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Life outside Ambridge
Life outside Ambridge
Life outside Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
THIS POST IS CLOSED "longer off topic comments" - Episode 14 Life Outside Ambridge Have a seat and let's chat.
Archerphile - I was pondering these experiences in bed last night and thought of my children's childhood and then my ex husbands.
ReplyDeleteHe too went to a posh but free thinking boarding school and he and his sister ran wild in the Kent countryside for three or so years. No formal education whatsoeve, but lots of freedom. But then when family insistence led them to formal public schools they both fell apart at the pressure of a formal education system.
My children had an idyllic childhood in a small Wiltshire market town, in a large house and garden, and crucially a small building rather like a Swiss Chalet which was their play house. I operated an open house scheme, so they never needed to go anywhere because all their friends could come to them.
I do wonder if many of today's children are perhaps rather lonely.
Well, they certainly don’t seem to have the freedom to come and go as they please as in yesteryear. Unless their parents make the effort to enrol them in such activities as scouting or sports, many spend a lot of time in their bedrooms on screens.
DeleteMy loneliness was mostly due to my parents fears of me finding out that I was adopted, and also to being Jewish in a totally non-Jewish area. They were probably afraid of anti-semitism ( which I did experience when apply to join a local club as a teenager) and that made them very over- protective.
Is this the Christmas cat thing that Stasia mentioned ?
ReplyDeleteThat’s why our Christmas tree is up on a table! 👀🐶🐶🐶
ReplyDeleteMrsP. No that’s an older one.
ReplyDeleteStill brilliant.
Poor Simon - he's as gullible, ineffectual & hapless as all cat people..I think their charm, ability to turn us into dupes, lies in their determined lack of charm ! Watched it all through twice, Gary, super video !
ReplyDeleteScreen always goes dark if I'm not typing like this. Must be missing something simple. Does anyone know how to keep the screen lit up when reading or viewing ?
Check your settings menu, when can find how to alter it.
DeleteCarolyn..if you go on settings and then on display there's something called screen timeout and it gives you different times so you can adjust it.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much, Autumnleaves & Miriam - I think it's worked ! If I find I need to extend even further, now I know what to do 😊
DeleteJust loving the cat and the Christmas Tree "entree" to this page.
ReplyDeleteLuckily my "pusscat" totally ignores mine 🎄🎄😻😹
Ooh, I do love Simon’s naughty cat.
ReplyDeleteWe once had a charming cat called Claudius who did exactly the same thing to our tree - both children left in tears and me with an almighty mess to clear up! 😼 🎄
Gary ..could you do something for doggie people next time🐶🐶💕💕
ReplyDeleteAs always Autumnleaves, your wish is my command....
Delete😚😚
DeleteAm breathing a sigh of relief tonight, as my Hotpoint washing machine (just not 2 years since bought), is not on the product recall list, due to potential fire risks.
ReplyDeleteHave also checked the fire alarm to know it is still working...😐
'Re fire alarms bloggers..when I lived in the U.S. they reminded us always that when we changed our clocks in March and October that we always use that day to check the batteries in our smoke alarms. Have always done it since. A good way to remember.
ReplyDelete👍
DeleteWe now have our flying pine branches in place, (no tree..) seafood ordered, 8 jours..!
ReplyDelete"flying pine branches"! You must explain, parsley!
Delete😄Branches suspended from the ceiling (high, + beams), fairy lights, decorations etc! Out of reach of the cat... so far.. 🐱🌲
DeleteThat sounds both beautiful AND sensible!
DeleteDates from the time when we had 4 cats.. 😱including the wonderful but destructive Tigger, with her magnificent peacock tail 😻
DeleteWe bought a fibre optic tree and it is very pretty but the lights flash on and off very quickly and can’t be slowed down. It’s a good job we haven’t got epilepsy! It is high up so the dogs can’t get at it! The problem I have is stopping Dudley from eating the Christmas cards! I have had a box put outside clearly marked for post and circulars but our usual postie must have had a day off today and put them through the door. I managed to prise them away in time but so far have lost two cards neighbours put through the door. I know who they were from as he left that part untouched but sadly the tattered remains had to go in the bin!! I just love Simon’s cat if only to prove I am not alone in having a naughty pet!
