Odds and ends

A drop of festive drink to warm you up; I've passed this recipe on to several people after serving it at my Christmas Open Studio. With no alcohol it's a good choice for anyone driving and is delicious.

Mulled Fruit Punch

1litre red grape juice

500ml cranberry juice

500ml orange juice

6 heaped tbsp demerara sugar

2 sliced lemons

2 sliced oranges

2 cinnamon sticks

6 cloves

1 heaped tsp garum marsala

Make a bag from a clean cloth and put the spices inside, tie up so that you can hang the bag in the pan. Put the rest of the ingredients in the pan and heat to just under the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, taste and add more sugar if needed. Enjoy!

I've found knitting therapeutic and once I'd worked out how to start this pattern (5 attempts!) I enjoyed the challenge. I bought the wool from baa ram ewe who had a stand at Ally Pally Knit and Stitch show; I really didn't need anything else to do but found myself going back to their stand, I loved the colours and chose these to knit this shawl; the internet proved useful for stitches I didn't know.

I worked out my stripes and it's nearly finished, just a few more ends to weave in and then I need to block the shawl. 

My print group met for our last printing day this year with a few Christmas goodies to help our printing along. I thought how my life has changed since I retired and discovered printmaking; a new creative journey for me and lovely new friends, time to spend with family; especially my two little grandsons which is precious time indeed. 

Both have a great interest in books and of course William likes to copy his big brother. 

I wish you all a brilliant Christmas wherever you are, I will be with my daughter and her family having fun.

Recently I swopped a print for a press, this is a dear little etching press which I will have fun with in the new year. I can use it for drypoint, monoprints and lino prints as well, only small ones but good to have at home to experiment and play with. 

Happy Christmas and let's hope 2015 will be a happy, healthy and creative year.