as the lights are put out and they sing a carol by the light of their Christingle with the tealights as background illumination.



Back home and its a re-run of last night -sausage casserole, hand sewing, Strictly and I'm a celebrity - with a roaring fire!  Now that's what I call "real comfort"!

By the way - I passed the 950 miles stage today - just another 50 to walk in 21 days!  This could just be the first ever resolution that I have kept!!