miss b loves ..........welcoming the New Year in Dubai.

Happy New Year to you all! I'm finally getting back into a routine! It was such a treat to be able to escape the cold and wet weather in England to enjoy sunshine and blue skies .....

En route to Dubai
on Boxing Day

We were greeted with so many festive touches especially at The Beach with a giant Christmas tree, huge candy canes and baubles which shimmered next to the palm trees .....

The 'snowmen' on the sand were particularly cute and popular for photos too!

miss b loves .......London, all dressed up for Christmas 2014!

Visiting London in the run up to Christmas seems to have become a tradition of ours.......The capital city has always fascinated me and there's something even more special about it during the festive period.....Last weekend we jumped on the train and just over two hours later we were welcomed by the bright lights of London, all dressed up for Christmas 2014 .......

A tree decorated with Fortnum and Mason
 wicker baskets at Somerset House.

Burlington Arcade

The Giant Observation Wheel
 at Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park

miss b loves ....... getting into the festive spirit in Munich

They certainly know how to do Christmas in Germany and during our recent visit to Munich it was so easy to get into the festive spirit!

Mini Christmas stockings
 at Café Luitpold

I wandered around Viktualienmarkt where wreaths were piled high ready to be decorated.....

There were so many unusual decorations to admire........

miss b loves .........a festive Dubai and record-breaking fireworks.

After spending a traditional Christmas Day at home, we flew out to Dubai on Boxing Day to be greeted by blue skies and warm winter sunshine. What a treat and an escape from the UK storms!

Cayan Tower

Dubai is a city which embraces different cultures and faiths and this is particularly evident at Christmas time. Christmas trees adorn shopping malls, hotels and residential neighbourhoods. 

Le Royal Meridien Hotel had a range of different styles of trees with one thing in common - glamour! (I thought we had a lot of baubles on our tree until I saw these!!)

miss b loves ...... festive decorations, classic, modern and quirky too!

Decorating for Christmas is all part of the festivities and this year like last, the lounge has a classic deep red and gold theme .........

miss b loves .........almond and mincemeat tarts

The fruity mince pie is a classic component of a British Christmas. Supermarket shelves are stacked high with boxes of six ready-made ones but nothing beats home-made. Last week I came across a recipe for almond and mincemeat tarts which a friend passed on to me a few years ago. A variation on the traditional mince pie... almond and mincemeat is such a delicious combination........

miss b loves....London..... all dressed up for Christmas.

I'm so fortunate to live just two hours by train from London and December is always a special time to visit. My two day trip last week certainly put me in a festive mood.....and I managed to fit in some Christmas shopping and a stroll around the V&A museum too!

This year the Oxford Street lights were inspired by falling snowflakes and there are apparently 1778 baubles twinkling above the mile-long shopping street .......

A huge sign outside Selfridges reminds everyone that the festive season has arrived!

The Selfridges windows theme, 'The Wish List' featured oversized gifts in snowy landscapes including this enormous Charlotte Olympia shoe.

miss b loves ........Peggy Porschen's festive treats and some stylish decorations.

I'm just back home after spending a couple of days in London ......amazing Christmas lights, exquisite and creative window displays....a visit to the V&A 'Pearls' exhibition and ......Christmas shopping (of course!)

I knew there would be plenty of festive sweet treats at Peggy Porschen's boutique bakery and I couldn't resist a visit before starting my shopping ........ 

The windows had been hand-painted with cute festive scenes and characters.......

.... and inside, as expected, there were some very special cupcakes .....

Festive Chocolate, Red Velvet Snowman,
 Sticky  Toffee, Festive Vanilla,  Sugar Plum

.....and what did I choose?......

miss b loves............Christmas decorations

There are so many Christmas traditions I enjoy and I suppose one of my favourites is making our home look festive. The tree in the lounge is similar to last year, mainly burgundy and gold with special baubles we have had for years......

miss b loves........an early Christmas lunch at Samlesbury Hall

Last Sunday we decided to take a break from all the Christmas preparations and have a relaxing Christmas lunch at Samlesbury Hall, a beautiful historic hall built in 1325 and just a ten minute drive from home.

This lovely half-timbered, black and white medieval building was actually saved from demolition in the 1920s when six local business men bought it and set up a charitable trust to maintain and preserve it for future generations to enjoy (a builder had planned to build a housing estate on the site!)

Our turkey with all the trimmings definitely put us in the Christmas mood......

miss b loves.......cranberry and apple mince pies with a glass of mulled wine

Christmas wouldn't be the same without delicious mince pies but I find some of the shop-bought ones too sweet (even for my sweet tooth!) The addition of fresh cranberries and apple to a jar of mincemeat gives these pies a really fresh taste.

The recipe is from the free Waitrose supermarket newspaper, Waitrose Weekend..........

miss b loves....... Christmas!!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël!

              

and now for a song which I'm sure will make you want to get up and dance...

miss b loves.......decorating the Christmas tree

Mulled wine, candles scented with cinnamon, orange and cloves, mince pies, Christmas music - the perfect ingredients for an afternoon decorating our Christmas tree............ 

miss b loves...............'Driving Home for Christmas' by Chris Rea and other Christmas favourites

                 

Nothing gets me in the Christmas mood more than Chris Rea singing 'Driving home for Christmas' - one of my favourite Christmas songs.