A Spot of Christmas Shopping - In Vienna

Vienna is just a wonderful place to be at this time of year - the streets are full of Christmas cabins full of wonderful gifts and families are milling round drinking mulled wine in the lit up grounds of the Town Hall. Inside the town hall, weenies are having fun in a Christmas workshop making spiced biscuits and Christmas tree decorations.

There are so many festive decorations to choose from - how to choose? Somehow that mulled wine isn't helping the decision making process one bit!

The Christmas countdown is well under way and this Christmas for the first time in seven years Richard and I can relish all the simple preparations for Christmas with no book deadlines to be working towards. We are having such fun together deciding all the things we want to do between now and Christmas.

One thing for sure is that we shall be very busy in the kitchen making all sorts of Christmas treats to share. I doubt there will be this many helpers, but maybe friends will drop by and help stir up a few fruity and spicy mixes.

Knitting seems to be really big this Christmas and I was so taken by this Christmas tree festooned with colourful knitted woolies for Santa's elves. Have I got time to knit up a few myself?

One of the reasons for being in Vienna right now was to see the Klimt exhibition at the Belvedere. Klimt was an artist I fell in love with in my twenties and by now I should have got over him......but old flames never quite die. The Belvedere is such a wonderful place and we had a delicious lunch there too.

I think Mrs Rudolf is missing her mate - but what tales he will have to tell on his return!

Mother Christmas is busy in the beauty parlour, making sure she looks the part - a pity that the waiting list for replacement knees is longer this year - all she wants for Christmas are two front knees. And now it is time for some Strauss waltzes in the biggest, brightest open air room in Vienna. I hope your Christmas preparations are as joyful as ours!