Ho Ho Ho

This was one of my little projects yesterday -- to get some holiday cheer going. I know, it might seem a little early, but we don't have the barrier of Thanksgiving here in the UK, so psychologically I'm already gearing up for Christmas. Keeping in mind, of course, that putting up one strand of lights is about as geared up as I get.

You might remember that our previous lights died at the end of last year's holiday season, so I had to wander down to the DIY store on the high street and pick up a new set. They had them in 8- and 16-meter sizes, which both seemed gigantic. I certainly do not need 16 meters of Christmas lights. Finally I found a 6-meter strand and bought that, and it was more than enough for our fiddle-leaf fig, which in the absence of the avocado is now our stand-in Christmas tree.

These LED lights cost £15, which seemed a bit expensive, but hey, I'm supporting a local business.

Here's what they look like at night. I'm digging the mirror effect in the multiple windows.

When first plugged in, they strobed and pulsed like the dance floor at Studio 54. (Or what I imagine it to have looked like, anyway.) We tried to live with it at first but all the flashing was just too distracting, so I read the box and learned the lights have multiple settings. Indeed, there is a tiny button on the plug that, when pushed seven times, sets the lights to "static" mode. (The intermediate settings are various speeds and styles of strobing -- fast, slow, green/yellow followed by red/blue, etc.)

Anyway it's taken me almost as long to write about these lights as it did to acquire and install them.

Otherwise, we hunkered down. It was very windy all day, particularly in the morning, as a result of Storm Bert. The worst of the storm struck far to the north and west of us, but we got some strong gusts. The Russians have some large plants on their terrace and every once in a while one of them would blow over, sending a reverberating THUD through the house, despite Mrs. Russia tying them to the railings.

I did get out and do some gardening, cutting back the persicaria and the old blackberry canes, and some other miscellaneous stuff. I filled three yard waste bags. Olga, who normally likes to join me when I'm gardening, stayed on the couch (as did Dave).

Last night, Dave made stuffed shells -- which were delicious, but my God, when he was done the kitchen was a disaster. I ran a load of dishes last night and had to do a second one this morning. I think he used every pot. Still, I cannot complain, since if it weren't for Dave I'd be eating tuna fish from a can.