My Garden in Mid-January

This is a Christmas week and I want to share my wintry garden photos with you. My garden is quiet, all perennial plants are asleep under a snow blanket. The weather is enough cold and frosty -7 C or 20 F . I'm glad that finally snow has fallen and covered the plants because frost without snow is very dangerous for them.

Evergreens always please me, especially tujas and pines. Their long green needles shine in sun rays and smell awesome. Snow lies on big and wide rhododendron's leaves and its buds are bathing in sun rays as well.

Of course I shoveled paths and my favorite patio. As always I threw up some snow to the roots of clematis, spring bulbs, pond ice.

The January day is short, sun is going away very fast and I decided to drink a cup of tea with hot sandwich heated in a microwave.

The last, long and low sun rays lighted snowy lawn and pine trunks. I was glad to visit my garden on Christmas week because I was very busy before the coming of New year. 
The nature's quietness gives special mood in our busy and unpredictable life.

Orthodox Christmas + Cake

Orthodox Christmas is on January, 7th. After breakfast I've driven to my garden. It's my tradition to go there in Christmas. I have wanted to have a look at the plants if they are covered with snow or if it melted at all. 

Having come back I decided to cook something sweet making it myself. All ingredients that I needed I've found in my kitchen except vanilla. 'No problem, I make a cake without vanilla :-)'

The recipe is very easy. Biscuit: 5 eggs, 
1 glass of flour, 
1 glass of sugar. 
I whipped eggs with sugar - 5 min, and added flour. Bake 30 min, 180 C  350F 
While biscuit was in an oven I've made cream:  
I whipped sour cream - 1,5 glass and 1 glass of sugar. Cream is used instead of butter.
When round biscuit was ready and cooled I've divided it on 2 layers.

I've spread cream on both layers of biscuit, put the upper layer above the first one and smoothed cream over.
There was a dark chocolate bar in my fridge, so I grated it up the cake to adorn it. I've thought it was not enough and arranged some plums in sugar (from my garden) and ground walnuts on the cake top. 

When Christmas evening comes my family and I will have nice piece of cake with cup of tea or coffee and a glass of red wine. 

  

A Merry Christmas on January 7th!

Here is 'Silent night' in Russian:

Christmas in Saint Petersburg, 2016

December is almost over and my most favorite holidays come - Christmas and New Year. Here traditionally they both are family holidays when people gather at the big table.
The city is very nicely decorated, many Cathedrals and old buildings are lit at these cold, frosty nights.  
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan (photo above) is one of them, its colonnade is beautifully illuminated.

Here is the famous Hermitage museum (or Winter Palace) at the Neva river embankment. The Neva River is partly frozen as the canals and small rivers are. The navigation from Baltic sea to Volga river is over. 

When the weather is wet and cold the tree branches are coated with hoarfrost, I like watching them through the warm home window :-) But some people love strolling along the frozen Neva.

The trees around the Saint Isaac Cathedral have been decorated with Christmas tree garlands, trunks seem very mysterious. The great Cathedral and especially its dome is illuminated as well.
 

The Nevski avenue and the Saint Isaac Cathedral at the festive nights, downtown (above).

There is the Mariinsky Palace, the Deputies' Legislative Assembly site at the Moika river embankment. As in others central squares, here artificial Christmas tree is set, decorated with garlands and stars.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, dear friends bloggers!

 
Desejo-vos um Feliz Natal e Feliz Ano Novo, queridos amigos blogueiros!

¡Les deseo una Feliz Navidad y Feliz Año Nuevo, queridos amigos bloggers!

Toivotan teille hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta, rakkaat ystävät bloggaajia!

Ik wens u een vrolijk kerstfeest en Gelukkig Nieuwjaar, lieve vrienden bloggers! 

Soovin teile häid jõule ja head uut aastat, kallid sõbrad  blogijate!  

Saya mengucapkan Selamat Natal dan Tahun Baru, teman-teman blogger! 

Jeg ønsker deg en riktig God Jul og Godt Nyttår, kjære venner bloggere!

Życzę Wesołych Świąt i Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku, drodzy przyjaciele blogerów!

Я желаю вам счастливого Рождества и счастливого Нового года, дорогие друзья блоггеры!

    


Here is my video about clocks - time never stops: