No T Words mentioned at all - a fresh start

hoglet121

Hello everyone :-)

Hope you have all had enjoyable weekends - as ever ours flew past and here we are at Monday morning again. I have given up trying to fight the traffic and now leave home ridiculously early to get to work, resulting in no traffic jams and over an hour of peace and quiet with the office to myself. Gives me a good chance to catch up with what you've all been up to and a good hour or so to read my book.

We had an excellent weekend - a few errands and bits of shopping done on Saturday (including a better compression support for DH's foot so he can get back to doing some exercise now), and then dinner out at our RSA (NZ version of the British Legion) where we discovered an excellent value all you can eat carvery dinner, including free dessert. We will go back for dinner there again I think.

Sunday we had the insulation quote, and it was a very pleasant surprise - half the price I was expecting, so that will be getting put in just after Easter I expect. Just in time too I think as it's noticeably cooler when we go upstairs now.

Little Alfie has been allowed out this weekend for the first time in about a month. He was so happy, he spent lots of time just curled up asleep in the garden. I saw him playing with some of the neighbours' cats too - and we were rewarded with no cat fights until almost 6am this morning. He spent yesterday evening curled up asleep on DH, who is absolutely his favourite person, and I swear he had a big smile on his face.

Hope you're all well,

Hoglet x

flowertotmum

Hello all..
Candlelight..oh o hope your girls physio goes well for her and your hair appointment..its nice to have your hair done..i love your cats name Flora..its so darn cute..i'm with you on the garden front..hoping the weather continues to warm up..

Hoglet..am so glad your insulation quote was a pleasant surprise its nice to get them these days..and i know cats smile..our cat Simba would curl up on the duvet and i swear he was smiling.Glad your oh foot is getting better..and wow a nice place to have a good meal plus free dessert..can't get better than that..

Well it was nice yesterday and today..bit chilly and breezy but ok..
First accident of the season and it was Iris..scuffed knees and sore hands but ok..thank god i re-stocked my first aid tin..i keep it handy in the summer..will be expecting more bumps and grazes.
We went to the CS yesterday..i found Iris a new pair of jeans and a top for myself..Fern found a book about fairies with all the little notes inside in envelopes..its lovely..she has been reading it all weekend.

Sam went to the allotment and set some carrots and spring onions..the old fellas think he is amazing bless him.. he brought me a bag of compost home for my planters and baskets..our sprouts and lettuces are all ready to go in as well.He is doing a wonderful job.

Simon had been doing the garden and all the little jobs that creep up on you..fixing the fences and taking down the hazels..

We received postcards from Paris yesterday for the girls..so excited to get them..lyn and nell are having a great time..poor postman looked shocked on the doorstep as the girls came screaming into the hallway when i shouted them..think he thought he was about to get mugged lol.

We are going to spend this week making Easter decorations and i have some lovely choclate moulds to make our own special little gifts..i have some little eggs and gifts for the grandchildren..which hopefully they will like..
right i have to go..
love to you all
ftm

[Deleted User]

Hello, home again from a super weeks holiday, what a lovely place Paris is, we did so much and saw so many things, the weather was perfect and the hotel was in a little side street with no through traffic, our room was at the back overlooking a courtyard and so quiet you'd never have realised the Arc de Triumph was only 100 or so meters away!!! I'm glad the postcards arrived FTM, I'll get all the bits and pieces together and post them on to the girls in a couple of days when I'm sorted here. The easter bunny might just have sent a little something for them too, appologise to the poor postman if they mob him again when it arrives!!! DD1 is off to Vienna for a short break in May so will send more cards for the tots to get the stamps and will get brochures etc. for a taste of Austria too. Lovely weather here today I've done all the washing and changed the beds and it's all dry now so I'm off to get it in and then make a cuppa, it's so nice to go travelling but so nice to come home!!! Lyn xxx.

candlelight_2013

Good to see you back Lyn safe and sound.

It is a lovely City isn't it, and you sound as though you both thoroughly enjoyed it, but it is always great to be back home. Did you have lots of licks from Docky?

We have had 2 holidays in Austria, and that too is a beautiful country and so clean as well. Of all the countries we have been to Italy is our very favourite, it is so beautiful, with lovely people and gorgeous food. Perhaps another place to think of going.

