Saturday, December 31, 2016

New Year.....




Are We Late for the Party....?

I Hope you will not be Disappointed, Dear Readers, if I have no Christmas Card to show you in today's post. I was Truly hoping I would have the drawing completed by the New Year.... but this year it just is taking longer. Here we are, already at New Year's Eve, and some places on the Globe have already seen their "Ball-drop", but over here in the Western Hemisphere, there are yet a few hours of that Old Tired Year still to play out. And Lady Athena has decided to take advantage of the moment to Host a New Year's Eve Party at the Castle! Everybody is Invited! it is sure to be a fantastic crush! The Christmas decorations are still up, so there is not much she needs to do.


 There is an enormous Tree in the Guard Room at the entrance...

She hung an enormous Glittering Silver Ball 
from the ceiling of the Great Hall......

She filled the Antique Tarnished Silver Punch Bowl 
with a steaming Mystical brew.....

And she hired a Local All-Star band to play music....
Meet the "Fearless Flashbacks".......
(Yes they sometimes double as the "Deadly Nightshades"....)

They are Heating up the Hall with their Heady mix of "Old Goldies" and 
Traditional Tunes with a Modern Twist!
(You should hear their Auld Lang Syne...!)

Victor and Joanna have arrived early 
because they didn't want to miss any of the fun....

Followed quickly by Helen and Charles...
Because Helen wanted to be sure they were not late!

Pollyanna and Arthur are here too... 
Pollyanna loves to come to parties at the Castle. 
She says it always reminds her of her Wedding.... 
one of the Happiest Days she can remember!

Chip and Sally May and Annabelle have stopped to admire the huge Tree.... 
Although Annabelle seems more fascinated by Guard Ian in the corner!

Will has arrived too. And because he is single now, 
he is trying to meet anyone new in town....
"Haven't we met somewhere...?" he asks the Gypsy.

The Aileens arrive with their children in tow. 
Jasper and Amber have been here before and 
are looking forward to an evening in the Castle. 
You never know what might happen here!

Fleur and her husband Daniel and their daughter Juliet are here too!
Juliet can't wait to play with her friends!

Oh, and look... it's Gabrielle too!
 She is now Juliet's "Au Pair" and has been
 included in the Evenings Festivities!

She is still new in the area, 
and has not met very many people. 
But she hopes to have fun tonight 
getting to know some of her new neighbors.

Oh my goodness... even Harold and Celeste have come tonight!
(They are Arthur's parents and were estranged for years,
 but have been spending time together 
ever since Arthur and Pollyanna got married!)

Sally May and Fleur can talk for hours about 
the challenges of raising a daughter these days....

And the children are still talking about what they "got" for Christmas....
(Yes, Amber might be a little jealous that
 Juliet got a Pink "Little Hostess" kitchen center, 
complete with Working oven!)
(Juliet didn't tell her she is already a little bored with it...)
 
And is that Mischievous Fairy here too....? 
Yes..... he could not resist such an Open Invitation......!
It is anybody's guess what he Might have put in the Punch Bowl...

Ken is trying to keep an eye on things.... 
Will is trying to interest the Gypsy.....
But she might have her eye on Ken....

And Gabrielle just wants some Punch!

Will turns and spots Gabrielle. 
She looks a little familiar.....
"Haven't we met somewhere....?" he asks.

Gabrielle recognizes him at once!
"Oh! Bonjour, Monsieur..." she says.... 
forgetting for a moment to speak in English.
"I mean Hello! We met in France last summer....." she said.
 "At the Park " she added when he still looked confused.
"Ah! The Park!" exclaims Will. 
And then he blushed a little as all the memories rushed back.
"You're the Nanny!" he adds."Renee's Nanny!" 

"I was." says Gabrielle. 
"I am now Juliet's Nanny..." she added quickly. 
She didn't really want to explain that she was fired 
because she had talked to him in the Park!
There was a moment of awkward silence 
while Will thought about Daphne....
 and then decided he really didn't want to talk about Daphne at all!
"So what are you doing here....?" 
they both said at the same moment... 
then they laughed together....
Will bowed and said "I will let the Lady go first.... 
what would you like to know...?"
Everything! thought Gabrielle....
"Is your business in this town...?" 
was what she asked instead....

Well, Dear Readers, how the Time has Flown!
Is it Time for the Ball to Drop?
Has the New Year already been Rung In in Your Land?
Have you Danced the Night away 
and Kissed your Loved Ones on the New Year?
There are still a few Hours to pass in my Land.... 
and I have a Christmas Card that still needs to be finished....
So I will leave you here for now...
While the Party is going strong....

Why even in the Castle Kitchens 
Henry and Belle are celebrating the New Year.....
"Come on Belle.... just a New Year's Kiss...." wheedles Henry...

"Just don't you be mistaking it for anything else..!" retorts Belle....
 
Dear Readers, I wish you All a 
Wonderful and Joyous New Year!
 May You all Kiss your Loved ones... 
Smile with your neighbors....
Dance the Night Through....
And maybe even tell a Tale or two!
I am so glad you could make it to the Party!



Saturday, December 24, 2016

The Nativity.....




Let's Not Forget....

I Almost Forgot to set up the Mini Nativities, Dear Readers, and had to scurry around this morning to Find all the pieces! I glanced into the Conservatory as I was hurrying and saw that Someone had a lovely selection of Christmas decorations on display! It is hard to tell if this is a Shop or a studio, or just a Wonderland of Imaginary Possibilities... but at any rate, the tiny items beckoned to me!

There were some little snow-covered trees 
and some Old Fashioned Saint Nicholas Figures...


And a beautiful Porcelain Nativity set.....
Which still has not found its Home...
Waiting for me to make a worthy Landscape for it!

And around the corner in the Folly....
Yes, I see Will has put up the Tiny Nativity in the Window!
It is dusk now and I can see the Evening Closing in
 around the Holy Family on their Night of Need...
 
 
There is not even a Stable for them here!
 
And in the Lovely Old Dollhouse.....
 
Helen and Charles have been overseeing much of the Decorating this year....
Pollyanna has been a little bit distracted with her new Tiny projects!

So Charles has set up the Creche in the usual spot in the Living Room.
But he wants Pollyanna to let him know if he got it set up right....

So she comes down to have a look....

She does think it looks beautiful there....
And since she can never remember which side the camel goes on,
 she thinks Charles has done it just right!

And Just in Time too! 
Because Sally May and Chip and Annabelle have just arrived!

And in the Kitchen, Joanna and Victor have been preparing the dinner.....
The pies are cooked.... the Turkey is in the oven....
The whole Family will be here for Dinner!

And while Pollyanna is inspecting the Creche....
Arthur has convinced Will to help him....
He has found another "Little House" for Pollyanna!
Shhhhh... don't tell!
It is supposed to be a Surprise!

But in All the hustle and bustle 
of this Time of Year, Dear Readers,
Let's not Forget the Reason....
The Nativity!

I hope you ALL have a Wonderful Holiday
 filled with Joy and Blessings!
And to those who celebrate Hanukkah 
and the Solstice Season,
 May your Celebrations be filled with Love and Joy!

Monday, December 19, 2016

Dreaming Of A White Christmas....




Let It Snow....!

It has Snowed quite a bit in my Neighborhood, Dear Readers, piling up 5 inches last Monday and 8 more on Saturday. I didn't need to go anywhere on Saturday, which made it fun to watch the white stuff pile up in the yard! Above you can see my RL back yard... through my dirty windows... because I had no desire to venture out in the cold (18 degrees F) having spent Friday working in a VERY cold Office because our heat system had failed. Last year we had a very mild winter with almost no snow at all... it seems we are off on the other foot this year with  much more normal wintry weather! So while I was home and watching the snow fall outside, and was trying to get some work done on my Christmas Card, I thought I would see whether snow was arriving anywhere else in the neighborhood...

Lo and Behold.... not far away....
 practically right at my elbow.... 
a gentle snow had fallen...!

I glanced over my shoulder,
 and saw that Hardwick Hall was piled high.....
Somebody would need to shovel all those steps.....!

And around the corner.... 
at the Conservatory.... it was even deeper!
Fortunately, someone had thought to move 
the Secret Christmas House indoors!

But nobody was around.... 
the walks were not shoveled....

It was getting dark and felt like 
maybe it would even snow some more.....!


And over at The Folly.... 
someone had left a light on in the Little Glass House....
it was nearly dark now!

The lights cast beautiful shadows on the glittering snow....!

But even when the lights are turned off.... 
there is a beautiful brilliance to snow at night....!
 
Especially with the added glow of Christmas Lights
Here at dusk in my RL Garden!
 
Well, Dear Readers, I really am 
trying to work on my Christmas Card! 
It will not be done on time this year, 
but I am finally making some good progress, 
so rest assured there WILL be a Christmas Card!
And while I am drawing, 
I will be Dreaming.....
And it looks like we will have a White Christmas!
Let It Snow!