Christmas Greetings -

Many thanks for all the lovely comments on my previous post. 

Bob and I truly appreciate your kind words and thoughts during

 these difficult days.

On this day many years ago - we were at the coast !

I know I've become a stranger here...but I've not forgotten you at all! 

My life revolves around my dear husband Bob as he continues treatment for his cancer which has metastasized. We spend so much time in the cancer center for chemo and also a rough course of radiation treatments this past month. There have been more hospital stays via the emergency room, doctor's offices, labs for blood tests, CT scans etc. So there's little time for much else. I would like to say we see the light at the end of the tunnel and that brighter days are ahead, however that doesn't seem to be happening yet. We are not giving up though and, as this is the beautiful Christmas season, I will not put a damper on things...just know we think of you, our old friends from productive blogging days when life was so different.

A few photos from home - as that's where we are mostly. 

I haven't started any Christmas decorating yet...and won't be doing much this year. Keeping things simple. A warm fire on the hearth. Cups of tea, coffee and chocolate always at the ready...along with a bottle of sherry or good red wine! Plan to bake traditional English mince pies and some cookies in the coming weeks.

Taking Bob on little walks around the neighborhood pond and our cul-de-sac - he needs the exercise and fresh air on warmer days. We managed to get a firewood delivery recently. So enjoy the open fire on these cold evenings.  

2026 calendars (a favorite English artist Angela Harding again) and planners are being filled in...our 'road ahead' doesn't involve distant travel yet but we are hoping to cross the pond sometime next year. 

Friends and neighbors have been wonderful about bringing us awesome food gifts, even whole meals delivered to the door. We feel blessed to have neighbors who check on us, blow the leaves (I tried this and almost collapsed under the weight of the blower!), take our trash cans to the street weekly, change the house flag as I couldn't reach the pole, and stop by for visits. A chat and a cuppa means so much!!!

Doubtful you'll see me back here again this year - computer time has become scarce as I'm always on the run, well driving rather than running, and when home cooking and trying hard to be a good caregiver takes a lot of time. Those of you who've done it for loved ones know what this life is like. I'm just grateful to be in good enough shape to manage all this, and Bob is truly appreciative💞

 ~ Love to you all from both of us ~

~ Merry Christmas ~

Happy Holidays🎄

No Assembly Required -

October? 

Impossible!!!

Where has this year gone?

Where have I been you may ask...not far!

Travel far has not been possible due to Bob being tethered to the hospital and cancer center...just a 15 minute drive from home. Our car hardly needs a driver, it knows the way there unaided!!!!

Our only travel has been within North Carolina to visit longtime friends, or other medical facilities. Our hotel stays have been to use up free nights earned before they expire, usually within 25 miles of home as that's where those friends live, and some nights we've checked in downtown where we enjoy an overnight 'staycation' with a nice restaurant meal and a hotel breakfast...a welcome change from cooking for me!

Yes, we certainly do miss 'happy travels' to lovely places, and especially

 miss crossing the pond to my home and family in England and France. 

I'm now a Great Aunt as my niece in France recently had a beautiful 

baby girl - hoping we'll be able to go meet her some day soon.

The arrival of Autumn is probably my favorite time of year. Here in our area many start decorating very early for Halloween. My outdoor decor is now minimal, a knobbly pumpkin on the steps, yellow mums to replace Boston ferns in my porch hanging baskets, an Autumnal flag, and lots of lanterns. No major assembly makes decorating much easier!

As our neighborhood changes with smaller homes being sold and multi-million dollar mansions (the latest build has a sale price of $6,250,000!) replacing them in this now 'hot' area of the city, the Halloween decor changes too. Perhaps you've seen them...........gigantic, larger than life terrifying skeletons clambering out of shrubs or sitting on the porch, spiders in webs stretched across an entire lawn area, huge ghosts flying through the trees.  All very costly. I want to know where the heck will they store those 15 foot tall skeletons the remainder of the year? Perhaps in one of the three car garages which come with those big homes.

A glimpse of my indoor decor. The still much loved older paper pumpkins,

a few new fresh pumpkins from the farm, and Diana the Huntress now

 sports a witch hat. Pardon me Diana!

Wishing you a happy Autumn season.

I''ll try to get back here again soon.

Mary