A Slightly Belated Happy New Year!

Well, where has the time gone?! Christmas and New Year over already. We've withstood (so far) the wind and rain that have been battering this part of the country almost continually for the last couple of weeks with just one fence panel needing a little TLC and some cardboard and empty food tins to be recovered from the recycling box that blew up the road. Even as I type the rain is lashing down on the Velux window in my study. What a glorious start to 2014. Humph.

I hope you all had a wonderful time over the festive season and that Father Christmas was kind. He certainly unloaded a lot of pressies from his sleigh at this house. Dear old DC fully appreciated Christmas for the first time this year; he had lots of fun unpacking and repacking his stocking throughout the day and carrying it round with him wherever he went - I'm not sure if he thought someone might make off with it if it wasn't firmly clamped under his arm at all times.

He was also quite amazed that the pile of presents in the living room were all for him - so sweet, but to think we could have got away with buying him quite a lot less...

But look at the excitement on the face of a 4.75-year-old who's just unwrapped a light saber!

Father Christmas (in the guise of hubby, my mum, my in-laws, friends and employers) was also very kind to me this year. And, as is my tradition, I've taken snaps of all the gifts I received, so that I can look back in years to come and enjoy them all over again (sad but true.)

Here's what my super-talented and all-round fantabulous BFF Rachel (of Lazyhill Gallery) made, yes made, me - four lovely Christmas-y coasters.

My in-laws gave me this large tin paced full of Sanctuary goodies, as well as some money that I'm putting towards something special.

Smellies and candles from my bosses (I realise I've yet to share the gory details of where I'm now working since being made redundant from the publishing job back in August.)

Apologies for the sideways photos - Blogger is playing up [or it could be me being inept]

A game, a DVD, some lovely old fish knives and forks and a set of 6 mercury glass votives (along with some cash for the 'special something') from dear hubby.

Starbucks coffee and gingerbread syrup, socks, fantastic granny slippers, a voucher for a massage and some cash from my dear mum.

And, continuing the tradition which she started when I was a poor (and clearly, unhygienic) student, a large hamper of smellies

and food, from my Mum.

It has to be said that all the smellies and foodstuffs will come in very handy as I attempt to do some seriours budgeting this year.

(Can you see we like to eat healthily in this house - all food groups are covered: chocolate, crisps, biscuits and jellies.)

As I said earlier, this documenting of gifts received is an annual tradition, and it led me to look back at this blog post on the gifts I was given last Christmas; as I look through the photos I can say 'haven't read those books yet, haven't worn those shoes yet, took that gilet back and swapped it for a coat that I have worn almost constantly, used up all those toiletries, used that cake stand and trifle bowl quite a bit, nearly worn that cardigan out, haven't hung those ducks on the wall yet, use the clock radio every day, worn some of those socks, use the scales every week, and eaten all the biscuits.' Quite interesting really to see which gifts have been used and appreciated, which have been filed away and which are simply biding their time. It will be interesting to look back next year on what does and doesn't get used and/or enjoyed from this year's haul.