Where in the World is Winnie #9

Winnie's final clues are photos and they are

Peruvian Darkness Powder available at Zonko's
a broken Wand, repaired at Dervish & Banges
Bloodpops available at Honeydukes
Hand of Glory, as frightening as the shrieking shack
carved boar's head - The Hog's Head - a dingy pub owned by Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth Dumbledore, which hosted a previously unknown secret passage into Hogwarts.
Snitch representing the world quidditch cup.
Broom The three broomsticks

He hid the cup in Hogsmeade

Where in the World is Winnie #8

I'm also going with the guess that one of the C's is a U and the message from Winnie is

Stolen Quidditch World Cup Trophy

Reducio Swap #8 - A Weasley Christmas

My package from my spoiler: Belgonzo aka Mr Arcturus Kirke on Ravelry:






And one with the contents of the Cracker (and yes, I did spend over 20 minutes trying to get it out carefully so I wouldn't ruin the cracker and could keep it *grins*)

Where in the World is Winnie #7

She states she is where Christmas began and where that is depends on what you define as the beginning of Christmas

For Christians, it began one night in Bethlehem (Israel) with the birth of Jesus and, eventually approximately two to three years later, the visit of the wiseman

The earliest celebration of Christmas in the western Roman Empire has been dated to December 25, 336 A.D., although celebrations of the Christ child most certainly took place before then. The eastern part of the Roman world celebrated Jesus' birth on January 6 for many years, until eventually adopting the western date.

However, many of its customs and traditions have been adopted from the Winter Solstice (or Yule) which has been dated as early as 3200 bc. in Iceland as this quote shows from here:

It is not clear when humans realized what the solstice was and when it occurred. The Neolithic grave at Newgrange in Ireland, built c. 3200 BC (thus predating Stonehenge 3 I, dated to c. 2600 BC) is a solstice timekeeper: at dawn on the day of the Winter Solstice, the sunlight enters the central chamber through a special opening. It must have been a day of significant rituals.

With all that said, I have to say that considering the head of Vlad Dracula was supposed to have been sent to Constantinople and the first Christmas was a group of strangers (wise men) showing up to visit a recently born baby (Jesus) in Bethlehem.

Winnie is in Bethlehem.

Starknuts Christmas Ornament Swap 2009

I was the lucky recipient of a Starknuts colored ornament holding the one and only Fabulous Cat! Thanks craftylilthing!

*bounces and squees*

I can't believe it but I just learned I won some lovely Hufflepuffy sock yarn here

Where in the World is Winnie #6

The largest city that would be good for stocking up on garlic and crucifixes would be Rome, Italy. After all, we know how garlic is so very popular in Italian cooking and where else to find crucifixes and crosses but in the home of the Vatican City where there is also no shortage of holy water.

And with those on to Transylvania and the Carpathian Mountains where one finds the homes of one Vlad Tepes aka Count Dracula. Bran Castle is one of his homes and the other is Castle Dracula located in the mountains above the small village of Sighisoara. One does not go out after sunset for vampire roam free in those mountains.

Muwahahahhahahaaaaaaaaaaaaa

HSKS9 - My Swap Arrived

My swap kit from Celestina Pettigrew (SherryHarrison on Ravelry) came yesterday for the HSKS 9 Quidditch Cup Swap and it is absolutely awesome

A beautifully knit red bag that was not only in the Wigtown Wanderer colors but one of my fav colors as well. Yarn, hook and patterns for a cowl set. A cute little Hufflepuff bookscarf and a Hufflepuff tape measure (Huzzah Hufflepuff :D). A dozen homemade cookies in a lovely tin (yeah yeah I know there's only 11 in the photo *grins*). A set of cards that are each a crochet block pattern, blood pops, a Hufflepuff sticker and cards! Thank you Celestina :)