Christmas, Here and Gone

Yes, Christmas did happen, and in the snap of a shutter it was gone again.

I didn't get too many good shots on the day. I find it difficult to remember to take pictures AND open presents, and gifts always manage to win that kind of competition anyway. And my, my, my, but there were an awful lot of lovely gifts.

Here's a few highlights:

Elly hand-dyed some yarn especially for me.



It's sock weight and in very beautiful colours called cyclamen, hyacinth and silver birch. It has since been wound into a ball, and I think it may become a beret in short order.

I received this gorgeous little watercolour painted by Vanessa Cabban (I bought this from her etsy shop a few weeks back, but being so close to Christmas, Nigel made me wait to see it up close and in person - isn't he cruel?).



I highly recommend checking out her etsy shop (lovely little watercolours) and her blog (her writing is adorably sweet).

And Ian loves his new fish hat.



In fact, he wore it almost continuously the first two days - that's him showing off his new iPod (IPod ipod Ipod?).

Nigel's really big gift to me was the most fantastic legal document, in which he promises not to complain (in my presence) of the cost of our upcoming house reno. I'm tempted to reveal to him now that this may be the house reno, to top all house renos, and perhaps the shear size of the bill will get us on the evening news, but then again, maybe it's better to leave a few surprises in a marriage, yes?