Advent Calendar

2nd December

So today's window on our advent calendar reveals a nice sprig of holly, ancient celts among you will recognise this as a symbol of good luck, or if you swing the other way it can be symbolic of Christ's crown of thorns.

A New Decade 2011

So friends a new year begins, and a new decade for that matter. We're entering 2011 with our artistandtartist glass half full as is our wont and would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and peaceful new year. What has 2011 in store I wonder, adventure? intrigue? excitement? in order to find out I thought I'd consult that tried and tested oracle into events yet to come, from the mystical far east via my Christmas cracker, the 'Fortune Teller' ~ Miracle fish.





So I placed the little red cellophane visionary upon my open palm and would you believe its head and tail began to move.



These particular movements according to the guide on the reverse side of its packet indicate 'In Love'. What a result! I hope you will all be entering 2011 with hearts that are full.

December 24th

Well here it is, our final window no. 24. I really can't figure this one out at all, a bizarre little cherub wearing only red socks and gloves brandishing what looks to me like a sprig of good old Euphorbia Pulcherrima. Now if I could I would definately swap this one with December 17th but I can't so it just remains for me to wish you all a very Happy Christmas with love and peace for the coming new year!

December 23rd

Here we have our penultimate window, a sleepy winter scene of a red snow covered cabin with a fire alight set against a beautiful green(?)! sky.

December 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd.

I'm beginning to think someone somewhere has an advent calendar with no santas at all because we've got more than is really necessary or desirable on ours. Anyway starting top left again (clockwise) we have December 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd.

December 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th.

O.k. friends I've decided the only way to get to the end of this little flight of fancy at such a hectic time of year is to group together some windows. So here goes...Clockwise from top left, No. 14 brings us a right 'mish-mash' of an angel (could be Gabriel, I'm not certain), a Christmas tree with pre-fire regulations candles and the star of Bethlehem. No. 15 showing a most evil looking snowman. No. 16 reveals Santa planning his evenings work and No. 17 a very premature holy infant which if you ask me really should have been in window no.24.

December 13th

Window no.13, Santa Claus, Father Christmas, St. Nicholas etc. etc. etc. bringer of overnight gifts as if by magic to millions of children. I fell in love with Raymond Briggs depiction of him as a somewhat ill tempered old fella living in a normal house with a couple of reindeer and a cat and a dog, way back in the seventies. Interesting to note that we only ever see him now dressed in his red and white garb because of an advertising campaign made by Coca-Cola in the thirties.

December 12th

Window no.12

December 11th

Window no.11, sorry folks, yet more more schmaltzy victoriana.

December 10th

Window no.10, double figures, brings us what looks to me like a cerub or should that be cerubim? or indeed seruphim, I don't know, I should have listened more in my history of art lectures, that said, this one has been aflicted with ginger hair!

December 9th

Window No.9, a pre global warming image of a healthy young belle, probably having a nice skate around the frozen village lake. She's just stopped to change the song on her i-pod and remove the mistletoe that the illustrator has placed precariously on her muff!

Mince Pies

This is why we call her the 'tartist'...mince pies in full production. I have to say I never tire of watching her deftly make her superb pastry and the wonderful smell from our kitchen as they bake.
The history of our humble mince pie goes back centuries but the tartist's never last much longer than about five minutes because they're so delicious, especially warmed up with a 'dollop' of clotted cream. She's selling 'em this year for 50p each, or 75p warmed with the 'afore mentioned cream.

December 8th

Window no.8, Euphorbia pulcherrima, Poinsettia to you and me.

December 7th

Window no.7. A bit of a mess this one, Santa is stuck up the chimney (nothing new there) and we finally get to see our toy trumpet but that's about as far as it goes, a bit of a dissapointing window.

December 6th

Window no.6 shows a Christmas tree. Bringing a fir tree indoors at Christmas was, if I'm not mistaken, one of prince Albert's bright ideas. I can only assume Victoria never minded all the needles dropping off on her carpet. The one in our picture is very definately 'old school' being illuminated with real candles...ahh.

December 5th

Window no.5, brings us the most kitsch image so far, good ole Father Christmas with the most ludicrously cherub-like infant tangled in his whiskers.

December 4th

Window no.4 reveals a bell and I have to say the tartist and I were both expecting a toy trumpet for some reason but never mind we have plenty of windows to go. You'll notice the the bell is inscribed with the word Noel which could be a nice little gesture to our Euro-cousins or more likely the word Christmas wouldn't fit. And what type of flowers could they be?

December 3rd

Window no.3 has all the right ingredients, three nice young ladies carol singing, some wispy snow flakes for good measure and a general warm yuletide glow. my first impression is that butter wouldn't melt in their mouths but I have a sneaky feeling the little girl on the left peeking round the fold might be deliberately singing the alternative 'naughty' lyrics to 'We three kings of orient are!'.

December 2nd

Window no.2 and bang on the money, a picture of Joseph and Mary already. I wasn't expecting them so soon, this is more like a window no.24 image if you ask me. You'll see I've included some surrounding glitter to put things in context, and the observant amongst you will notice that the tartist in her enthusiasm this morning has ripped the window giving a tantalising glimpse behind window no.11! Now, sorry to get picky but Joseph, Mary and the newborn baby 'J' seem to be heading east past the pyramids heading them wildly in the wrong direction, unless of course Herod has already popped his clogs in which case its a bit early for window no.2.

December 1st

Window no.1 in all it's splendour, a secular image to start the ball rolling, nothing too heavy, a snow man and woman in what appear to be 'dickensian' hats holding a candle each.