2021. Christmas organisation came early to many, as there was not much else to look forward to really. It came super early for us, when we picked up our christmas puppy at the end of November. This christmas we aimed to keep it simple, using what we already had, and making the most of nature and what was growing in our garden. Making gifts became important and catching up with people was extra special. 

With all the rain, we had so many strawberries that jam making was a good idea. What handmade gifts were on offer? Besides jam we had handmade candles, soaps, dried flowers, jars of herbs and bunches of fresh flowers. We also baked fruit cake and biscuits.

While we have a christmas tree that we use every year, and will continue to use (because we don't want to waste the resources that went into making it in the first place), this year we repotted and used our Norway Spruce that we received last year. It was nurtured all year. We pruned it and used the cuttings to make a natural garland with our dried orange slices and also decorated the tree with natural decorations and some vintage decorations that we will keep forever. We will keep using this every year, until it gets too big, then we will plant it somewhere special when the time comes.

Who doesn't love bunches of flowers? We had plenty for the christmas table and giving to friends. Throughout the year, we had dried the best flowers that came from the garden. Now was the time to decorate all our hampers with these beautiful dried coloured treats. 

The garden gives. Our son found some surprise spuds right before christmas, floury with lovely thick skins and we enjoyed them roasted for christmas. As it's summer for christmas here we had our lovely new fresh garlic (also gifted to family) as well as beetroot and zucchini.

Always fun and games, we had a new puppy to keep us on our toes this christmas, and Pearl has been a delightful addition to the family. After the big dinner was over, we lived on leftover sandwiches for days, playing new and old games and enjoying our garden and green hills. A couple of trips to local beaches is just what we needed after a hectic and overwhelming year. 

We headed to one of our favourite beaches for a walk on New Years Eve. It was a hot day of well over 30 degrees. Cooling down nicely, we joined many other families on the beach for a quiet walk, all of us enjoying the sunset together. We all seemed to be attempting to tip toe into 2022, as who knows what that will bring. What we got was the most breathtaking sunset and nice cool water to paddle in.