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Deck the halls

 The halls are indeed decked!

Nearly a week into December and the tree is up, the rest of the decorations are up, the Christmas cake is made and undergoing its weekly feeding of brandy before it gets plastered in almond icing a week out from the big day, and the parties are in full swing. Two parties next week including a dessert night, so a lot of fun to be had.

I am also in the swing of books Christmas and have two books I'm dying to get stuck into. The first chapters were great. If I don't like the first chapter I won't read on, and these two are just up my alley, so there is my weekend reading sorted. 

The photograph of the tree is the Pohutukawa, the New Zealand Christmas Tree, at the front of my house. It doesn't have a great display of its red flowers but there are a couple there and they'll be gone by Christmas. Fortunately, everywhere you go now, all the other pohutukawa trees are blooming and it is a glorious sight indeed. There are far better ones down the end of my road but I'm quite happy having my own wee Kiwi Christmas Tree by my front door to bloom every December.

~ Joanne



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