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely, little fibre optic tree, which decorate with lovely german wooden characters + silver baubles.
ReplyDeleteIt is simple and sits on a table.
It's all that is needed, well for me.
Have other things, which go onto my marble fire-place, but keep it quite simple. My philosophy is, quality not quantity.
Must be so different. 🎄🎄
Here in Italy "il presepio" the nativity scene is more traditional with baby Jesus arriving on Christmas day. I Magi..the 3 wise men are added for epiphany.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first married Mr 🍁🍁 who is Italian he made a big fuss about having a presepio because that's what he had in his childhood.
Now we have both..our children have gone but we have scaled down a lot..and it is just as beautiful and meaningful.
Love Italy. Have just bought myself a new 1000 piece jigsaw. It is the "Procession of the Magus" by Gozzoli, which have seen in its true brilliance in Firenza, though had to go early to get a ticket to see.
DeletePhew..that should keep you out of mischief for a good wee while, Miriam. Beautiful work though.
DeleteI was enjoying the anticipation of spending two whole days doing a jigsaw while listening to chorale and Christmas music.
ReplyDeleteNow it seems it is not to be.
Today and yesterday have been game changers.
A visit yesterday from a person willing to be with Lady for most of tomorrow while I go to hospital, and today a great surprise in the form of the woman who stopped communicating with me back in August, despite the thank you card I delivered.
Apparently she has been texting me regularly, but I have never received them.
I saw the texts sent, and we spent a good half hour testing our phones. No texts coming through. She is still very willing to help with Lady, and later today confirmed that she and her husband will take me to Cheltenham Station for the journey to Cornwall. She had been told this morning that I had been seen wearing a sling, so decided to come and see me. I am so pleased that the person I considered to be so rude, is after all, not so.
A long conversation with daughter last night, she has done all the research for me and will book the train, and the assistance.
And I have not found a lift either.
That’s lovely for you Mrs P. It sounds as if everything is falling into place for your Xmas trip.
ReplyDeleteI hope everything works out well and you have a very enjoyable and un-stressful time.
So pleased for you Mrs P 🤗 🎄 🤗 🎄
ReplyDeleteJoyeuses fêtes Mrs P !
ReplyDeleteGood news, Mrs P. Hope your hand is healing and you have a restful time.
ReplyDeleteUp early ( yes LJ, I've made it today ) to be at hospital for whatever will be done to my hand today.
ReplyDeleteThank you for good wishes.
Hope everything went well at the hospital today ,Mrs P .
ReplyDeleteI am pleased that you have got things sorted out with regard to the visit to your daughter over Christmas.
Now you can relax and take things easy.
I bought my train tickets today, so I'm committed to going now. But still feel apprehensive, especially about the behaviour of Lady if she encounters another dog.
ReplyDeleteSo no lovely jigsaw for me.
If I feel alone when with all those loud teenagers over Christmas, I shall think of you Miriam developing that beautiful painting in the jigsaw.
Surgeon very pleased with finger. He was obviously looking to see how straight it is, and seemed satisfied.
I have a new plaster but now instead of full hand, I have thumb and two fingers free, mostly I think to relieve the other hand of all the overuse. He also said he would look at my other hand which is very painful now due to arthritis which seems to be going through a new phase of development.
The lovely young woman who was going to bring me home collecting me after leaving work, stayed at home to be with sick son, but arranged for another friends husband to collect me. As it was pouring with rain, I was relieved.
But the bus going there was in the dry, and an easy journey.
It was a good day, but very tired now.
Glad all went well Mrs P 🤗
ReplyDeleteYes, good news Mrs P, now you should at least be able to pull a Christmas cracker!
ReplyDeleteAll the best 😘
very good Mrs. P.
ReplyDeleteI hope everyone else is well on the way to a healthy, pain-free Christmas too.
MrsP I hope your visit to your daughter goes well, the hand will get you out of most chores, let them look after you.
