ENJOY !

Goodness me! It seems like ages ago since I've last blogged

and with Christmas just around the corner, I must admit I

haven't done any Christmas shopping what so-ever.

My fridge is empty and so are my kitchen cupboards - not to

mention shopping for Christmas presents - I just didn't have the

time to do any of the things we usually do over the festive

season - better said, preparing for the Christmas celebrations.

Mr. CC is still in hospital and all I could think of - up to now, was

to spend most of my time with him.

I would like to thank you all for your kind words and good

wishes you've left on my blog - it really meant a lot to me!

I would also like to wish you all a wonderful and Blessed

Christmas and may the good things in your life overflow !

Have a GREAT NEW YEAR 2007 !

With a little luck (I am optimistic) I will be blogging again in

the New year !

I haven't been around!

What a dreadful week this has been, I'm so tired I could

fall asleep standing up!

I wasn't able to blog but girl-child persuaded me to switch on

the computer and look into a few blogs just to get my mind off

"things!"

but whatever you've seen

and read, are pictures and posts I've saved on

blogger for a rainy day, well, I must have had a "good nose" be-

cause that rainy day arrived quicker than expected!

Quite unexpectedly, my husband Mr. CC spent the last few days

in the Hospital's intensive care unit.

I won't go into detail about it here, if I do so at this moment,

I certainly won't be able to write this post, but due to the

helluva scare and nerve wrecking moments which

accompanied me these last few days, my nerves are frayed

I'm crying like a waterfall and I'm suffering from lack of sleep.

Girl-child spent last week-end with us but when I

'phoned and informed her about the news, she practically

dropped everything, packed an overnight case, and made the

trip from Zürich to be with me as fast as she can, she left home in

a frantic hurry -

the poor kid forgot completely to pack her toothbrush.

By Friday morning we managed to laugh about it, but that

was easily remedied ( buying her another toothbrush)

As yet, I have never set foot or paid a visit to anyone lying in

the Intensive care, but I believe it may be easier to enter the

Fort Knox than to get inside something as an intensive care unit.

Firstly you must sterilize your hands by using a disinfecting

soap, followed by a disinfectant spray.

After that you will ring a bell on the largest steel door I have ever

seen. A nurse opens the door " Guten tag, and what's your name"

I will answer with "Guten tag, I'm Mrs. CC"

Nurse: "Who do you want to see?"

I will answer "My husband, Mr. CC"

Nurse: "Please wait a moment, I'll check to see if I'm allowed

letting you through" and then she closes that steel vault and

you're left standing there with your heart in your throat.

Waiting for the nurse to get back to us was ALMOST the

hardest part, because she said to wait A MOMENT, but

the moment turned into the longest 10 to 15 minutes!

Although we are living in Switzerland ( and this hospital is

situated only 15 minutes away from where we live) I was

very surprised to find that almost three quarters of the Staff

in this Swiss hospital are people from Germany.

When I approached a staff member in the Swiss dialect, I

was answered in German, and

when I opened my mouth to speak German, the answer was given

in the Swiss dialect.

At the end of each day and visit, I was so confused and fatigued

switching from one language to another, I was heading for a

serious identity crisis!

When my husband was finally removed from "Fort Knox,"

I was ready to reserve a bed for myself!

Mr. CC is on the mend, and not only is he looking much better

but he's also very keen to come home.

Here we are,

almost at the end of the year, and we're all planning and

getting ready to enjoy the jolly Christmas celebrations, and

then the unexpected happens - to some of us!!

You must agree with me, life sure is strange!!

I don't know when I'll be blogging again, but when all goes

well and whenever I can turn off this waterfall....

I hope to be back soon again!

The First Christmas tree.

Have you ever wondered where the custom of having a tree
in the home during Christmas time comes from?

There are several historical clues that point out where this custom came
from.

