Advent 12: Rays of Sunshine

I can only apologise if my last blog post worried people. I wanted to let people know I was unlikely to be around, not make people think there had been a bereavement or that I had cancer or something. I have read each and every one of your messages, even though I'm not really up to answering them all at the moment. It's at times like these I feel truly blessed to be part of this community.

It is also why I'm back today. I need to share with you a ray of sunshine that was left in my back porch.  It was discovered quite late on because the postie must have sneaked it there and then put mail through the letter box.

As many of you know I am part of Bee a Brit Stingy - a new Bee starting in January. A few months ago we had a getting-to-know-you pin cushion swap. It went down so well that we decided to have a Secret Santa Swap. Today when this parcel arrived I knew my Secret Santa goodies had arrived.  I had to take a picture of the tape because it's so pretty.

 

Inside the parcel was a card and this package:

Note how it's in a cellophane bag making it look like a 'proper' gift basket.

This was everything that was inside.  (It obviously was a tardis among gift baskets!)

Excuse the crap photo. 

I mean wow! Nicky my Secret Santa partner, obviously decided to be a rebel and ignore the 'stingy' bit in the bee!   Inside was chocolate, fudge, candy cane, big stack of fabric charms, wonder clips, perle thread, Aurifil thread, purse frame, mini Paris post-its, cuddly toy (no, that's The Generation Game!), fun tape, embroidered giraffe book mark and a cute robin tree decoration. I have to admit I'm a bit emotional about everything going on right now and when I kept pulling out more and more lovely things. Completely 'Me' things. I confessed I burst into tears. Happy tears - obviously. I think anyone that knows me can see why I'd love absolutely everything here. Every last thing. Touched by how much kindness and thoughtfulness there is in this wonderful community. I can't thank Nicky enough.

If you want to see the things in more detail they're here and totally worth a look even if my pictures are not that great!

I should also tell you that Chief found his medals this week. They were in the bag he expected them to be in. The bag he'd nearly ripped apart searching for them. He came back from the weekend working in the north and went to get a lead from the bag to upload some pictures and he found the medals sat inside. We have no idea what happened there but he has them back.  He did get some replicas (at rather a cost) but it is not the same as having your own with your name engraved on them.