20th December 2024 Mailer

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Christmas at Blenheim Palace by Janice McFarlane

Last weekend my daughter and family went to Blenheim Palace the childhood home of Sir Winston Churchill. Every year Blenheim fo a Christmas Themed spectacular, both in the palace and outside. The theme in the house this year is Peter Pan so as you walk through the house the story of Peter Pan unfolds, with beautiful scenes and props as well as special effects. Outside is a wonderland of lights, with a beautiful fair and a spectacular drone light show. Of course a certain jolly old man made an appearance. A true Christmas experience.

cup1354776_905 by Janice McFarlane

cup1355036_905 by Janice McFarlane

You know its Christmas in Australia when............ by Vicki Avcin

The Christmas beetles come out. These are found predominately along the east coat of Australia but can be found over most of the continent. They are a scarab beetle and are common especially near Christmas, hence the name Christmas beetle. In early summer, adult beetles emerge and seek out mates, eating eucalyptus leaves. Females lay their eggs in the soil, which hatch into white or cream-colored larvae called curl grubs. The grubs live in the soil for 1–2 years, then form a pupa and transform into adults. They can be brown, grey but the most exciting to find is the gold iridescent beetle. Sadly, Christmas beetle sightings appear to be in decline. There is currently no formal monitoring program, it is unknown how bad the decline really is, or if it is affecting all of the 35 Christmas beetle species. It is thought that because they live in the soil, when people are digging gardens or lawns find the grubs and think they are bad for the soil and they get thrown to the chooks or the birds get them. So the other night when we found this one it was exciting. We have had the brown ones here before but to see this little beauty with its gorgeous iridescent gold colouring was wonderful. Christmas must be just around the corner! I would like to wish you all a safe and very Merry Christmas.

This weeks designs are Valentine themed.

cup1193669_543 by Vicki Avcin

cup1193667_543 by Vicki Avcin

Brrrrr …. by Carol Clarke

….. it was soooo soooo cold but we braved the bracing weather and headed off to Welbeck College for the Cross Country races. It might have been freezing but there was lots of warm welcomes and happy faces! My youngest grandson, eight year old Austin, was the first of my family to race. Hes no t very confident and worries a lot. But …. he did so well taking a brilliant 17th place! And scoring points for Mansfield Harriers. Olivia aged 12 ran in a later race and she too 1st place! She just gets better and better. We are all sooo proud of the pairs of them.

cup629899_359 by Carol Clarke

cup606696_359 by Carol Clarke

Bah Humbug! by Sue Way

I am rubbish at getting festive pictures of my dogs. They spend most of their time trying to get the outfit off, so the photos are just a blur. If I do manage to get a good picture it will be of them sitting in front of the tree, with no outfit, while I hold a handful of treats to get their attention. So I was delighted when hubby sent me this picture of Billy wearing reindeer ears. Ok, he doesnt look too impressed, but it is the best we can do. Bah Humbug Billy! This week I have added lots of Christmas quick cards for those last minute makes. I have added some pretty bow elements, that can be used to decorate these cards or can be used on any project

cup1355137_38 by Sue Way

cup1355008_38 by Sue Way