Christmas around the world, Qatar

Shankar took these photo's of Christmas in Qatar, where he lives and works. He explained that,

"Qatar's National Day and Eid fell in the week before Christmas, so we got a week off, but not Christmas. The week leading up to Christmas was very jolly. Then we had to go back to work on Christmas Day."

"This is a photo of me in front of the giant Christmas tree at the Villaggio Mall in Doha. That's about it for Christmas in this part of the world. It is a bit of a desert for public displays of Christmas festivity."

Thank you, Shankar!

Christmas Around the World--Phillippines

Ana Marie, sent me these lovely photographs, and shares some of the Christmas traditions from The Philippines.

She explains:

Christmas season starts Sept. and ends January 6 ( 3 Kings). On the 16th of Dec. "Simbang Gabi" (Midnight Mass - 4 am in the morning) starts and ends at midnight of the Dec. 24th. Catholic faith tradition . During the Spanish time, farmers need to get up so early to hear mass before they go to the field. And that is how it started.

Midnight of the 24th we celebrate the Noche Buena, it is a midnight festival for the family. We stay up awake until the midnight of the 24th of Dec. to celebrate the first hour of Christmas. At this time, families gather together for exchange gifts and then have a midnight dinner together.

You will get satiated with foods...Filipinos love foods and singing. And some of our delicacies, it is called "puto and bibingka", it is a rice cakes and very delicious.

Filipino Christmas lanterns and a typical small stalls are found outside the Catholic churches, after the Simbang Gabi, you have the privilege to buy something in the stalls nearby.

Maligayang Pasko!

Thank you Ana!

Christmas Around the World, France

Photo's and descriptions, of the enchanting city of

Aix en Provence, France

by, Gaetan, who lives there.

A photo taken on the street in Aix....saturday morning, market day, and one of the last saturdays before xmas, many people in town. Most of the main streets are decorated with lovely leafy garlands and lights.

it is very pretty

This desert tart is full on! Using all (well nearly all)
the elements of what is traditional in Provence, called the thirteen deserts, "les treize deserts". I don't know exactly what all of the elements are, but they are usually dried fruits, nuts, mandarins, and are presented on a canned tray.

Delicious! Thank you, Gaetan!

Chirstmas Around the World, England

Thanks to Alex, for sending these beautiful photographs he took of the Tower of London, where he works.

In his own words:
Tower 001 is the White Tower and Tower Bridge in the background. To the right of the Christmas tree is a round thing. This is a monument to the people who were beheaded at the Tower, all seven of them, including two Queens of England (three if you include Lady Jane Grey) who were all executed on that spot. Lucky them.

Tower 002 is the White Tower and Tower Bridge. This is pretty much the view from my office. Lucky me.

Tower 003 is Tower Green. You can see the execution site in the foreground. In the left of the picture are a few older towers and together these are known as the Bloody Tower and it is alleged that the princes in the Tower (fantastic story) were kept there before they conveniently disappeared.

The houses in the background date back to the late 16th/early 17th century. That is how most of London looked before the Great Fire in 1666 when it all turned to ash and cinders. The Tower escaped the inferno and so they're about the only surviving houses in London of that era. Lucky Tower.

Birds in black

"There's much more to Raven's than just birds in black"

PBS program on Raven's

snow crystals

Designer Snowflakes

"While studying the physics of how snow crystals form and grow, I also became interested in the art of growing synthetic snowflakes. These are basically identical to what falls from the sky, except they are made in the lab under controlled conditions. I also like to call them designer snowflakes, since in principle one could design whatever shape one wanted ... within the bounds of the crystal-growing physics, of course." (snowcrystals.com)

....of course.

"... the best electric needles grow only when certain chemical vapors are added to the diffusion chamber. Silicone caulk vapor seems to work best, although acetic acid does almost as well, and even gasoline vapors do pretty well. This trick allowed us to produce high-quality electric needles much more reliably than before." (snowcrystals.com)

Snowflake growing movies

Bah Humbug

tee-hee-hee!

SCROOGE Yourself

Since I've posted this, I've seen it on a million blogs and emails--but I still think it's disturbingly delightful.

thanks jen

super neat teat PRIZE!

And the winner's receive

Bag Balm!

a product that has been helping cow teats from becoming chapped, since 1899. Ingrid and Reno don't have to use it on their own teats, but it has many practical uses.

I used it on my hands when they were dry and sore from spinning pots on the wheel. It not only soothed my hurting hands, but helped them become luxuriously soft and milky.

"If you suffer from the heartbreak

of chapped hands or rough and horny feet,

or if your milk cow has a caked bag,

bunches, and sore and tender teats,

this is the product for you. "

(log cabin chronicles)

Hope you enjoy your "teat", I mean "treat" (wink, wink)

Winners!

Thanks to all of you who played along

in the first game of,

"Mysterious Object".

And the mysterious object was:

A lovely bronze statuette of a sow

And the grand prize winner's are:

Reno, for the correct guess--

a sow's nipples

&

Ingrid, for the most creative guess--

the teeth of Romulus and Remuses she wolf mother

(please e-mail me your addresses

so I can send your very exciting prizes)

And never fear, you'll all have another chance to win,

a super neat prize in upcoming installments

of the wildly popular blog game:

Mysterious Object