ReplyDeleteI wish all my fellow bloggers who have not been enjoying great health some improvement or resolution of their symptoms.
Damp dreary mid-winter weather here, I hope everyone out there is looking after themselves.
Thank you for all the well wishing, much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteKP - irony in your comment.
Attending to chores is my salvation for enabling me to get through such social occasions. Sitting still and being waited upon, is excruciatingly difficult for me. I much prefer to be a busy hands person.
But I will try to do my best and smile and be gracious. Not my greatest talent.
I suppose you could claim you still need strong painkillers for your hand which make you very sleepy, then retire for “a sleep” ( read a book, play on iPad, whatever....) we wouldn’t tell 🤫
DeleteOh, it’s disaaaster darling! as Craig Revel Horwood would say on Strictly Come Dancing!
ReplyDeleteI’ve just got home from a visit to the hairdresser to find Mr A, on his knees, scrubbing at the lounge carpet. When I looked around I found ugly black patches from the front door mat, across the hall and right through the lounge - on our pale peach coloured carpet!! 😵
Apparently he had been outside to bring in the wheelie bins and had trodden in a large lump of wet tar. He ‘didn't notice’ that he was scrubbing it into the door mat when he ‘wiped’ his feet, nor that he was leaving tarry footprints everywhere. When he did see, he thought he could clear it up with some hot water and washing up liquid but that has just spread the tar even further. I could cry! Our lovely carpet, only fitted two years ago, looks like a peach-coloured Dalmatian dog!
So now we have to go out and find some tar remover and carpet shampoo and spend the rest of the day trying to repair the damage. Just what I needed in the run up to Christmas and being unable to kneel down. Men!! 😡
As Mr S was wont to say, 'That doesn't matter, it'll brush off'.
ReplyDeleteIf only, Sarnia!
ReplyDeleteThat’s what Mr A tried to do at first and it made things 10 times worse.
Oh Archerphile, what a nightmare. Can anything get tar off? Good Luck in trying. Changed my carpets to a grey/white fleck a few years ago, best decision ever made.
ReplyDeleteAm feeling smug tonight, as have done my last supermarket shop.
Am away for 2 nights over Christmas, so not much needed, only essentials.
Mrs P. What Good news and am sure all be fine. 😀😀
Archerphile..try pinterest they have all kinds of solutions for every problem. Maybe you'll find something there.
DeleteMiriam I too did 2 big shops plus we have enough logs for our wood stove to keep us going for a while. Traffic and weather is awful and I'm really looking forward to staying home with daily walks around the village books and the occasional box sets
I really cannot stand all this hysteria in the towns and cities.
I can't stand the frenetic
...Pace of everything
DeleteArcherphile what a disaster indeed! Have you googled removing tar from carpet - I have and there are videos etc available. You may have sorted the stains by now of course 🤞
ReplyDeleteRecently I threw my dinner on the floor fortunately it fell on a matching rug made from spare (oatmeal coloured) carpet managed to remove with a spray cleaner that just absorbed the stain.
Lucky for me as it was sausages & mash with onion gravy and veg. Although being on the mat only I could have replaced for you and being tar quite a challenge.
Sending sympathy 😞
Lady R. Sausages, mash, veg. and onion gravy, sounds far too delcious to throw onto the carpet!
DeleteWe bought some stuff that is meant to remove sticky labels , glue and tar, not ‘Sticky Stuff Remover’ but the equivalent made by a company called HG. I poured some on the spots then pressed kitchen paper towels down hard and the tar lifted quite quickly. That was fine for the marks Mr A had not tackled. But where he had rubbed the stain around is proving much more difficult and will need lots more treatment. However, after using this stuff for a while the fumes were getting to me and I have left it until tomorrow.
DeleteNow our lounge smells like a garage forecourt! Will have to leave doors and windows open tomorrow despite the rain.
HG products are very good Archerphile.
DeleteI use their “Super power toilet cleaner” monthly under the rim which then pours down into the bowl - leave for 30mins brush and flush.
Weekly I use a Harpic tablet dropped into bowl overnight and toilet always sparkles!
