What are you all up to

About to post this last night at about 9.30pm when the forum went down rather early!

We couldn't make up our minds whether to bother with Christmas Decorations this year but in the end we decided that we would, although we have gone for a minimum approach in the house. Decided to put the Christmas Tree in the porch rather than the lounge. I have also put up some outside lights. The three year old from two doors down seemed rather excited about the lights which made it all worthwhile. Not many of 35 houses on our estate have so far bothered with outside lights. Perhaps I need to go for a walk in the dark! 

For me this time of years is jigsaw puzzle season. I have completed one with three more to do, although I sometimes find by Christmas day this number increases! The one I have completed is called Waves, see picture. 

David

I had to take a sea sickness pill looking at your Waves David. Good end result though.

Early delivery from IKEA this morning. Poor driver said he's already behind schedule due to having to find diversions as quite a few trees down in the area. I think the amount of rain that has fallen over several weeks will have softened the earth and made tree fall worse.

Mrs WN currently getting to grips with putting it all together. I've got a few Christmas letters to write on the computer. Still can't write with a pen as fingers not quite there yet. Just glad I don't haven't had to sign any documents although I can do a passable signature left handed now. Obviously had to give up my counterfeiting enterprise.

Pouring with rain at the moment.

Wet, dark and miserable again today. Been like that for days now house lights on all day.

WN, totally agree with you Re workmen, we are trying to get a plasterer to do a couple of small jobs, he lives 4 doors away but can you pin him down to do the job. Think it will require the hard line and have a work with his missus  once he is here he does a good job its just getting him here.

Got to pop into town today, need to take stuff to my sister and I need to buy cards, 3 birthdays this month. 

No decorations up for us, might not even bother with the tree. Can't be bothered with the whole event these days. We don't see the boys or the grandchildren as they prefer to be at their homes with their kids. I understand that as I was the same with ours. We will of course do a video call so will 'see' them and have a chat, as much as anyone can chat to teenagers 

We are meeting up with our eldest son on Friday when he comes up to collect his 2 from boarding school. Table booked for lunch then they will drive back down to north Yorkshire. Think he will be on Christmas dinner duty as his wife fell over last week in the snow and has fractured her radial head in her elbow. 

Right must get a move on and get out.

I don’t think I would have the patience to do one like that, nice though. Do you like the more nostalgic ones? I quite like the ones that show things like chocolate bars from bygone days. Probably because they are like little picture groups, so I can do a bit at a time, then walk away. I do have a couple of good ones that are a good bit harder….Battle of Trafalgar, and Charge of the Scots Greys. One is all blue and wood, the other is all Scarlet uniforms and Grey horses, so took some finishing. The jigsaws I prefer are those wooden Wentworth ones, very expensive to buy, they have some of the pieces shaped to reflect the subject picture. Found a couple of complete ones in charity shops for a good price. 

Ttda said "When the sea mist cleared, we could see the Irish coast this morning"

Did you not mean the coast of Anglesey?  Ireland is at least 50 miles away from the tip of the Llyn peninsula, and 70 miles from Caernarvon!

We have lived in the same quiet cul-de-sac for 38 years and no problems. A couple of months ago early morning 6.30am a young police officer knocked on our door (scared me, I immediately thought of the worst things) asking to see our outside cameras footage, unfortunately when OH checked, the battery had ‘died’ the previous night. The Officer then went to more houses that had cameras or door bell cameras. We later heard that 3 cars had been broken into in the surrounding streets. This morning OH called for me to look at the camera footage, which he checks each morning. 1.45am and 2 police officers checking neighbours drives with torches, they checked all around both of our cars on our drive. Down the road we could see a neighbours car lights flashing. Maybe more problems. Sign of the times sadly.

A lot of our neighbours have cameras now. Like us our Son has them all around his house he always watches who is coming and going and knows when parcels etc are delivered. They have 3 teenage kids and, bless them, they can’t get away with anything, he knows exactly who they bring home and exactly what time they get home from parties etc. however much they try to get away with coming home at 3am.

TDA

I wasn't sure how it would go but in the end it was quite systematic, although the lighter colours at the bottom of the puzzle were more challenging but when you get down to the last three dozen pieces its easy enough to play around. I do a mix of puzzles and the next one will be the annual Ravensburger Christmas Limited Edition puzzle, I buy them every year. I like Ravensburger puzzles. I was surprised when we were in Lidl the other day they had quite a few at reasonable prices. After the Christmas one I have a map of MK to do and a more traditional design. So far I have only been defeated by two puzzles. One was a map taken from Google Earth which was too dark to distinguish the pieces. The other was a double sided cat jigsaw which completely drove me mad and in the end I gave up! I am sure some puzzlers like a challenge but for me there has got to be a big element of enjoyment if I am going to spend hours doing a jigsaw. We have an ex works pensioner group and I usually take the puzzles I don't want to keep along to the January bring and buy sale.

David 

Been cold and rainy here most of the week got the caravan back last Saturday but it’s been sitting in the middle of the drive all week due to it being too cold to be bothered moving it. Anyway today I gave it a wash and have finally got it back on its space at the side of the drive out the way we are hoping to get a few days away between Christmas and New year just local but will wait and see what the weather is like first. Still have some Christmas shopping to do before the big day.

Hope everyone else is having a nice weekend 

"Life's a Beach"  arieal view of Bournemouth beach 1k pieces, good boxing day challenge

Spanish daughter flew in on Wednesday, East Grinstead daughter on Thursday so we have been celebrating Christmas early, made good use of caravan as used as spare bedroom for grandchildren.

been reading about all those brave folk away in their caravans in -5c , not for us now, we heat the caravan on the hardstanding using a 2kw fan heater with a thermostat works perfectly and very economical although we have only seen temperatures as low as 2c over the last 3 or 4 days with a mixed bag of weather during the day, but everywhere is just so wet. The thermometer is on my daughters roof terrance in Spain as of approx 1400 hrs today

I need to explain a bit more🤔 We are some 350 metres up the side of a mountain, with uninterrupted views across Caernarfon Bay, due West. So we can just see the Wicklow Mountains in the very very far distance. Apologies, it’s the elevation that’s giving us extensive views. Down at sea level wouldn’t be anything like as extensive. We are South enough for Anglesey not to be in the way.

Another very interesting day, another Castle. This time Dolbadarn just outside Llanberis. Interesting history, and the setting is truly spectacular. Nice walk to get to it. Then we dropped into one of those places that totally fills your day (if you enjoy industrial heritage), The National Slate Museum. I can just remember the Slate quarries working, as we used to visit an Uncle who lived in Blaenau Ffestiniog. This is the old Dinowic works, now preserved as a Museum, with the gouged out side of a mountain as it’s backdrop. We watched slate working crafts, blacksmithing, and got to look around the whole works, including some slate worker cottages preserved and brought from BF and displayed down the working periods. Very interesting. Free entry as well. (we left a donation).