Christmas on Salt Spring

Early Christmas at home with my mom, was green and wet, 

perfect for burning five massive piles of our tree limb mess from the summer. 

There were soooo many needles. Gross, slimy, wet, moulding, slippery needles. 

I'm afraid we couldn't quite get rid of them all. 

Good thing conditions are conducive to quick composting. 

Ash and organic compose should help all the new wee seedlings flourish. 

I kind of love fires... :)

A good job for colder days. Another big job done! 

That said, we will still have to be very wary of the likely inundation of broom...

We had all kinds of other things to do, too, like decorating. 

It's such a pleasure to decorate a beautifully and artistically finished, clean home, even if it's not really mine anymore. And visiting and eating... The usual tasks around this time of year. 

My mom made the best ham I think I've ever had... Amazing! Delicious!

I am salivating. Utterly jaw dropping, taste bud popping!

I really wish we had trees around where we live in Calgary. It's just so simple and beautiful to decorate with greenery, if of course it's available right outside your door. 

Not to mention the scent. Quite intoxicating. Especially mixed with eggnog. 

I made the wreath as I usually do, but this year my mom purchased a proper frame and 

some wire twine which made it much easier and sturdier. 

It didn't really occur to me before that I should try to use something other than card board 

and fishing line, but the frame and twine are such handy items for wreath making, 

I'll likely never do it without them again! 

Making the wreath is one of my favourite things to create. 

I think my mom should grow holly and mistletoe so I can add them next year... 

Yes I think that would be just dandy! 

Some traditions were the same as they have been my whole life, others have been modified. 

Jordan and I got the Christmas tree. 

It was conveniently directly in the middle of the view of the lake...

Awfully nice view now! And so is the huge Christmas tree!

I knit my mom a scarf/wrap with braided cables along each side and the center 

half in flame stitch, half in honeycomb stitch. 

The honeycomb part ended up being quite perfect since my 

mom has become quite excited about becoming a bee keeper. 

I'm excited about that too. 

Honey is awesome and maybe we can do something with the wax as well. 

In any case I don't think I'll be the bee handler though. 

I still need to get in touch with a bee keeper I met randomly on a flight to Vancouver. 

I wish I hadn't lost his business card! I loose everything, sigh. 

He was such a font of information and so enthusiastic! 

I got pretty excited at the time, albeit one, I'm allergic, 

and two, I guess a bee box on our deck wouldn't overly impress the neighbours (oh condo life!).

However my mom has space and she has it now! 

Unlike the farm I dream of daily.

If your name is Harry and you are a bee keeper living in Calgary,

and you flew to Vancouver one day beside a pilot who you entertained for a full hour with bee stories,

and you just happened to read this,

PLEASE drop me a line!!!! 

I was really mad at myself about losing your card...

And speaking of handmade things, how about this gift my mom made for us? 

Matching Christmas aprons!

They're reversible :)