Really hope with continued treatment of the carpet the difficult areas will respond 🤞
How did you manage to apply etc with your bad knee or did you supervise Mr A?
I sympathise re the smell 🙄
Can’t kneel down Lady R, so just had to bend over double to treat the carpet. Just as well Mr Stranks couldn’t see me because I’m not supposed to do that with a hip replacement in case it dislocates.
DeleteOh, how I love getting old !!
Just thinking that the conversation is not very seasonal at the moment (my fault entirely!)
ReplyDeleteSo, how are everyone’s Seasonal preparations coming on?
I shall be putting a menorah in my lounge window tomorrow night and lighting the first of the eight Chanukah candles. I do this every year, even though there aren’t really any passing folk to see them, except the postman! It’s just in remembrance of my family really.
Usually, I have an illuminated Christmas tree in the opposite corner so we can celebrate both occasions. I reckon Jesus would have celebrated Chanukah with his parents, so that’s OK.
When the children were growing up they were much more interested in Christmas, of course, because that’s what they learnt about at school, and all their friends were doing.
But this year I haven’t bothered with any Christmas decorations as we shall be at my daughters on Christmas Day and then off to Dubai on Friday, so it didn’t seem worth doing - apart from displaying the cards of course.
I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas, and a happy New Year. We have been very busy as we sold our family house but the new build won't be ready until April (hopefully) so I am living in a rented 1 bedroom flat in one part of town and the family are in another about 10 mins away. I still manage to read the blogs and enjoy Gary's headings. I hope that everyone who has been unwell makes a full recovery.
ReplyDeleteHere’s hoping you and yours have a really lovely Christmas too, Gianna.
DeleteAnd good luck and much happiness in your new home when it’s ready.
Gianna . augurI e Buon natale...un bacio e spero che ci vediamo in 2020
DeleteGrazie. Still hope to meet up in Verona in the spring. Auguri e buon Natale a voi.
DeleteHas anyone had to telephone 111?
ReplyDeleteI did last night and it is a brilliant service.
Briefly-extremely painful gum which got steadily worse.
Spoke to Helen,a lovely dental nurse who took details and told me to ring up at 8am today to get an emergency dental appointment at Kingston Hospital.
Did so.
Appointment .9:30am.
Lovely staff
Abscess drained .
Antibiotics prescription.
Total cost- £22.
Amazing
Wow, that's excellent, Lanjan ! And what a relief to have the abcess drained so quickly, they are very painful, I remember from unpleasant past experiences, swollen cheek, can't eat, talk funny...
DeleteThe only time I contacted 111 was very recently, doctor surgery closed at weekend, a complication arising from the shingles. Likewise, efficiently handled, promptly addressed.
Ooooo! That sounded nasty Lanjan. Glad you got such rapid treatment and hope everything heals up well in time for eating Christmas dinner.
DeleteHG products are brilliant, and use two, when cleaning my cooker ceramic hob.
ReplyDeleteIt comes up like new.
Christmas has started, as have just opened my R Times, for the next 2 weeks.
No Christmas preparations for me, not even sending cards this year. With so much angst, hands/ hospital appointments/ money demanded and fall out of seeking advice, writing letters, police interviews, and journey research, plus the expectation of being alone with a jigsaw puzzle, no time or motivation.
ReplyDeleteThe cards that have arrived are sitting in a pile, but I do intend to send Solstice greetings tonight.
I will at the very least be extremely well fed during my Christmas in Cornwall.
I reach the end of 2019, feeling anxious and aware of my advancing years. These are new emotions for me and I hope they are temporary.
I wish all friends on this blog, a seasonal Solstice, a merry Christmas if you wish it for yourselves, and a positive and healthy start to 2020, especially those of you who have
been challenged by ill health this year.
