When the World Wearies
And Society ceases to Please
There is always
The Garden.
Merry Christmas 08:26

A Merry Christmas to all my blogger friends. I have been absent for 6 months - it felt like my last post about spending an eternal June with my mother said it all and I had nothing left to say. So apologies, especially to Suzanne who I have only seen today had been concerned about myself and Kate
It hasnt been a good year, early on finding out a dear beloved cousin had terminal cancer which made me feel completely helpless and hopeless. Thank God (or whatever being I actually pray to, probably Mother Earth) she is still here, hopefully celebrating a wonderful Christmas today with her family thanks to a drug trial. Then in October my dear friend and neighbour Gill was taken seriously ill and again thank goodness is slowly recovering. On the good side my daughter Kate has found a wonderful new love in Luke and they have been together for 7 months or so and although Kate now uses a walking stick always she is very happy which makes me very happy. We had changed solicitors (regarding her accident 7 years ago when a car ploughed into the bus shelter where she was sitting on her way to school) which was a very hard thing to do as the old solicitor had just put the case to court, but our new solicitor is very lovely who deals in brain injury and hopefully will get Kate better care for her future
Well I had better start on Christmas food preparations. Cooking is the one thing that has bought me some joy this year. During the first snow and not being able to buy any bread around where I live, I decided to buy a breadmaker and it is now a wonderful constant in my life! Freshly baked bread every morning is heavenly and unfortunately the focaccia I have been baking everyday is too yummy for words (Kate and I will have to reform ourselves in the New Year as too much focaccia definitely expands the waistline!) Below was my first attempt with sun dried tomatoes on top and it didnt last very long after this photo was taken!

Well I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and may 2011 bring all the good people what they wish for.
I again bought myself a signed Andy Murray shirt for myself for Christmas, it was for a good cause  Daniels Dream and Promise 

Can you see a theme.... this is what I bought myself last Christmas.....http://countryrosecorner.blogspot.com/2009/12/merry-christmas.html
and I also bought a used (but nicely washed by his mum Judy) t-shirt in the summer. Yes, I have a dedicated Andy Murray shirt drawer! Well he didnt win his Grand Slam, almost but not quite in the Australian Open, so hopefully in a couple of weeks he can start the New Year afresh and win what he desires. A warm thank you to Andy and his mum for the shirt (poor Judy posting 200 in snowy Dunblane a couple of weeks ago)
Below pic of Kate in the garden (I really should have removed the washing line!)
Merry Christmas Friends and until my garden defrosts I will be cooking...........