Coastal Romance Blog Hop

An Island Christmas

Christmas is here once again and on the Island of Anglesey we’re expecting a white one. The waters surrounding our little island will be cold and the golden sands white with flurries of snow. It will be hard to imagine that the sun ever shone on the blue waters.

How traditional are you at Christmas? I love traditions, for instance my children were always aloud to open one present before they went to bed on Christmas Eve and guess what at the ages of 24 and 21 they still like to do that. My daughter still likes to leave out a mince pie and glass of milk for Santa and off course a carrot for Rudolph, silly but great fun.

I will be making my many mince pies for us to have hot with fresh cream and slicing many pieces of the traditional fruit cake had at this time of year here on my island. It takes a few months for this cake to be ready, many soakings of Cointreau, and then covered with marzipan and royal icing.

Christmas morning my son since the age of about 4 has always made the pigs in blankets, that’s his one and only job and after so many years’ experience he does a grand job. Turkey, ham and pork will be cooked for the meat eaters and for me (a vegetarian) there will be a quorn roast.

It’s a lovely time of the year, one of my favourites. The day will finish with us along with my mum going to visit my sister and her children who are still young enough to enjoy Santa Claus.

My I take this opportunity to wish you all… A very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

The pictures below are of Anglesey in winter!

The sand at the beach completely covered in snow.

Menai Bridge one of the two bridges that takes us from the island to the maunland

My son and daughter outside our house.

My daughter on the road that had us snowed in for three days.

Our Christmas Cake

Mince Pies

Visit me on my website for all my news and up and coming releases!

http://www.dilysjcarnie.com/

Hobbies

                                                            Hobbies

Writing is my job and I love it but sometimes I need to walk away from my office and take time to do other things. That can be difficult because once I get into the midst of a new book and I’m totally involved I forget that other things in life happen outside of these four walls.

One of my hobbies is skincare. I used to own an organic skin care shop many years ago and I loved it but what really interests me is what goes into what we put on our skin which has me making all kinds of concoctions. Like most woman I am keen to stem of the signs of ageing and have done a lot of research into some of the ingredients that goes into this multi-million pound market.

As each year passes I see a new wrinkle, and I think that by the time I reach my seventies my face will resemble the map of Britain but each of those lines tells a story, a part of my life that has etched itself into my skin. At the age of fifty one  I am extremely consistent in my skin care routine and the products I use.

I make my own body oils, face cream, face oils and hand cream. I love to experiment with different ingredients.

Facial oil

Blend your own oils for great smooth skin and at a quarter of the price. Make 10mls at a time, I use a roller bottle of this size. All cold pressed and organic oils where possible. Use this oil on your skin at night then using your normal face cream over the top will push the oils further down the skin layers helping to soften those lines and keep them hydrated.

Avocado oil 20 drops, Prickly pear seed oil 10 drops , borage 10 drops, argon 10 drops, pomegranate 10 drops, cranberry 8 drops, blackcurrant 8 drops, carrot 8 drops( natural spf) rose-hip 8 drops, neroli (pure) 6 drops. Use on your skin at night, face, neck, décolleté, hands, nails and ends of dry hair. Your skin will be super soft and you will notice a difference within six weeks of using this. You can change the amounts you use to suit your own skin, make it specific for your type of skin.

                                  

                                 

Come and visit my website for all the gossip and information on my books I would be so happy to have you there!

http://www.dilysjcarnie.com

               

Speculative Romance Author Regina Paul: Guest Blog: Twenty Sentences About Author Dilys J....

Join me on Regina Paul's blog and find out twenty little

 snippets about me and my life!


          Speculative Romance Author Regina Paul: Guest Blog: Twenty Sentences About Author Dilys J....:    1. I was born in Middlesex London. 2. At the age of two months my parents moved to Scotland where we lived for ten years. ...

Christmas Time!

Music is a part of my life like eating is to surviving. I love jazz/blues, Etta James, John Coltrane, and Mel Tormé. The list is endless with my latest discovery being Gregory porter. How many people can name a song that was significant to a part of their life’s that mattered…?

I was listening to my preferred  radio station this afternoon, Jazz FM and James Tormé  was presenting it and I hadn't realized that his father had written Chestnuts roasting by an Open Fire which is one of my most favorite Christmas songs which was a hit for the gorgeous Nat King Cole another one of my all-time preferred singers.

Which now has me thinking about Christmas and how very close it is…where has October gone? It’s passed me by in a blur and it seems like the older I get the quicker the days, months pass me by.

Do you remember when you were a kid and the days seemed to last a lifetime? Oh my I wish that was the case now.

Christmas is one of my much-loved time  of the year, off course now my children are grown up it takes away a little of the sparkle but I’m fortunate that I have nieces and nephews that keep the excitement alive. Although, my twenty four year old daughter will revert to her childhood. And with the same love of the holiday season as me, if you stand still long enough she’ll decorate you. The poor dogs even get wrapped in tinsel much too there disgust!!

My son reaches the ripe old age of 21 in four weeks and I find myself going down memory lane as those years are at the forefront of my mind. I shake my head and think wow; I can’t believe that he has reached an age where he has a girlfriend, a job and a car…Life really does pass by at a supersonic speed and I wouldn't have missed one second of it. There have been tough times and good times but each part has been lived and made them what they are today, I’m so proud of them that I couldn't possibly put it into words.

So at this time of year we would be saving all out toilet/kitchen toll holders and I would be buying cotton wool, glitter and coloring pens ready to make Christmas cards, and decorations for the house…it was such a great time of year for family time and Christmas music playing solidly for four weeks.

Christmas time is a wonder and excitement reflected in the decorations that erupt in homes. Making decorations with your children is a great way to be involved in a time of their life’s that will always be remembered. Mine still remember those days round the table making Santa Clauses.

All you need is-

Empty toilet roll holders

Red crepe paper,

Cotton wool,

Glue

Glitter

Black velvet

Pipe cleaners

Hey presto home made Santa!

http://www.dilysjcarnie.com/index.html