Mrs P I totally understand your 2nd paragraph because I have experienced this especially of late - not helped by losing so many friends / relations in quick succession (one or two barely mid fifties) one feels for all those left and of course made more aware of ones own mortality, and I just found it so hard until (as I wrote here) I finally went to the Dr where I was given their time and assistance to overcome this period of great distress and “trauma”. As you have said so much has happened and so quickly in your life recently that is most likely why you are feeling as you are, I do hope your Christmas break will rectify these current feelings and for you just a blip. Should it continue do as I did because the sooner sorted the better. 🌻 🕊
DeleteMrs P, hope your Christmas will be lovely and you can look forward to 2020. Katy is off to Gurnard tomorrow for a solstice yoga session and I will be quietly at home with the dogs. This can be a grim time of year and understand your feelings but hope it will pass as we go into the New Year with expectations of spring. At least today is the shortest day and slowly the nights will get lighter! Take care and enjoy Cornwall.
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten today was the shortest day (or is it tomorrow), however the days have been so dark recently It doesn’t seem much shorter! But from now on the days are going to get longer and brighter which, hopefully, will cheer us all up. ☀️
DeleteHappy happy Christmas to all of you. I have just read something that I thought was funny. Gary and all male bloggers please ignore.
ReplyDeleteAn Alaskan Countryside Department says that male reindeer have all shed their antlers by November to at the latest mid December, but female reindeer keep theirs until after giving birth in the Spring. So this means that every single reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh must be female, and the punchline is : We should have known. Only females would be able to pull a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost! 😉
🤶🏼 🥰 😄
Delete😄👍
DeleteTake care Mrs P. Enjoy your time down here in the South.
ReplyDeleteArcherfile, today is the shortest day! Katy tells me it can vary between the 19th and 22nd depending on the tilt of the earth. So from now on we get lighter nights!
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of antlers, we have found that Buddy enjoys chewing them ( you can buy pieces!). They last a long time, are good for teeth, stops him chewing things he shouldn’t and they have beneficial minerals. Dudley is not interested though! He is still going psycho dog when anyone leaves the house or rings the doorbell. I have found throwing a dog blanket over him calms him down although this is not in the manual! The dog behaviourist said to keep him away from the door by shutting him in a room but he will then carry on with his frantic barking. The blanket doesn’t hurt him and it does work. We have to try to stop the behaviour which will take some time. Other than this he is a great little dog, no trouble on walks, increasingly affectionate and he gets on well with Buddy. Onwards and upwards!
Archerphile. I wish you a happy 🕎 Chanukah. Mazel tov.
ReplyDeleteHope your tar stains are disappearing, I have wooden floors down stairs much, easier to clean with a steam mop.
Shalom Stasia and thanks for your greetings.
DeleteYes the tar stains are much less obvious now, that HG sticky stuff remover is fantastic.
But we have to check very carefully along our front path and out into the lay-by for any more tar deposits. I found more marks yesterday, and from the pattern they made I realised they were from the bottom of my walking stick!. Much smaller than Mr A’s shoe of course but more work to do.
Glad the HG cleaner worked well for you Archerphile, seems like you will have to buy another walking stick for indoor use to avoid bringing the outside in again...
DeleteWhen you bent to clean did you lean forward between your legs I think that is recommended post op anyway but you are of course 16 mths or so on now. Can hardly believe you are off to ✈️ Dubai again at the end of the week do take great care, will you use a wheelchair at the airport and maybe get early access onto the plane too 🤗
Thanks for your concerns Lady R.
DeleteYes, I have arranged wheelchair help at both airports because it is such a long way to walk to the boarding gates (especially at Dubai)
And no, I didn’t bend properly as taught after the hip op, so smacked wrist for me! In fact I do all sorts of movements I’m not supposed to, but I just forget! I shall have to start being careful again after the next op.
Two things Archerphile.
ReplyDeleteI reckon(not seriously though) that your bad knee is because you use Le Creuset pans,
I found them too heavy and gave them away.
Secondly.
When you use a walking stick is it the traditional wooden one?
I have been using both my Nordic walking poles recently and have found that they have a bit more give than the wooden one.
Even one is fine.
(You can kid everyone you are a power walker too ).
Don’t worry LanJan - I ask Mr A to get the heavy pans out of the cupboard and in and out of the oven. I was left them in my Aunt’s will (along with lots of other household equipment) so I am loath to get rid of them.
