If you are new to Fairy Wren Cottage, a warm welcome.

If you are a long time reader, hello and welcome back.

Step by step I’ve been updating the Fairy Wren Cottage website after spending much of 2024 focusing on creating a webpage and then website for Michael’s business All Home Renovations and Maintenance. I hope you are enjoying the changes, there are still some more to follow.

As 2024 draws to a close, I tend (like so many) to think about how I would like to mindfully move into the early months of 2025 and think about overall goals for the year. Nothing set in concrete, I like to keep things open to be able to pivot or change things up. I picture myself at the kitchen window looking out, day dreaming and making plans, leaving (the metaphorical) kitchen window open to allow for the soft breeze (metaphorical new ideas) to come in. I’m definitely not aiming for New Year’s resolutions (I’ve always failed epically at them).  Nothing set in concrete because life isn’t set in concrete.

I choose a word for the start of the year. (I don’t lock myself into one word for the year and if I feel the need to, I change it when circumstances change or a project/goal concludes.)

We also have a family word that together we all choose. Usually when we are sitting about chatting away about anything and everything over cups of tea and sweetie treats left over from Christmas.

I saw a lovely quote today “Small things make a life” on the new Oprah podcast.

Photo: Michael has passed on his love of Christmas Stollen (Kerstol) to Liliana and together they make sure they have some to enjoy at Christmas time. But, in recent years they have found the shop bought Christmas Stollen to be very stale and synthetic tasting. This year, Lil secretly set about finding a recipe (modified it to have no egg) and as a Christmas present to Michael she made (from scratch) the Christmas Stollen with homemade marzipan (not using any synthetic almond essence). OMG! It was beautiful, warm from the oven it was better than any Hot Cross Bun I have ever tasted (and believe me, I’ve tasted many).

As I type, Lil and Michael are taking down the Christmas decorations, we do this when the Christmas tree starts dropping its pine needles. It was Daisy the dogs first year with a Christmas tree placed where she could reach it. Last year (in full funny let’s explore everything puppy mode) we didn’t trust Daisy with a Christmas tree and ornaments and we had a little tree up high out of her reach. Happy to report that Daisy left the Christmas ornaments alone even when her happy wagging tail knocked one on the floor. I did find her half in a trance early one morning standing at the Christmas tree rubbing her chin along the branch but other than that, the big Christmas trees are back!

Sending Love and Light,

Jude x

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