Its tough, it will get better and guess what its freezing brrrrr!

Bibbitybob

CRANKY40, that story really made me grin and I loved the photo, thanks! my cat has a thing for tinsel and I remember she got her teeth stuck in one of those long Christmas tree swags one year but because she knew she was up to mischief she dashed when I went up to try and disentangle her...cue much hilarity as she ran around the house followed by a long, snake-y Christmas tree!

Glad to hear you're ok Sammy, I've had similar happen before and there's a lot of force behind the balls!!

Well I'm still grinning like a Cheshire cat after my friend gave me some beautiful, huge curtains that fit my hallway windows perfectly. I kept the old linings hung behind them so they're double lined and extra cosy (photos on my homepage if anyone's interested!). Going to put my cosy slippers on and fill the hot water bottle whilst I make the last tie back, then it'll be under the duvet to catch up with tonight's X Factor.

NualaBuala

Sammy, and by all rights it should be Saint Sammy, that was such a nice thing you did plus spending the bit of time with her. And you're bringing up your children to be kind and thoughtful too - doesn't sound like they will be "I wanna, gimme, gimme gimme".

It seems there's a lot of us here who don't get sucked into the Christmas Madness. I love the sound of all those homemade gifts.

Cranky, your cat in the Christmas tree pic cracked me up!!! :rotfl:

Hope everyone is having a nice Sunday evening and staying warm. I've got the fire lit and I'm watching Downton Abbey (not a patch on Upstairs Downstairs but I tend to watch all period dramas anyway). Also knitting a sock and drinking tea ... feels very cosy!

suzybloo

Just reading through this thread and noticed the postings about the christmas hampers, I remember my parents doing this for my grandparents in the 70's, and its something I enjoy doing now. Last year for my dad I made him a freezer hamper as he is on his own and doesn't cook mince, stew etc so I made 3lb mince,3lb stewing steak, 3lb sausages into a casserole, big pot of lentil soup, pot of tatty soup divided it all up into single portions, bought frozen veg and frozen aunt bessies mashed potatoes, along with a few freezer pudding treats. He said it was great as he didnt have to worry about going out in the bad weather but knew he had good wholesome food to keep him going. I have done some topping up over the year, but I am fully intending doing the same again this year, as I am sure the way things are going his pension will be needing to stretch further, and things will get harder for the oldies. Other members of the family make up store cupboard hampers with tins, tea coffee etc. I work in a pharmacy and get a good 25% discount so I also make up a hamper of lozenges, different types of cough medicines, paracetamol and his cod liver oil tablets, as these can be costly out of a pension, and with VAT increasing from January they will increase slightly also. As he says he has everything he needs in the way of household effects, ornaments clothing etc so this is a way of making sure that when things do get tougher it will not be so hard on him for the necessities..

ChocClare

Good grief, computer goes on the fritz for ONE DAY and I have to read fourteen thousand posts to catch up!

frugal and katholicos, prayers for your respective dads; hope you're both coping and hugs to you both

sammy I really sympathise about your accident: I was hit on the head by a cricket ball many years ago; fine at the time (embarrassed, actually), but shaking and floods of tears either the next day or the day after - bizarre. And many kudos to you for looking after your neighbour in time of need :T:T

Had a really crud day today; went to get chicken food this morning from the shed and this *&%@@!! great RAT came scuttling down the wall at me. Exit CC at a rate of knots in search of DH. My Hero then went into the shed armed with a stick from the kindling pile (I love his confidence: I'd gone in asking him if his air rifle was to hand :rotfl:) but our little rodent friend had scarpered. DH has shot rats before (about the only thing he will shoot) and our cat has then come into her own by dragging their corpses out from under the shed (where they always seem to end up), but there was no sign of the little git.

DH and I then emptied the shed and found piles and piles of poo which I then had to sweep out, had to disinfect EVERYTHING and DH had to screw new pieces of wood to the floor where the little darlings had gnawed their way through. I am St-Bl@@dy-Francis-of-Assisi where living creatures are concerned most of the time, but rats.... :eek:

Just about finished that and came in to find my power supply to my laptop had exploded and DH's was only working intermittently - hence having to catch up with this post. Meanwhile, I've had to take DD to the doctor after her horse spooked and kicked her, leaving her with a horseshoe-shaped scar on her hip and a left boob bruised, inflamed and lumpy - doctor gave her antibiotics and it's now much better, but she is feeling very sorry for herself.