DeleteRe sticks- mine are flowery-patterned metal but have special ergonomically shaped handles which fit into the palm of your hand and give better grip with less pressure. The left and right hands are therefore different. I also still have two hospital sticks which I should have taken back long ago so I have a choice.
Wonderful Christmas Wishes to You All.
ReplyDeleteAm sure, wherever you are and with whoever, you spend this lovely festive season with, it will be enjoyable.
As I always say;- take a deep breath, sit back, relax + just "go with the flow".
Each and every family, do things slightly differently, so just appreciate their kindness and accept.
🎅🎅🎄🎄🍾🍾😺🐕 🎁🎁
Lanjan, 5.21. Are you a nordic walker? I've been nordic walking since August last year. I love it! It ticked all my boxes for exercise that I identified before I knew it existed.
ReplyDelete🎄🍾🎅🎉
Happy Christmas, Chanukah, Solstice (a bit late😕) and other festive celebrations to all bloggers and readers. And may 2020 bring health and happiness to all.
Not any more,Zoetrope 8 :18am ,sadly .
ReplyDeleteIt was great while it lasted.
For a short time I joined a group of younger women who walked one day a week in Richmond Park.
I loved it but realised I was slower than them and it just wasn’t fair to hold them back.
Then I got the first bout of sciatica and that was that.
Need cheering up or fancy a little light entertainment?
ReplyDeleteI have just listened to “Happiness” which is the story of how Ken Dodd avoided being jailed for Income Tax evasion.
David Threlfall played Ken Dodd.
He was excellent.
I have spent a most enjoyable three quarters of an hour pottering whilst listening.
Worth listening to on BBC Sounds.
To add to your Sounds recommendation Lanjan, "Dark Side of the Moore" about how Sir Patrick Moore got the job presenting Sky at Night is very, very funny!
DeleteHeard that GG. It was very entertaining.
DeleteTalking of Sounds - does anyone know if you can access it when abroad?
ReplyDeleteI used to be able to listen to BBC radio programmes via the Radio iPlayer very successfully in both France and Dubai but don’t know if they have stopped that now.
It seems so Archerphile I have just asked google the question “Can BBC sounds be accessed from anywhere in the world” if you do the same you will see some extra info as well 🤗 👏🏻
ReplyDeleteArcherphile, don't know, but sure you will be able to access it,in the same way as before.
ReplyDeleteThrilled you are off to Dubai, to meet up with your family and spending time with them, before your next op.
Will certainly cheer you up. 😀😀😀
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHappy Christmas to those who Gary said tune in from the Philippines. I expect they are ex-pats who speak English but here goes:
ReplyDeleteMaligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon sa lahat ng Tonga Pinoy.
Wow! Janice, that is very impressive! I do hope there are some Filipino readers to appreciate your greeting and perhaps reply.
DeleteJust a quick word to say I have survived the journey by train to Cornwall.
ReplyDeleteWell done Mrs P. I hope you can relax and enjoy your Christmas.
DeleteHurrah Mrs P, thanks for letting us know 🤗 🎄
DeleteWell, it’s finally here. My favourite day of the year.
ReplyDeleteA morning of cleaning then, come lunch time, my backside will firmly attach itself to an arm chair and I will be watching telly for the rest of the day. Probably with a drink in my hand. Will be watching “ it’s a wonderful life” ( a tradition) and my new favourite Christmas film....ELF.
Casserole is out of freezer ready just to heat up. Bliss.
Only downside is.....son reckons he’ll be here lunchtime, so that means stuff dumped everywhere. 🤦♀️
I much prefer the hype and run up to the big day.
So may I take this opportunity to wish all my blogger friends a very merry Christmas. 🎄🍸😘
Returned ptby 🤗 🎄 🍷
DeleteIt’s a wonderful life is my favourite too 👏🏻
Mrs P, I’m glad you coped with the journey, I hope the next few days are better than you feared, as I mentioned a few days ago you can always plea tiredness and sneak away for some down time, there are jigsaw apps you can get for your iPad I believe ( never tried them myself) probably not quite the same but.... Angry Birds and solitaire are my default distraction/time waste technique.
