Nice people thread part 4 - sugar and spice and all things

Davesnave

Memories are built from occasions like today's 'slight detour,' Lydia.

On the last school journey I led, I was forced by new guidance to take the kids on a long evening walk so that they could have a 'safe' swim in the pool at a caravan park, instead of just going to the beach. <rolleyes smiley>

As you can imagine, there was plenty of incentive to get there, but the prospect of walking the two miles home after a packed day and a swim wasn't greeted with enthusiasm. So, sensing the need for novelty, I promised a field & footpath route back to our hotel using my trusty Ordnance Survey map. This met with slightly more approval, but I didn't realise we were so close to night descending.

So, I ended up somewhere in a wood and a disused quarry with 40 excited kids, all of them convinced that I couldn't map read and that they'd probably be out in the wilds all night. I think even the other staff were about to lose faith too, when we suddenly arrived at a road 150m from our destination.:p

In later years, former pupils from that trip, now teenagers, would remind me of 'the time you got us all lost in the woods.' They never mentioned anything else we did, all of which took weeks of preparation! :rotfl:

Hope they allow your Mum home soon, Tom.

lostinrates

DH and I once got slightyl lost on a dog walk with a friend of ours who is an actor. dh and I got the giggles because our friend kept saying that we had to go straight back because I was obviously scared. In fact we weren't exactly lost because in that sort of situation I have a great sense of direction, but the shortest way and the pathed way aren't the same and actor friend refused to leave paths he was so terrified. as dark was starting to fall and I pointed through the trees to say I reckoned the car was about 5 mins ''that way'' which looked impossible, friend was shaking, then we did emerge. Friend turned to dh and told him off for scaring me so much. the dogs (we had different dogs then) thought the whole thing was wonderful. Its very hard to get too scared in anywhere like that in england, in the south you are alwasy near somewhere.

neverdespairgirl

Hope you're all happy and well, NP. Particular best Christmas wishes to PN and Lydia, who've lost parents of late, and tomtom's mother in hospital.

We got to my parents' house in Kent late on 22nd, and went straight to bed. On 23rd, Isaac and I raced around picking things up from a long list Mama had drawn up for us, and Bruv got home from South Korea.

Yesterday, OH, his brother, my Dad's brother, my mother's brother and his wife all rocked up. My Dad was by then feeling 'orrible, and after talking to a Dr mate on the phone, was told he probably had the Norrow (sp?) virus, so about lunch time on Christmas Eve he put himself into quarantine, worried about passing the bug on to all and sundry, and went back to the London house, returning early this morning, feeling a lot better.

Christmas Eve was full of alarms and excursions - Bruv broke down on the A20, then as I was on the phone to the AA for him, the bloody dogs ate a fly trap, causing my Mama to panic that they were about to keel over. We pieced together the packet, and found out it wasn't that poisonous.

We celebrated Christmas Eve with the appropriate fish pie and sloe gin, and peeled various vegetables and washed up the every single saucepan and utensil in the house used by Mama in her Christmas prep. She is a stunning, amazing cook, and gives full reign to her abilities at this time of year.

Today Isaac was angelic - he woke at 8am, which is positively restrained for Christmas Day. He loved his stocking, and we all did the presents-under-the-tree thing. I had learned, this year, to make some types of jewellary, so I'd set ameythsts and sapphires in ear studs for my mother, aunt and sisters. OH had, wtihout telling me, learned to make perfume! And he's made some for me.

We had Christmas Dinner at about 4pm (which is usual) and it was great - turkey with stuffing, roast spuds, pasnips, sweetcorn, leek sauce, broccoli, sprouts, carrot and swede mash, carrots, lamb sausages, lamb stuffing at one end, fruit at the other, and various things such as cranberry sauce, bread sauce, and gravy (all made from scratch by the chef). Then Christmas pudding, which Isaac was excited to remember that he'd helped to mix in November, with brandy butter and rum butter (I helped make those a couple of days ago) and everyone refused mince pies - like Sue, Mama makes hundreds of the things.

Then there was a general expedition around the ponds (in the dark) and seeing to the horses (my sisters and bruv) and then everyone more or less collapesed into over-fed heaps in the living room and sitting room. Isaac's now in the bath, singing <ouch, my ears> and playing with his new Octonaut bath toys. Oh, and wanting his supper (!!)

lostinrates

well, that was the quietest christmas ever. even quieter than the ones we've spent alone in the past. dh and dad are sipping wine politely now, dad trying not to show he's quite tired and dh trying not to show he's a little bored. In the morning we're all going for a dog walk before dad goes home.

zagubov

Sorry to hear about your mum's trouble tom; hope she's out soon - ill-health doesn't respect the calendar.

Speaking of which I never know whether to keep up with the news (the online versions of most major newspapers are in that link) This seems to be a peak time of year for atrocities/natural disasters ( of course I realise it can't be and I'm sure I'm just noticing them more as its a festival).

silvercar wrote: »

Went for a walk around st. Albans lake and couldn't find an open pub. Not as good as last year when the lake was frozen.

Nothing's moving here- like a disaster movie. The pubs are all shut tonight, but were open between 12-2 this arvo. A neighbour clams its all the dads kicked out of the house during meal prep.

Take care all, hope all NPs are looking after themselves,

PasturesNew

michaels wrote: »

Will you go to the beach today PN? I wish we could.

Yes did that. It was warm and sunny. People were in the sea... long stroll from one beach and across about 3 others as the tide was out.

PasturesNew

silvercar wrote: »

Didn't mention it on the date for fear if identification in the real world.

That's why I use initials and unusual words instead of specifics/details re stuff like olds and the H place..... in case a sibling's googling for information/prognosis/etc and finds me

I also didn't mention my birthday when it occurred for the same reasons...

PasturesNew

tomterm8 wrote: »

Rubbish christmas here... my mum had a mini-stroke yesterday (the kind where almost all the symptoms go away within 24 hours), so in and out of hospital today to visit her. She's scared but seems basically OK, although they will probably keep her in hospital for a while to be safe.

Awww *hugs*, they reckon mine had one/more of thse which kicked off their current state. Mine's still out with the fairies so I doubt the mind will be coming back.

michaels

TT I hope all is well.

Happy xmas to all the NP.

We drove home from my sister's in 75 minutes from near Chcichester - if only the roads could be like this every day. I found myself thinking may be doubling of the price of petrol wouldn't be all bad....

SingleSue

silvercar wrote: »

Didn't mention it on the date for fear if identification in the real world.:rotfl:

For our honeymoon, convention / tradition dictates that you go on honeymoon after your wedding, so Xmas prices and the fact we were young and had no savings dictated that we only got as far as the Canaries.

For our SWA we could go before The Date, so take advantage of off season prices and go for more luxury.

Note we are still relatively young.

We went to Bruges for 3 days as drivers mates and then 4 days to just outside Manchester!

We had been booked into a 5 star hotel in Tunisia for 10 days but now ex hubby chickened out of having his jabs, left it too late and the honeymoon had to be cancelled, losing all of the money paid in the process.

More annoying is that when he remarried, he took his new wife to Tunisia for their honeymoon!