Twinkles and Sparkles

The Christmas tree is up.

That is the town Christmas tree.

Mine is up too and has been for a while but this one is a lot bigger.

It has immediately added a cheerful festive feel to the Esplanade.

Does your 'town' have a Christmas tree?

Is it like ours, looking over the Lagoon and out to the Coral Sea, glistening in the heat of the day and sparkling in the cooler evening?

Last Saturday evening I headed down to the Esplanade, specifically for the Christmas tree, but hoping for pretty skies as well. Mr Sparky had just headed off to his work Christmas party so I was enjoying the evening too, just in a quieter fashion.

I wasn't the only one with the idea of enjoying the end of the day on such a nice evening. So many families were out and about, looking at the tree or enjoying the Lagoon.

The perfect way to end a summer day if you ask me.

Speaking of summer, the weather seems to be fairly mild at the moment. I'll probably want to bite my tongue for saying that later.

It was certainly perfect weather for strolling the Esplanade.

This month is speeding by and it is nice to relax and watch the world.

In some ways I am hoping things get busier though, with work, to keep me busy and distracted from wanting to spend time with family. My third Christmas away, one more than I thought I was going to have. It is hard. The good thing though is being able to try and work out what our Christmas 'thing' is and how we like to celebrate. Personally I still like the noisy, family filled type.

I have plans in my head of some Christmas crafting and cooking.

I've been doing a baby quilt for a friend but I want to finish that up and get my Christmas on.

Maybe I'll multi task and have a few projects on the go so I can start now. Or maybe I should just get my butt over to the sewing machine and finish that quilt.

Maybe I could make some fish for our tree, just like the ones on the Esplanade. Nothing like thinking things through out loud on a blog post. 

Are you doing any Christmas crafting?

A bit over a fortnight ago I spent my weekend doing Santapaws or pet Santa photos with Pet Stock. A friend had asked for a favour 'could I do pet Santa photos for her?' She owns a photography business, Romy Photography, and they do it to help raise money for Animal Rescue most years. You see she was a little busy being pregnant and being due at that time. She ended up having bub the night before the photos needed done by the way. 

On the Saturday, I was the printer lady but we had all kinds of tech issues but other wise it went well. On the Sunday, I was the photographer. That was fun and good to try something new and different. I'm glad I did it after ages of umming and ahhhing over whether to do it. It wasn't something I should have worried over.

I am a worrier, I've discovered. I stress over the unknown. I really need to curb that a bit. I over think really.

Once decisions have been made and I know what is happening I don't worry any more, especially when the choice is out of my hands.

Times like this though, when relaxing in the fading light and watching sparkly lights reflecting on water, they are good for thinking out things or not having a care in the world. Not that I really have anything to worry about. Life really is pretty good, even if I don't always have it my way.

Maybe it is time to put on some Christmas carols and get in the spirit.

After a month of not being ready for them in the shops, now I am ready. 

It is December, it is time to be jolly and enjoy the end of the year as well as to be grateful for what we have.

By the way have you noticed the amount of babies due or recently arrived at this time of year.

I know of a few.

Are you ready for the festive season and the sing carols at the top of your lungs?

By the way, I can't even remember to take a shopping list with me, or what was on it, or to do so many other things, but Christmas carols ... those I have down pat.

So let the sparkle in and put your cheer on.

And let's celebrate 'the most wonderful time of the year'. 

Now I am getting enthused for all the Christmassyness ... I must be good at enthusing people if I can enthuse myself.

 

Through My Lens

The first day of Autumn

A pinch and a punch for the first of the month.

Okay so I'm a bit late on that count it being almost 9:30pm. I think the rules are you have to do it before 12pm or was that something someone made up at sometime to stop kids pinching and punching for the entire day.

Today was the first day of Autumn and I have to say it felt just like ... Summer. Not even a smidgen of Autumn in the air. Oh that is right, I live in far North QLD, Autumn doesn't really happen. What do they say on one of those air conditioning ads on the radio. Cairns has two types of weather, hot and hotter. Actually that isn't true, Winter isn't that hot, it is pretty much perfect temperature wise.

I didn't capture the first Autumn sunrise, I slept in instead. I didn't get the sunset either, I was doing something and then there were too many clouds. I did however get Mr Sparky to come up the hill with me to the lookout. This would be the Copperlode Dam/ Lake Morris Road lookout.

It was just a little magical with all those twinkling lights. Okay so no ones lights twinkle really but it did look pretty.

Maybe it looked just a little like part of the Milky Way had landed on the ground. Before you start looking for chocolate I'm talking about the stars. I would have beat you to the chocolate anyway.

My youngest sister, Sis G, started her trip today that is part of chasing her dreams. I wish her love and luck. I know she will find this first step hard especially as it means moving away from home but I am sure she will have fun and many valuable experiences.

 

Watching the lights below and stars above, that is the stuff of dreams and a great place for dreaming. Maybe wishing on a star or two.

Have you been wishing on any stars lately?

Do you feel any changes in the seasons at your place yet?

Gingerbread Shapes and a touch of Christmas

Gingerbread Shapes

125g butter

½ cup lightly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup golden syrup

1 egg

2 cups plain flour

1/3 cup self-raising flour

2 tablespoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon cardamom

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon bi-carb soda

Icing

1 egg white

½ teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup pure icing sugar

Food colourings

Gingerbread

1.      Beat butter, sugar and golden syrup until light and creamy. Add egg and beat well.

2.      Add flours, spices & bi-carb soda – recipe says to use a knife to just mix – I use the beaters and mix.

3.      Knead gently (reportedly if you knead too much it becomes tough).

4.      Cover a baking tray with baking paper (I use two trays or three for a double mix).

5.      Roll out until 5mm thick. Place on baking trays and refrigerate for 15min.

6.      Cut out shapes & place onto lined baking trays – the dough is easier to handle when jus t out of the fridge, if it is a hot day you might want to chill again before moving shapes.

7.      Bake at 180°C for 10 min or until just colouring.

8.      Cool on trays – or as I do, transfer to cooling rack when solid/cool enough to move because you need the tray for the next batch.

Icing

1.      Beat egg white until soft peaks form

2.      Add lemon juice & icing sugar gradually.

3.      Transfer to small bowls to colour if using more than one colour.

4.      Use icing bags to decorate.

A huge thanks goes out to my Aunt for this recipe that occupied part of my morning. Between a crazy quick race to the shops for something they still didn't have and a snooze, oh and work. I can testify to their tastiness and I am sure my work mate would have too if the gingerbread stars had made it off the kitchen bench and into the car, as intended.

I can hardly believe it is the 24th of December already. Tomorrow it is Christmas day!

My Christmas Eve is calling on an old family carol watching tradition with lights twinkling in the house. I am missing having the family around and singing along but I will sing along all the same as I am sure they are. See we are still singing together. 

What is your favourite Christmas carol or song? I do love 'So this is Christmas' but then I also love many of the more traditional carols like 'Silent Night', 'Angels we have Heard on High', 'Oh Holy Night' and the list could go on and on. I also happily get on board with the Aussie version of well known Christmas songs and carols. So I am going to go back to watching carols with a festive beverage while nibbling on some tasty stars and maybe other goodies I have stashed after cooking.

 

What do you do on Christmas Eve? What are you must do traditions?

 

Also, just in case I don't get to it tomorrow, many good wishes for Christmas. May your day be filled with love, hope, joy, peace and may this carry though into the new year.

Merry Christmas!