Currently In ... December

Ah December, how I love this month.  I've had lots of fun times these past few weeks and now I'm looking forward to having a nice quiet week leading to Christmas.  I don't have New Year plans yet, but I'm not concerned about that I'm just looking forward to nice break.

Reading: Nothing yet, I have Christmas themed mysteries to read and I'm looking forward to a quiet week where I can read them!

Watching: Star Wars!  Kane and I had a lovely date night and saw the movie in Imax.



Feeling: Relieved to have completed all my Christmas shopping and nervous as I hope everyone likes their gifts.

Anticipating: Christmas and all the food!  I love preparing and eating Christmas food.

Listening to: Serial podcast!  Season 2 has just started :)

Planning: Ok, this might be shocking, but I still don't have my decorations up despite planning on having it done last weekend!  I can't complain because I have been busy with fun things and social engagements.  My new plan is to simply having them up for Christmas even if this means doing it on Christmas Eve.

Wanting: To watch Christmas movies and I hope to get to do that all of Christmas week :)

Needing: Nothing, I feel quite contented but I wouldn't turn down a glass of wine and a bubble bath :)

Grateful: For all the fun times of late.  Sometimes when I'm in the thick of it I forget to enjoy it, so I'm taking a moment just to be grateful for good friends, the opportunities to attend rock concerts, participate in choirs, and Kane with whom I get to share it all.

// Me and the ladies of NFA (No Fella A cappella)

//At the AC/DC concert

Wishing: My in-laws had sent more Orkney oat cakes, they were delicious and I can't wait until we go to Orkney next year.

Your turn, what are you currently reading, watching and listening to?

Hello December!

I am so pleased to have met the posting deadline so now I can relax a little and enjoy the festive season!  It's our first month of summer and it's starting to warm up.  There are lots of lovely things on my calendar for this month so I'd thought I'd share some of the things I'm planning and looking forward to.

Starbucks Red Cups

I like to kick off the season with one of the festive Starbucks lattes in their famous red cups.  This year I had the panettone latte and it was lovely.

//Starbucks Panettone Latte

Barbeques

I went to my first Christmas BBQ of the season last night and it was so fun.  We took with us some vegetarian quarter pounders and a tub of Swedish ginger thins and we enjoyed some potato salad, tabouleh and ice cream Christmas pudding.  I loved the ice cream pudding and will need to try that at home, its vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, fruit mince, nuts and red and green candied cherries, all mixed and shaped into a pudding bowl.  And there are more BBQs to come!

Reading and Relaxing

Now that I'm finished with the physical shops and only have online shopping left to do I'm looking forward to lying out on my lounger and reading the two Christmas themed books I got from the library.  Both are easy read murder mysteries.

//Image from Goodreads

Music Concert

Kane and I are going to see AC/DC this month, it's going to rock!

// Image from acdc.com

Star Wars & Christmas Lights

Last year we went to see the Hobbit on Christmas Eve and then we went to Franklin Road which is famed for all the houses having very elaborate light decorations.  This year we are going to see Star Wars on opening night and then taking the trip to see the lights, it's such a great way to get in the holiday spirit.

Beach Trips and Ice Cream Cones

One of the best things about living at the coast is access to the beach!  Ours is a pebbly cove but there is a lovely sandy beach a short bike ride away that receives regular visits from an ice cream van.

Sherbet dip + flake = yum!

There's also a newly created foreshore recreation area a little further away that I'm keen to explore.

Community Choir Concert

My community choir is putting on a little concert for friends and family and I'll also be performing a couple of songs with my a cappella group too - it's going to be so much fun!  Of course, I'm crazy nervous too, especially of the a cappella songs because there are only 6 of us and we all have our own individual parts, there's nowhere to hide!

We also have to wear a white t shirt and jeans.  I'm liking these 3 styles but I haven't decided which one to buy yet.

//Images from Portmans

Midsummer and Christmas

We celebrate with food!  Most of our traditions revolve around food in some way and this is no exception.  We've tried our traditional Christmas dinner which was just too heavy and too hot for summer and we've tried a lighter summer seasonal meal which didn't feel very Christmassy at all, so now we try to incorporate the best elements of them both into our Christmas day celebrations.  However, we save all the best traditional winter stuff for our midwinter Christmas which has become really popular here and it's one of our new traditions that we love - we get to have two Christmases :D

Putting up the Tree and Decorating

I haven't got around to putting up the tree or decorating yet but I plan to do that at the weekend.  I like to put on some Christmas music and have some Christmas mince pies or stollen or panettone or some other festive treat and just have fun.



Happy festive season!  Do you have a favourite festive food or drink?