DH quoted for two jobs this week and got neither, so we will have to see what happens at the end of this week...

BUT I then went to church this evening and bumped into the parents of one of my former Rainbows who died earlier this year, aged only 8, and an only child. I came home and said to DH, we are SO lucky, can you imagine if that had happened to one of ours, God forbid.

So onwards and upwards - DH and I have been moaning about everything all day but it WILL get better and there are people far worse off than us...

crumblepie

I'm liking the idea of a 'cold and flu' hamper. A friend of mine is one of those impossible to buy for and this has given me the idea of doing a man flu survival hamper with cold remedies, paracetemol etc maybe hot water bottle too. I could knit a manly cover for it as most hot water bottle covers are quite girly. Another christmas present sorted.

suzybloo

I find they are quite a good present as you never have any medicines in for colds and flu's until you have the 'lurgy', and its usually when the weather is awful too. A hot water bottle is a great idea to add, maybe along with an ikea fleece and a puzzle book/paperback etc. These are the things oldies may cut back on if things get tougher, and if it helps them stay comfortable its well worth it.

Chipps

Hi. Its taken me a while to catch up reading posts.

Just wanted to add my prayers for frugal & katholicos's dads
Also - sammy: glad you are ok & to say what a good neighbour you are.

youngmummy - you sound as if you are pretty organised for Christmas if you only have 3 left to buy for, well done! You don't say how old your child/children are (but if you are called youngmummy there must be a child or children, I am guessing?) When ours were little we used to give home made gifts to grandparents/aunts/uncles. One year it was decorated mugs, we bought a set of plain white mugs with ceramic pens. The children drew designs or pictures on the mugs (they were each allocated people do make for) then the mugs were baked in the oven to set the ink. Those mugs are are still in pride of place in kitchens!
Another year they made candles, another time they painted wooden candleholders. One time we made calendars -shared out the months & each designed a picture for the month which they did on the computer, printed out & stuck onto blank calendars. That was something like 1998, and at least 1 of those calendars is still hanging on a kitchen wall!!!

Annie56

have just been catching up on all the posts.... had to laff at the poaching and some of the reminisces of Oban.
I used to live in Lochaline in Argyllshire when I was much much younger and go to boarding school in Oban, very happy memories of that era..
Poaching we had an uncle Billy who lived in Drongan near Ayr and one Sunday we visited him and we were playing in the garden with the cousins and were warned not to go near a tea chest by the shed, well that wasa signal to take a look, wish we hadnt peeked ther was a sheeps fleece and a head in there, my Uncle Billy didnt just stop with the salmon and trout and birds the sheep on the hills werent even safe, we had many a cut of lamb of him I believe my mum used to say.
Im originally from a wee village in Lanarkshire and me and my cousins used to go filching the rasps of the local big hoosie (Lairds) and got caught once, had to scrub the blinking great hallway for a few weekends,,,taught me real lesson dont pinch :o
My last fond memory of my grandad who was Irish was of his garden shed going BOOM BANG:eek::eek::eek::p and the side walls blasting outwards and him sitting looking bewildered, he had a pochene(SP?)still in there that blew up, I will never forget the swearing as he realised that his precious liquid was all gone:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:and the only thing that shut me up whilst I was teething as they dipped my dummy in it:eek:..

Ah fond memories, Im going to be sitting down on Thursday with a glass of the amber nectar ( my dads whiskey) ready to hear what the Spending Review entails, surely theres some good amongst the bad :( we can only wait and see...

Has been a good day, weather warm till about 6 then its gone really cold time to give my bed a blast with the hairdryer:T

Pleasant thoughts to all and hugs to everyone that needs them, I need one myself :rotfl:

Annie56

ChocClare

annie56, you make me laugh - ah, poitin, nectar of the gods!

You reminded me of a story my dad always used to tell: at the end of the war, they couldn't get any brandy for the Christmas pudding, and my grandad had ... acquired.... some Polish grain spirit from somewhere (he was in the Navy and they could always get al-kee-hol). My grandmother tipped some of this liquid over the Christmas pudding and set light to it. It burned away beautifully and everyone applauded. She blew it out and served up the pudding. My grandfather had a spoonful of pudding almost at his lips when it burst into flame again - and it kept spontaneously combusting all afternoon... never for very long, but for long enough to ensure that no-one had any Christmas pudding :rotfl:

jackieglasgow

No mention of the date at all, annie, you tease!