ReplyDeleteMy younger daughter is home for a bit, it was lovely to be back to four around the table for dinner, and have out elder daughter chatting away (even if Mr Nuts and I were trying to watch A Christmas Carol) Today I am just hoping the delivery of the meat and vegetables arrives otherwise tomorrow’s lunch will be rather less traditional.
To wherever you all are and to whatever you do, I hope your Christmas is joyful and peaceful.
ReplyDeleteA special hug to our 4 legged friends that we've heard so much of throughout the year.🐶🐶🐺🐺.
Love and best wishes.
Buon Natale!🎅🎅💕💕
😺😽😸😻
DeleteWe are here as well😁
Katy picked up our turkey crown etc from M & S in Newport yesterday. I had ordered way back and organised a 11.30 to 12 pick up. It turned out she would have preferred an early morning one as parking and traffic here are dire towards Christmas in the middle of the day! She did make the pick up queue at 11.58! Oh well, I’ll know better next year!! Later on apparently Newport was completely gridlocked. All that last minute shopping!
ReplyDeleteHappy Christmas to you all! 🎄🎄🎄🐾☃️🥂
ReplyDeleteAnd a very happy and peaceful Christmas wish from me to all friends and 'lurkers & lookers in ' on this blog.
ReplyDeleteI hope all family gatherings are joyful and forgiving and no burnt offerings on any of the celebratory meals.
Janice, you have clearly bonded very well with your daughter in law and your grasp of her language, presumably with her help is proof of this new relationship. I hope she gives to you new and different Christmas activities which become traditions in your family.
ReplyDeleteHave a happy time at the end of a challenging year for you.
🎄“Festive Greetings” 🎄to one and all (whether you are contributor or just a reader) and hoping that 2020 will be kinder to the many that have had a really tough 2019. Life will never be perfect but this blog has certainly been a great help to many of us since it’s inception to share troubles, ask for advice and celebrate good news!
ReplyDeleteSo many many thanks Gary for all your hard work that makes this possible (and Ruthy of course) if you ever look in many good wishes to you and your loved ones for a lovely Christmas and 2020
A new decade 🍷
I’d just like to add my good wishes for the holiday period to one and all 🎄 and, especially, my thanks to all blogging friends for the help and support you have shown me and each other throughout the year. 💞
ReplyDeleteAnd an extra special thank you and big hug to Gary for taking on the the admin of our blogs so successfully and keeping everything running smoothly for us. Long may we continue to enjoy this safe space and each other’s company. 🥂 🥰
I echo the sentiments of other bloggers : a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year to all / Bonnes et Joyeuses Fêtes de fin d'année à toutes et à tous ! 🌲🍾🎅
ReplyDeleteChristmas day chez les amis (staying the night 😉) we all provide a course - mine's seafood, picking it up this afto /ce tantôt. Plateau de fruits de mer for us this evening! 🦞🦀🦐🐚
ReplyDeleteBuon appetito parsley!
DeleteBest wishes to everyone here for Christmas 2019, may it have laughter & pleasure aplenty, & all the ingredients each individual likes most during these next few days.😊🤗
ReplyDeleteMore, I hope 2020 sees us enjoying the blogs as we've done over the last 20 months, sharing aspects of our lives, interests, opinions, ups & downs, interspersed with sharp critical takes on TA !
Many, many thanks to Ruthy as the original facilitator, & now to Gary for making all this happen so successfully & for putting in the time & effort to administer. It's such a treat, & aren't we lucky !
Well said Carolyn.
DeleteMay I add my thanks to Ruthy and Gary too?
Happy Christmas All.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy, Relax, and just have fun.
🎅🎄🎁🎉👍🤗🤗
... now waiting for the Carols from the Cambridge Kings Chapel - which always love + enjoy.
DeleteHappy Christmas to all 🌲🤗 and hoping for peace and good health for everyone. Adding my thanks to Ruthy, Gary and everyone for all the sharing and support. Long may it continue.
ReplyDeleteWishing everyone who pops in here a Merry Christmas! God help us all...
ReplyDeleteGary, surely you mean, 'God bless us, every one'?
