the twisted yarn

Knitting, crochet, running, and silliness.

Christmas

by 26 Comments

So for those of you of a Christmassy persuasion, how was your festive season?

bob8

As usual we hosted here at the brewery, but I confess that I wasn’t really feeling it after the fire (and some further sad events) at work. Instead, I had an urge to creep away to a quiet corner and think about stuff, which obviously wasn’t going to happen with small, excited twins in tow. Fortunately the Stoic Spouse did a sterling job of feeding us all to the point of near-bursting, whilst I was in charge of decorations and gifts.

bob7

On a more disappointing note, I regret to inform you that our combined extended families insisted on behaving entirely reasonably / considerately / amenably as guests, and thus I have no amusing anecdotes whatsoever about any drunken misdemeanours or shenanigans. Honestly, do these folk have no respect for the fact that I have a blog to update?!

bob13

Talking of anecdotes, this is a blog that begins with the written word, and the pictures are forced to fall in line and behave. (Contrast with Attic24, who has written about how the text of her blog posts accretes around the photos that she takes.) But just this one time, I’m beginning with the pictures, OK?

bob6

So here was our Christmas. My very kind father-in-law gave me some wonderful lenses that enable close-up photography, so I had to experiment:-

bob11

…And whilst I was in a shutterbug mood, I set a long (four-second) exposure and experimented with moving my camera around a candle flame in a heart-shape. Tip: you have to draw the heart upside-down:-

bob9

I was given a rather splendid telephoto lens by the Stoic Spouse, too, but it’s hard to use it whilst marshalling small children. Why does nobody address this very significant problem in photo manuals? (This lens really is da business, though.)

As usual, I brought out my knit-textured decorations for the season. Don’tcha just love the details?

bob15

We have more conventional decorations, too:-

bob12

And after overindulging in Christmas eats and drinks, we ventured out a little, to see the river in its dull-brown wintry livery:-

bob1

And birds’ nests visible whilst the trees are bare, much to the delight of the twinnage:-

bob4

And old houses with thick walls to protect against the cold unlike our very old house that seems permanently freezing:-

bob10

I experimented again with long exposure on a bridge over a major road, but it was hard to keep my camera sufficiently still with the twinnage a-pulling at my sleeve. Trust me, the cars didn’t really jump around this much:-

bob2

And now if you’ll excuse me, I have knitting and crochet to complete.

Comments

  1. Oh! You have the Christmas presents I want! Actually, the lens I could really go for right now is zoom 50mm. Since I no longer have a photo biz, it is incredibly difficult to justify camera related purchases over $50 (~37 pounds sterling)!

    Reply

    • I hope it wasn’t poor taste mentioning them here. (And I happen to know that the Stoic Spouse wisely sought out the telephoto lens second-hand on eBay for a very good price. Well done that husband.)

      May surprisingly affordable photographic equipment come your way very very soon.

      Reply

  6. You got lenses? You lucky minx! I love the image of the watch. I loved it so much I stole it. I plan on using it as my desktop wallpaper. I have a very strong feeling that 2016 is going to be a very exciting year for all of us. A chance to adapt ourselves to change a bit better and to learn to grow, to accept and to become ourselves in an entirely better way than we did this year. All in all 2016 offers us a new chance. A nice new slate to scribble on and a plethora of new blog followers to amuse and bewilder 😉

    Reply

      • Reciprocal felicitations Ms Twisted. Here’s to enough booze to give us that happy miasma of joy, enough happiness (without booze first) to keep us motivated, a bucket load of hope to keep us on track and the stubborn bollocks determination to drag our sorry derrieres forwards when life steps on us. Here’s to living 2016 to the fullest Ms T. As I am in the future, I will do my best not to stuff it up for you before you get there OK?

        Reply

  7. It’s understandable that with all you’ve been through you need time to process. The holidays can take on a forced happiness, and with young children, it’s hard to step away.

    I hope you’ll have time after the holidays to take some time for yourself. You’ve weathered a big storm.

    Congratulations on the new camera lens. Your photos are remarkable.

    Reply

    • Thank you for such kind words.
      Meanwhile, ‘The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying’ has arrived, and I’m just beginning to read it. I showed it to the Stoic Spouse but he merely muttered, “Yeah, I noticed that when I was trying to tidy up yesterday.” Here’s to a tidy 2016.

      Reply

      • I would love to hear your thoughts when you’ve had the chance to read it. I found the first half a bit tedious, because she talked a lot about all the things that didn’t work before she landed on her method. It’s possible though that others find that quite relevant.

        Chin up Stoic Spouse. And yes, here’s to a tidy 2016.

        Reply

  8. So pleased that you received such thoughtful presents and we can already see that you are going to make very good use of them. Look forward to seeing more of your creative shots in the months to come. Hope 2016 is kind to you and yours and I wish you all good health and happiness.

    Reply

    • It (the Thames) is, thanks, unlike in previous years. I just feel so sad for people in Yorkshire/Lancashire/Cumbria at the moment. Hope you’re somewhere dry?

      Reply

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