The most common legend about the 1st Christmas tree is about Martin
Luther, and his walk through a forest in Riga, where he spied the stars
shining through the prickly boughs of an evergreen tree.
Supposedly, Martin Luther brought the tree home and decorated it
with candles to simulate the effect of stars.
Or to explain to his children how stars twinkled.
Or maybe he decorated it with lights in order to illustrate the "majesty
of Christ's birth" .
This may or may not have occured in 1510, and it may or may not have
occured in Riga, or even Latvia (maybe Germany)

I also like this version:
The night of the Saviour's birth, all the living creatures, both flora
and fauna, came to Bethlehem with gifts.
The olive tree brought it's fruit, and the palm tree it's dates, but
the little fir tree had no gift and was so tired it couldn't
resist when the big trees pushed it into the background and hid it
from view.
But then a nearby angel took pity and commanded a cluster of
stars to come and rest on it's delicate boughs.
When the Baby Jesus beheld this lovely lighted tree, He smiled and
blessed it, declaring henceforth that fir trees should always be
fitted with lights at Christmas time to please little children.

Wishing everyone a lovely Friday and a good week-end!!

Samichlaustag - Santa Claus Day.

Santa Claus comes already on the 6th December.

He doesn't come from the North pole - no, he comes

from the Schwartzwald (Blackforest) in Southern Germany,

that's what the little kids believe!

Santa Clause and his helpers come to your home.

One of them is a black knight, wearing a black coat - he

is a friend of Santa, and he doesn't speak at all.

Ofcourse the girls and boys are often frightened because they

don't know whether the big bag on his shoulder is to bring them

goodies or to take them away to the hut in the blackforest (scaring

the poor kids like that!)

The other helper is an angel-like girl, dressed in white.

She carries a big book, in there is written how well or

badly the children behaved during the year.

Santa is very happy when the children recite a verse or

sing a song (and the poor shivering kiddies are happy too)

Then they get a reward; oranges, tangerines, chocolates,

nuts, gingerbread and other sweets.

I can still remember when my girl-child was a little girl, and how

we'd meet one of the many Santa's who walked the streets of town

and suburban areas on the 6th of December.

As soon as we saw the man dressed in red - he also saw us.

He stopped right next to us, and while he rested his jam packed

bag on the street, the two were having a jolly tête-a-tête!

I remember how girl-child would practice her verse - for days on

end, to please the man with the long white beard.

Then came the moment of truth!

The poor child was nervy and edgy - like a

cat on a hot tin roof!

Nevertheless, Santa was happy with her contribution, and

girl-child had her little hands and arms full with Santa's gifts - nuts

tangerines and lots of gingerbread!

The bright shining eyes in the happy little face was well worth

all the effort.

Goodness! Where have the days gone???

Have you ever been kissed...............?

Have you ever been kissed under the misstletoe?

Have you met the love of your life while you were kissed?

Have you ever fallen in love during Christmas?

Or have you given your heart away and lost your love the very

next day?

Did you know that in the 18th Century the exchanging of kisses

between a man and a woman was adopted as a promise to

marry.

At Christmas a young lady standing under a ball of misstletoe

cannot refuse to be kissed.

The kiss could mean deep romance, lasting friendship and goodwill.

It was believed that if the girl remained unkissed she cannot expect

to marry the following year.

Christmas Stollen

Many of these traditional Christmas Stollen were placed on a table
which was over 5 meters long, and sold to the public in aid of under-
privileged children - seen in a shopping mall on Saturday when
we took girl-child on another shopping trip to Germany.

My full intention was to bake a traditional Christmas cake as
soon as the December month started, as yet I have managed to
buy most of the ingredients such as glaced fruit and nuts, and now
the whole gang is sitting there, just waiting for me to get baking.
There is however only one vital ingredient still missing -
THE BRANDY!
For days on end I have searched for brandy in various super-
markets, but to no avail - I doubt if anyone here drinks
brandy, for I would have found it by now!
I have only one option left, and that is to go downtown
tomorrow and try my luck in a liquor store.

Oh, and Christmas is not the same without those delicious
home-made Christmas pies - I remember baking loads of
mince pies a few weeks before Christmas, but before it had time
to reach room temperature - the whole bangshoot was eaten
away.

For the last 12 years I have dearly missed that
spicy fruit filling - obtainable in glass containers, and not
to mention the wonderful aroma of baked mince pies that
filled the kitchen and the entire house *sigh*

Have a Lovely Friday!

How do the geese know when to fly to the sun?
Who tells them the seasons?

How do we, as humans, know when it is time to move on?
As with the migrant birds, so surely with us, there is a voice
within - if only we would listen to it, that tells us so certainly
when to go forth into the unknown.
Elizabeth Kubler- Ross
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Have a grand Friday and a lovely week-end!