ReplyDelete😋
DeleteHappy Christmas everyone .
ReplyDelete'Morning all !
ReplyDeleteBest Christmas present conceivable just now : Katya Cat, missing since Sunday afternoon, followed by posters & leaflets yesterday, scampered in, unharmed 😀😄🤩
How wonderful Carolyn so pleased for you 🤗🥳🎄
DeleteHappy Christmas everybody.
ReplyDeleteWhat a relief Carolyn
Oh what a beautiful morning
ReplyDeleteOh what a beautiful day
I’ve got a wonderful feeling
Christmas presents are on their way.
I wish all a jingle jolly Christmas for today
Eat, drink and be merry......I hope everyone receives nice goodies.
Gary, thank you for keeping us going and Ruthy for starting the blog.
Carolyn, you must have been desperate as a cat lover I would have scoured every nook and neighbours garden.
Marvellous she has decided to come home for Christmas.
🎄🧚♂️🌈🍾
Just enjoyed our traditional Christmas morning breakfast of scrambled eggs with smoked salmon (such a treat), opened my new Anne Cleeves book from Mr A, he’s opened his very hefty Atlas of Moths in Britain and Ireland from me. Exchanged happy photos with the Dubai lot and now preparing to be collected by daughter for Chrissy Day at hers.
ReplyDeleteSo far, so good.
Have a lovely day everybody! 🥳
Both daughters have popped in with a kiss and Happy Christmas mum, with a cup of tea from the second one.
ReplyDeleteI've had a heavy cold, and it's ripe for today, but the sun is shining through the blinds but at the end of this long house it's cold outside of the bed so am reluctant to get up.
Have a lovely day each and every one, and I hope all companion animals are safely at home.
I mentioned this last year but in case you missed it..........
ReplyDeleteOn “The Secret life of 4year olds on Channel 4 ,a little girl was asked “How do you think Mary was feeling as she rode into Bethlehem ?“
Her reply was in the form of a question”Knackered?”
It is a beautiful day here in Glasgow! Not a cloud in the sky - been out in the garden in a t-shirt! Got some marvelous presents & about to go and visit some neighbours. Then very, very slowly prepare dinner - we don't have it til about 6pm on Christmas Day. I can think of nothing worse than a full meal about 1 or 2pm as most people seem to do, but each to their own!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!!!!
Our Christmas dinner finally happened at about 3 o’clock delayed by going to Ryde this morning to Appley beach with the dogs. For the first time we let Dudley off the lead and he had a lovely time running around with Buddy. The cafe was closed of course, the only day in the year when that happens but we took a flask of coffee and some sausages for the dogs. Dudley was very good going to socialise with other dogs but never venturing far from us and always coming back when called. The dogs are having a rare treat tonight with a steak dinner complete with one sprout, a sliver of carrot and parsnip and the interior of a baked potato with gravy. It’s all been lovely with nice presents and am just about to settle down with the book by the Queen’s dresser. We recorded the Queen’s message and watched with the Christmas pud. She’s been the Queen since I was 4 and will be bereft when she passes. Lovely message and we must all take those small steps now. My new year resolution!
ReplyDeleteI’ve had a lovely relaxed day with MrNuts and daughters, we have eaten well if not entirely wisely, and I have certainly drunk more than I should.
ReplyDeleteI hope that all of you out there are enjoying a similar sense of peace and wellbeing.
Off to beach to watch Boxing Day dip shortly. Blow away the cobwebs. Could probably do with taking a dip but not brave enough 🥶😨
ReplyDeleteSounds like torture to me Seasider! Don’t do it!!
DeleteI’ve forgotten the area you live in Seasider, but here in Hampshire it is cold raining and blowy had it remained like yesterday’s weather I could understand “blowing away the cobwebs” but more a day for hunkering down I’d say...but you are probably more hardy than me 😂 so enjoy 😊
ReplyDeleteIt’s raining here on the island too. A grey day in contrast to the lovely sunshine yesterday. Hunkering down is very advisable! There are several Boxing Day dips going on though but not for me!
ReplyDelete