Chatback #8 .....

[Jeanied]

Durr - I spent most of today thinking it was Wednesday! Well, at least I got everything done a day early! Now I have an extra day to get more unnecessary things

[Hazel at the Hill]

I'm not really a Bah Humbug person and I know lots of you enjoy Christmas - I prefer to opt out and do my own thing without any stress...............sits back, puts feet up and watches puppies playing

I think I have the middle ground, VC, between - uh - flashing house illuminations from 1 Dec; and bah, humbug. Or, as we used to call it - 'the 12 days of Christmas'.

Here, we go for starting the Christmas celebrations by buying the tree the weekend before Christmas. This worked marvellously in the 70's when I grew up, because that is when everyone bought their tree; BUT this has been known to backfire these days when all the '1Dec Christmaseers' have taken the pick of the trees leaving me (3 days prior to the big day) with a choice of Christmas-tree-quasimodo (needing careful 'staging' in the bay window), or Christmas-tree-titan (suitable for Royal Albert Hall etc.)

With Christmas starting last weekend at our end, we have the buzz of excitement and expectation, combined with being stupidly busy with house decorating, baking, visiting, present wrapping, card writing - and all the other chaos that is associated with the season.

It's massively stressful and mad - and the big meal on the day (which I cobble together waiting to be 'found out' somehow), and the traditions that I have inherited - and will pass on, somewhere along the line - and the whole BIG THING of it - will all be done by a week on Friday when I'm back to work; and then that's it. Wow!

With life bowling on so quickly - you can't catch your breath - the older you get the more it steamrollers over you so, yes, I'll mark this occasion with a whoop and a holler.

In my world, it's a couple of weeks (if that) to reflect, and catch up with those you say 'we must get together', and be a bit daft, to look back, and to look forward;, and eat and drink a bit too much; and to generally have time out.

I'm good with that.

[Lumpy]

Well morning all. Mr Lump refused to go shopping at midnight - refused at 5am (can't blame him really) but we are now going to have to go at some point later. I only want a few basics e.g dog food, washing up liquid etc as we don't bother with all the Christmas frillies and Christmas lunch is beans on toast.
Not as windy, colder same old same old!
Have fun today what ever you are doing.

[Scarlet]

Good luck Lumpy...I'm back out in a bit getting the puppy filled my mind over the last few days so the food shopping went on the back burner! I need to cater for 10 of us and I couldn't even get the sasaugemeat meat for stuffing the turkey last night. Though I'll be making some mince pies and a few other Christmes treats later.

[cariann88]

Good morning, just a quick hello. I am busy this morning and then off to the fella mums for Christmas dinner

Have a good day!

[Aberdeenplotter]

I need to go to hasda to get a multipack of Belgian Beers for my lovely better half. Supermarket which likes a bit of everyone else's business didn't have them yesterday (and anyway, they are a couple of quid dearer). They also didn't have the 70% dark chocolate I needed so hopefully I will get that as well.

No alcohol sales up here before 10.00am though. yep I know, funny habits up here too. I'm also going to have a scran in marks n Sparks to see if I can get their jaffa type cakes made with blueberries or was it cran berries. anyway, she likes them I found out yesterday and it's the little things that are most appreciated. Well except the maserati I hope to find in the driveway tomorrow

[Thelma Sanders]

Morning!

Busy busy busy - jobs for today.................

Clean up disaster kitchen OMG!but at least all baking done now.
Hoover up glitter around tree (never buy a glitter effect tree - you have been warned!)
Deliver the cake and mincepies to daughter's.

Wrap presents BEFORE opening bottle of vino collapse

[Nannysally99]

Trifle making, mince pie and sausage rolls as well. I'm chilled and relaxed, knowing that tomorrow I will be doing headless chicken impressions ����

[Florence Fennel]

Morning All - just! Himself collected the turkey at 7.00 a.m. I've finished the trifle and made my sausage meat, onion and mustard combo that goes down better than the turkey - we could have saved a fortune! Scarlet - I get Tezzies own frozen sausage, defrost it, skin it and jazz it up with seasoning and tom puree, it's delicious. On to the cleaning soon, have a good day and I'll see you later

[Nicos]

Mornin all....surrounded by family- and about to make mincepies with son for Santa tonight ( yeh- he's in his 20's but he still humours me bless him )

hope everyone has a lovely day and manages a bit of 'me' time

[Scarlet]

That's all I'm managing at the mo Nicos, I'm not sure how I'm ever going to get the cooking done.

I need to savour these moments, he will be too big for my lap soon

[Hazel at the Hill]

Afternoon all!

I'm going to nip up the road for the paper in bit, and I'll see what daftness is going on in town. Quite a nice day out there, I think.

I'm also putting a timetable together for the meal tomorrow - or I will be when I get back. Coffee first, I think.

[Bren In Pots]

Afternoon, I had a stroll over to the shops and there's hardly anyone around very odd. Yesterday at the butchers their queue was huge, today there was just one person inside so I nipped in an bought of of their Stilton pork pies

[Nicos]

A nice background 'golden oldie Xmas music' link- with a live fire to watch!!! :



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfSB9Q8Phz8

[Glutton4...]

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevenin' Peeps! We rushed out and did our Christmad shopping this morning. One shop, all done. Back home by ten.

Don'cha love a smart-arse!?