I know I shouldn't do it, but I love putting bird seed out every morning for the wild birds. I scatter it over the trampoline ( not used as a trampoline any more) so that the birds have a clear view all around and can look out for cats. I even managed to coax a wild magpie to eat from my hand recently! I was worried about its sharp beak, but it was very gentle!

We spend Christmas Eve watching Carols by Candlelight and preparing for Christmas Day. We bake sweets, ice gingerbread and wrap all our last minute gifts. Christmas Day is then spent sharing a breakfast of traditional Italian cake in the early hours of the morning and opening gifts. We then head to Church and assist with a lunch and gift giving for those not as fortunate as us and then head home for a big Italian/South African feast and backyard cricket!

Biggest Thank you to everyone who has commented and given me such good practical advice for updating my little front patio/porch area. Before I depart again and forget to update? This is how it looks, I am probably at a later stage going to work out how to add a wider sill as suggested, however it does look so much better than before. Such timely advice has given me the motivation to get it done. I have left the roller shades on one side just to allow a bit of privacy from the neighbours and wind/sun. And one day will swap the large couch for something more suited.

" How wonderful it is online that now we can all see what amazing ppl are creating. We always have had amazing ppl making such things, but usually reserved for family keepsakes, or nanas specialty. Put down the iPhone and pick up a craft I say!" ~mldesign0401 Indeed. I'm often gobsmacked at what people can do. And it's great to see the process in pictures. I do spend a lot more time looking at others creations the actually doing something myself! One of the traps of everything shared online. I do love seeing the creations that didn't go as planned too! So funny. It's great that people have the sense of humour to still share their "failures". At the end of the day, there's more benefit in the process of creating right? At least they had a go.