Much love
Candlelightx

[Deleted User]

Oh yes, Italy is on the wish list, I want to go to Florence to the Ufittzi Gallery but that will have to wait for another time, we booked our visit to Berlin for the christmas markets this morning, DD1 is a whiz at finding bargains and has found us a lovely modern hotel with breakfast and 3 nights for the two of us including the breakfast has cost £146 in total, bargain? She's even got us flights at a knock down price with Uncle Stelios too, brilliant stuff.

Paris is beautiful, so green and so friendly. The people are really nice and it's so beautiful architecturally. I loved being beside the Siene, there are walks right beside the river for a lot of the way and we loved watching the great big working barges trundle up and down the river. Just round the corner from our hotel was a smashing street market, the produce was expensive but the quality was out of this world. Fruit and veg just at the right point to be its best, fresh seafood, cheese stalls, artisan bread and patisserie and delicious smelling hot food stalls with everything from paella to rotisserie chickens and roasted crackling pork on offer Mmmmmmmmmm yum!!!

Yes Docky dog was so very happy to see us come through the arrivals gate, he was pinging around on the highly polished floor like Bambi on the ice bless him, he just made such a fuss of us both and wouldn't stay down last night, I had to go into the spare room and he came up beside me on the big bed and snuggled for the whole night, he's a poppet!!!

candlelight_2013

Well that's devotion for you Lyn, isn't it.

Yes we have always noted that the produce is out of this world, and the cakes in the Patisseries are works of art, and you wonder whether you should bite into it.

When we were in Italy we came across a stall at the side of the road, and the fruit was just gorgeous. The peaches were so large and juicy and water melons were enormous. Tomatoes, oh the smell of tomatoes in the mid day sun I can smell them now.

Yes you will have to save your pennies to go but it will be worth it.

Candlelightx

candlelight_2013

I forgot to say Lyn we went to the Cologne Christmas markets some years ago. We really enjoyed ourselves but my goodness it was cold. Thankfully we did have the sense to dress for the occasion and had really warm boots to keep our tootsies warm. I love to see how other countries celebrate Christmas and their beautiful ornaments. Some of the glass ones are gorgeous but I didn't think I would be able to get them home in one piece. I did however bring home a gingerbread house for DGD1, beautifully decorated and still in one piece by the time we reached home.

We also went to Bonn whilst we were there and their Christmas market was lovely as well.

I am jealous already and what a good price, your DD is obviously a savvy shopper.

Much love

Candlelightx

katep23

MrsL, welcome back!

Candlelight, I love European Christmas markets, OH and I go on a road trip every few years before Christmas, usually try and coincide with some rugby if we can.

My favourite market is probably Munich. It was -15 when we got there, the last day we were there it was 0 and felt so mild I took my coat off as we had got used to the temperature :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

When we lived in Germany we were about 40k south of Frankfurt and very close to the Rhine and the winters were absolutely amazing. We had very little snow, not enough to lay but the temperature was between -10 and -20 and we'd get a build up of ice crystals that made the whole world look like a christmas card, the trees would have hanging crystals 3 or 4 inches long and they sparkled like diamonds. It was so cold and dry that you couldn't believe that something wouldn't fall off between leaving the house and getting into the car!!!The only time we did have enough snow for it to lay DD2 who was 7 at the time dashed out and made a tiny snowman, about 6" tall and we had to put him in the freezer so that Daddy could see him when he came home. I think he stayed there for the whole 3 years we were out there, she couldn't let him go!!! I still remember going into the nearest town to the Vertkauf supermarket to get our christmas tree, carefully chosen and the girls liked to have Currywurst and Frites to start the festive season which we had to eat in the car, I never knew why, but that's how it had to be. The elder girlie would fly in from England where she was boarding and we'd have to go off for the tree the very next day, tradition said so. We love to go for the Weinachts Markts particularly in Berlin there are so many to visit and we never have lost the thrill of being there in the cold, with a bratwurst and a glass of gluhwein and all the white lights and music and delicious cooking smells and everyone laughing and families and kids having a lovely time, it's lovely.

hoglet121

What lovely memories MLW - you've just transported me to a happy place of gluhwein and bratties in the cold, I can almost taste them :-)

As much as I absolutely love NZ, I do miss having Europe on the door step. That and a proper country pub!

Little Alfie has decided that going out is just too much of an adventure and instead tore around our bedroom at 1am, 3.30 am and 5.30am......