I'm Dreaming of a Warm Christmas....

Just like the ones I used to know.....

........growing up in Australia,
where Christmas was most decidedly
not white!

But it certainly is this year in upstate NY!

We've had a very snowy December....

and my dear husband has spent quite a bit of time out in the cold plowing the driveway.

I must say the scenery is gorgeous,

but the cold that goes along with it is not so enjoyable.

It's very good weather however, for baking holiday treats.

Dear Alice, are you and Richard coming for tea and shortbread? I made it especially for you!

Or, if you'd prefer, cranberry chocolate chip cookies.

Or perhaps some of that delicious cranberry-orange nut bread? We liked it so much at Thanksgiving I decided to make it again for Christmas. We'll save you some, but you'd better hurry!

The hungry little birds have been arriving early in the mornings to fill their tummies against the cold.

Little Mr. Downy Woodpecker is a friendly fellow and doesn't mind posing for a photo.

From our house to yours.

I hope you all have a joyful Christmas filled with the blessings of family and good friends.

And please dear Aussie blog friends, soak up some of that wonderful warm sunshine for me!

Remember the reason for the season!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - December '08

There's a scarcity of blooms, but an abundance of snow in our neck of the woods on this December Bloom Day, due to another snow storm last Friday. It socked us with about 8 inches of new snow. We were lucky enough to avoid the ice storms and power loss that many in the Northeast experienced.

The only plant putting on a show at the moment is this pretty Christmas Cactus (Zygo Cactus).

I love the way the buds are a purplish pink but the flowers turn out to be more of a reddish shade.

The front gardens are buried under snow. No blooms to be found there on this mid-December day.

The Azalea that was looking so pretty in the fall, dressed in a deep shade of burgundy, is now wearing snowy white.

There's still a hint of purple in the Heuchera leaves....

.......while berries adorn the Burning Bush....

....and the Crab Apple (Malus).

My dear husband set up a place in the cellar, with fluorescent lights overhead, to overwinter some of my plants, so we have quite a nice little indoor garden downstairs.

A few of the Ivy Geraniums are down there (This is Taj Mahal)...

...but most are in two spare bedrooms upstairs. Some of them are blessing us with a few blooms at the moment.

If I look closely I can also find a few blooms on the following plants:

Columnia

Wax begonias - 3 varieties

Reiger Begonia - just beginning to bloom

Angel Wing Begonia

Baby Wing Begonia

Diamond Frost Euphorbia

To see what's blooming all around the world, visit Carol of May Dreams Gardens.

Happy Bloom Day everyone!