Winter Solstice

I had lunch with my friend Celeste on Friday and neglected to take pictures. She gave me this beautiful box. She picked out to go in my ocean themed bedroom.


















Inside the box was a gorgeous scarf, I had trouble getting a good picture, its purple with metallics and lots of fuzz in the yarn.
















Then I found these foam stamps at Roberts, I only thought I was getting the bottom selection so it was quite a surprise to get a second group.


















I also found this aged looking queen of hearts and these paisleys. I think I will try to carve a paisley stamp and these will be great models to use.















We had the most delightful service in church today. It was a combination Winter Solstice and Yule service. One of our members is a Pagan in the Viking/germanic style and he knew all the history and gave a great presentation. We ended up singing along with the Beatles singing "Here comes the Sun" to welcome the Sun back. It was a really fun service. I will go back tonight for the Winter Solstice Drumming Circle.

I just came back from grocery shopping at three different stores. It always amazes me that it sometimes takes that many stores to get all you need. Kai we are planning on having Cornish Game Hens Christmas Eve. Our little homage to Cornwall.

Then I thought I wonder if Cornish hens have anything to do with lovely Cornwall.

Due to the amazing powers of the internet I discovered this:
The Cornish is a breed of chicken originating in the English county of Cornwall. It was developed for the king so that he could serve an individual portion to his guests at festivals and reduce the problem of communicable diseases. It is known as the Indian Game in the UK.

It is a large, stocky breed, and is often crossed with other breeds to enhance meat production. There are two varieties, the Cornish Game and the Jubilee Cornish Game. The Cornish Game is dark blue - green in colour, with brown patterning on the hens. Jubilee Cornish Game are much lighter, and less stocky than their counterparts. They are usually light wheaten in colour, with light brown patterning.

A Cornish game hen, sometimes simply called a game hen or a Cornish rock , is an immature chicken of the Cornish variety, or of a crossbreed between the Cornish chicken and another breed. The Rock Cornish game hen, the most common game hen crossbreed, is a crossing with the Rock chicken. As is common in the poultry industry, store bought game hens may be either male or female specimens, despite the common usage of the word "hen" typically denoting a female.

The Rock Cornish game hen was originally bred by Jacques and Alphonsine Makowsky in Connecticut in 1950. By crossbreeding the short-legged, plump-breasted Cornish chicken with various other chickens (including the White Plymouth Rock variety) and game birds, the result was a small bird with all white meat, enough for a single serving. Originally marketed as a temporary substitute for a flock of guinea hens that the farm lost in a fire, it soon became more popular than the guinea hen.

Despite the name, game hens are not hunted as a game animal, and are instead raised in chicken coops as are normal chickens. They are, in fact, chicks that are fed a highly nutritious diet and slaughtered four to five weeks after hatching.

That is probably more than you'll ever want to know about Cornish game hens.


I bought a spiral cut ham for Christmas day. Now I need to make pumpkin and apple pies but all the shopping wore me out. I may be doing it tomorrow. Oh the joys of the season. I hope all of your plans are going smoothly.