Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore

I walked down to The Grove yesterday afternoon, it is I suppose the main street in town and was closed to traffic for various events building up to the official switching on of the Christmas lights.  Not as you know that I'm a fan of these things, in fact I left about 40 minutes before the big countdown and 20 minutes before Santa was due to arrive.  I'd really had enough of all those festive tunes that weld themselves inside my head and pop out when I'm ironing or dorissing. However the entertainment I saw was good but I did notice a big difference between a Yorkshire Christmas and a Scottish one.  I'm used to the stirring sound of the bagpipes, here we have a lovely brass band that delights me just as much.

Gone too are the Scottish dancers, no more strip the willow or dashing white sergeant, now it's Morris dancers with painted faces and strange costumes banging sticks, and sometimes knuckles. 

These differences really confirm that I'm in a new place and bring back memories of how we had to adjust when we moved to Scotland 26 years ago.

The Christmas lights by the way are beyond tasteful, mostly simple white strings of light in the trees and complementary features touched with gold on the lamp posts. Yorkshire is big but it isn't always brash.  So pretty that we finished our walk today back in town so I could take some more photographs for you.

Waiting

The last week or so progress in the penthouse seems to have slowed down and life generally has stepped down a gear.   We've had a good number of wet days when the mist has been down on the hills, a day when I can't see Beamsley Beacon seems like a day wasted, we use it's visibility as our weather gauge.  

We haven't been sitting out in the communal garden or out on our balcony, which is a pity as we discovered we already had two of these rather nice chairs. 

I had intended to plant up my solitary pot with some interesting winter plants but that hasn't happened yet. 
There isn't that much daylight coming into the apartment, there isn't that much daylight anywhere I suppose, so the few house plants I brought here are struggling though every day I move them to the french doors to catch what light they can.
We've ordered a swanky new leather reclining chair for Mr FF but of course it won't be here until into the New Year.  We have people coming round to talk about fitted furniture to increase our storage. Nothing will happen until into at least January. It seems that this time of year is fit for nothing but Christmas shopping, you know my views on the build up to the festive period so you might be surprised to learn that I have made my Christmas cake.  It's waiting too, all wrapped up in a tin.

WYS at my LYS

It's many years since I've had a local yarn shop but I have one now.  It's 10 minutes walk to this pretty little tin building housing Eme, cloth and yarn, a fantastic place for anyone interested in sewing or knitting.

I had lingered outside the shop a few times knowing that I have many unpacked boxes of yarn in the apartment but one day I just couldn't resist going in to say hello.  They have an amazing stock, Rowan, Regia, Noro, all our favourites, lots of books and completed samples to admire, everything I need except of course I don't need.  I explained to the lady that I just wanted a look round as we'd recently moved, big stash, not much space etc but then she told me that all stock was 20% off in October and suddenly I was grasping some lovely locally spun stuff.

OK I bought a few skeins of this Blue Faced Leicester which is so soft, for scarves or cowls, and a 100g of sock wool just to see how it worked. 

Then I decided the sale was too good to let pass without a few more purchases, so I went back and I bought more of the same.

The yarns are delightful, as the West Yorkshire Spinners website says locally reared sheared and spun in Britain, in fact spun not so very far from where I live, one has to support don't you agree.

Trick or Treat

You remember in the summer I inadvertently cooked one of Amelia and Esme's halloween pumpkins.  Well, there were still enough for one Peppa Pig and one Hello Kitty, carved by Daddy, lanterns.  I may be forgiven or have they put a spell on me to protect their crop for next year