First of all today I’d like to wish all those of you who faithfully stop by and visit a very happy New Year! 2011 was the year when I actually got to meet two of you – Linds and Mel – in the flesh. I really hope I’ll get to know more of you in 2012. I love reading all your comments and getting to swap emails and finding kindred spirits out there in blogland!

We’re spending the New Year in Andermatt – and for the last two days have actually been cut off from the outside world! I think the train managed to get through this morning and the road seems to have been passable again after lunch, but it’s been a delight on the ski pistes – empty on New Year’s Day! Unheard of. I imagine the road was probably closed by an avalanche, but we haven’t heard anything definite. It was certainly very dodgy driving up on Thursday evening – the Mini got stuck and I had to be rescued!! Luckily I had two strong teenage boys with me to give me a push!

There was so much snow that we couldn’t even ski yesterday and the high pistes were closed till lunchtime today while they dropped explosives to dislodge precarious snow masses. The village has been beautiful and I’ve been out and about with my camera….

On that happy note, it’s back to the knitting for me. I’m still pondering my resolutions for 2012, so maybe I’ll have  something to say tomorrow.

Helen

So here we are at the end of the year. I think I can say on the second last day of the year, that I’m not going to buy anymore yarn or fabric during the rest of 2012, nor am I going to finish any super-ginormous stash using projects. That bit at least is a shame!

This was the first year I’ve kept a tally of the ins and outs. And it turned out to be a bit of a shocker if I’m honest.

So what was the damage?

I’m really ashamed about this….. and it’s going to make me be much better behaved next year….

I am 6km up on yarn. 6km! Yes you read that right.

I completed 8 pairs of socks, three cardigans and two scarves during the year…..which means that I, erhm, bought really rather a lot….

The fabric situation is even worse – but I’m blaming Houston and Ste Marie aux Mines for that! I’m 117.25m up on the year. I can’t believe I’m even admitting to that. Dreadful, shockingly dreadful.

But I did make 6 bed-sized quilts and 2 wallhangings and there are quite a few things in the works which I haven’t taken into account.

More to the point, my cupboards are full. There’s no space for any more.

I bet you can guess what one of my New Year’s resolutions is going to be!

Yes really!

Helen

Today is one of those delightful after Christmas down days. One of the days when not much is happening and I’m pottering – tidying up, doing laundry, ironing, cajoling (aka threatening with a fate worse than death) teenagers to write their thank you letters, knitting, reading. Nothing big or momentous or more stressful than breaking up the odd bit of teenage argy-bargy. The catering has all been done, parties enjoyed and New Year is still a couple of days away – and we don’t do anything very spectacular then anyway!

I can’t tell you how much I love days like today. I’m an inveterate pottering home body – and if truth be told, days like today, when I coax everyday life back into some semblance of order, make me very happy. I love the feeling of peaceful contentment and small steps generally going in the right direction.

Over Christmas I finished my Sunshine Socks, but didn’t get round to blogging about them. I’m so pleased with how they turned out. They are insanely soft and cosy and the pattern is gorgeous!

The pattern is by Cookie A and the yarn is Alice Sock by Juno Fibre Arts.

If I’ve counted correctly this is sock finish number 8 of 2011. I’ve just kept plodding along with socks this year – and that makes me think that 12 in 2012 is perfectly do-able.

Well, that’s your lot for today I guess. There’s nothing more to report and I’m off to make a cup of tea.

Life here is good. I hope it is at your house too!

Helen

Yesterday we held our annual Mulled Wine, Mince Pies and Christmas Carols party. It’s a couple of hours of Englishness in our little part of Switzerland. Over the years I’ve moved the party from before Christmas to after – a lot of people are away skiing, but those who aren’t generally have time and seem to enjoy coming along …..and all the stress is over, so it’s nice to have something to fill the gap between Christmas and the New Year.

We drink mulled wine and spiced apple punch – both prepared to my own special recipes (which involve a lot of arbitrary chucking in of ingredients and test tasting!!) We eat mince pies, shortbread and Christmas cake along with savouries such as sausage rolls, Delia’s palmiers and bruscetta with pesto and goats cheese, plus a dip which this year was guacamole – so didn’t fit with the theme at all but was all eaten up, so it must have been OK!

And we finish off with a carol concert thanks to my wonderful friend Charla and her family and our hastily assembled choir of willing teenagers (the unwilling ones ran away!).

So I guess that’s Christmas finished for this year! I hope you had a good one!

Helen

Yesterday after all the hustle and bustle of Christmas I managed to spend a lot of time in the woods – running in the morning and walking in the afternoon. It was a perfect day for both activities – crisp, clear and cold – and was the perfect antidote to the excesses of Christmas. Well actually round here we don’t go in much for excesses, but we did have a jolly good full English Christmas lunch with turkey, all the trimmings and Christmas pud on Christmas day. There may have been some excesses in the chocolate department by the teenagers, but they aren’t admitting to anything!

I know I’ve gone on about this before, but to me there is very little that beats a gentle run in the woods on a perfect day. I know it’s good for my body, but actually I think it has an even more positive effect on my brain. Hustle and bustle vanishes and there is calm time to think about anything and everything. Somehow I always come back with life more in perspective than it was before.

It must be all those happy hormones my body produces!

Helen