What are you all up to

Good news Kj, hope all goes well and you have a good festive season. 

Good luck Kj. I hope it goes well.

We have just been to our local garden centre and saw our eldest grandson (16).He is one of Santa's elves this year. He was having walk round with Santa talking to the children - bless him not his scene at all but it is a holiday job and he wants the money!  We got a sort of half embarrassed smile. 

I have today packed OH's overnight case ready for his admission to hospital tomorrow. We are going to have to leave home about 5.30am as his admission time is 7.00am 

So some are getting operations or at the least consultations as their Christmas presents this year. Beats socks and scarves. Good luck and best wishes to all those under the knife or being prepped for it. I merely have a bog standard blood test tomorrow.

Wow, what a night that was. We're quite used to storms and tree noise but we were both awake for about 3 hours from about 2 a.m. due to various crashes and leaves and twigs banging on windows and fences. It's abated a bit but still Mary Poppins weather out there.

We're like you Ttda.  A quiet time for the 3 of us, although I'll make an effort and spruce the meal up a bit, but we don't do the whole hog (excuse the pun) these days.

Had a long chat with "French" brother this morning. Had rather too much information about his colonoscopy thank you very much, but he's like that. A full details person.

Its been a bit wild here today WN, started early this morning. Not had any rain just high winds.

Its just the 2 of us for Christmas this year but that was our choice. 

Just having a slow day today, bit of cupboard tidying, catching up on admin etc. Managed to get 1 load of washing hung out on the covered decking, with a good blow going on it seemed a shame not to take advantage of it.

Been catching up with things here, good luck and best wishes to all with medical matters being sorted.  Enjoyed reading about various trips away and the pic's. 

We walked up to the main road last night to watch the annual illuminated tractor run for our local hospice. Over 50 highly decorated tractors 🚜  lots of horns and music, quite a spectacle. Weather was dry and mild so lots of people out to watch.

Quiet day today, few inside jobs, then delivered a few Christmas Cards and called into Lidl as OH wanted a fleece type jacket and also a small fan heater. 

Slow cooker is full with a beef stew, smells good, 🙂 hoping I will have plenty left to freeze.

Hope all goes well for folks medical appointments etc.

Bet the tractors were good last night H&T.

Been to St Cirq la Popie today as they had a xmas market on and parking was free so a look around the stalls some things interesting and very well made some things not our thing but I wanted a new handbag and OH a new wallet so went into a shop we have been to before and both got what we wanted so xmas presents sorted even got discount off my handbag as one I had got with me came from the same shop a nice surprise and got a present for friends of ours and a boot scraper for home and then 2 small bottles of local aperitifs for me as OH does not drink much at all.

A quiet xmas here for us two as friends wanted us to go around to them but declined as can cook the meal for the time that suits us and a more lazy day and at them moment it looks as if it might be dry hopefully.

Good to hear folks getting NHS late availability. Hope everything goes well and that it can be a peaceful Christmas with things sorted. We elected to have our blood tests after the festive season 😉.

Been a couple of decent days here. Dried washing on the line so smells lovely too. Still very mucky underfoot, so choices for walks limited. Got it slightly wrong this morning 😡. It was so nice I, well Dora encouraged 😉, leaving the "hard' path beyond the cow pens. We headed off round the woods to make it a circular walk. What I forgot is that one part of the field drains towards the ditch, making something similar to slip clay! Only about 4 strides but horrible, grabs your boots like quicksand.

Enjoyed the Carol service in the village church this afternoon. Santa came round on his sleigh yesterday. Off to neighbours for the evening, for Christmas get together. One set of neighbours off to greet new granddaughter in Brighton so will be missed. Beginning to feel Christmasy now.

Well this weekend almost made up for the one we missed due to the river flooding. Off to our caravan last Thursday, after dental appointment and car being MOTD and serviced, so a bit of a rushed day. Good job car went in for a service, local garage found that the oil pipe from the gear box is leaking, he reckons another longish trip and I could have needed a new automatic gear box! They can’t fix it til the 5th so my car laid up til then, more expense and inconvenient timing as I need to be out food shopping etc. OH has reluctantly said he will take me.

Good weekend though, met up with friends in Stratford for coffee, then they invited us back for an impromptu meal, which turned into a very nice evening. On Saturday we visited a large Garden Centre and ended up buying more Christmas decs, including a Lapland Santa, which was reduced. We didn’t need him but he looks lovely. Then on to Broadway to see their Christmas lights, as always they looked really amazing, I was like a little kid again. Very busy, lots of families there, lovely atmosphere. The whole village looked so beautiful. Then on to see my cousin, her husband brought in fish n chips for us all on his way home from football, so another lovely evening in their company. Caravan winterised this morning and a good journey home.

Now I need to start cooking and freezing as we are all going to our Son’s in Watford for Christmas, daughter and her family as well. Son and family plan to move back to Devon next year so they wanted a big family Christmas in their house this year. Looks like it might be my turn next year but I don’t mind, it’s just a big roast after all. Cooking never bothers me, it’s the dishing up for so many and serving it hot that flusters me.

 Debs, that was a fortunate service for your car or it could well been an expensive experience. Glad you got away and were able to winterise your caravan. Sounds as if you had a fine weekend.

Best of luck with your relative ops, Kjell, and Mr Millie, and hope all goes well.

'Tis the time for blood tests by the looks of it,  reading your posts WN and B2. Fingers crossed that they don't turn up anything worrying.

Hope all those that are having a quiet Xmas day enjoy their meals and the peace & quiet you desire.

It has been rather gloomy and cool today but thankfully no rain so far. We had a gentle walk this morning, and did manage to avoid any of the mud similar to that which B2 encountered. Daughter came round this afternoon for good chat, and delivered another bag of chocolates to keep us supplied for the rest of our trip.😁 All ready for our next move down into Cheshire in the morning.

Still wondering about what size dishwasher to go for....  still reading all the posts for your views.  Thanks for sharing...  Still really busy at the moment, so not able to get on to CT quite as often.... this happens every December!! 🙂.

David