The Simple Bare Necessities feat. Gratitude & Recipes

Upsidedown_Bear · 14 December 2016 at 12:03AM

And we are ready to go :dance:

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Wait for us........

Cheery_Daff · 14 December 2016 at 12:49AM

:rotfl: you lot

Me and Mr Cheery spent several years escaping to Scottish islands for an entire fortnight over christmas. It was ace

were only not going this year as it's our last Christmas in this house so we're stopping here. It'll just be the pair of us for Christnas day though and we will jolly well please ourselves

Greying_Pilgrim · 14 December 2016 at 9:38AM

Good Morning :hello:

Well procured Upsidedown Bear! :T Room for Baby Greying on the running board too

Mind, if I'd have known you was all gonna get suited & booted and dresssed up all fancy, I'd have brushed me hair & bought a dress!

Cheery - the best chrimbo's definitely are where you please yourself/selves. We intend to again this year.

PurpleFairy - your phrase 'forced fun' struck a chord with me. I was served by a jolly elf in w1lkos yesterday. They had dressed up and got in the spirit

They clearly relished getting dressed up, had fun with it and joined in the fun. Which is great. But if you don't wish to join in, you shouldn't be forced into it. And turning the Christmas music up LOUDER in shops does not = more *fun*.

I'm actually finding Chr1s hEvans is talking alot of sense about chrimbo on R2 at the moment. It's clear he likes the season. It's clear he has lots of cash to buy sumptious presents for folk, if he so chooses. But he was saying yesterday to (if you can) give the recipient cash so that they can buy what they want. and his phrase today, 'buy them what they want, not what you think they want'. was spot on as far as I was concerned. A well thought out gift, which is just what the recipient needed is a gift indeed. Anything else is just stress - probably as much for the giver as for the receiver.

The frugalwoods blog has a ver good article about excessive gift giving at the moment - and the comments are good too. I'm not against gifting at all, as long as you're not going into debt to do it of course! But it's all got a bit out of hand on the QT, hasn't it. I do also think that there is much in the 'language' of love tied up with it all. One of my gran's gave freely and modestly, but she found out what you liked, or gave money (small amounts - imagine being thrilled with a £1 for christmas nowadays

). My other gran would only ever give 'stuff', it had to be a gift that she could hand over and watch you open...... talk about encouraging children to learn deception early on! But she always handed it over and said, 'I would have liked to have spent more; I wish I could afford something expensive/nice for you. But I can't'...........................she could afford her fag & sherry habit though.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I'm hopeful we can spend time with Baby Greying - at least for a good number of years - and until they outgrow wanting to hang out with us

We had our lobby last night, but I've not uploaded the pic yet.

i'm not sure what will be for tea tonight. It won't be what is on the planner, as the beetroot has been eaten :doh:

I have got the last cards out and will sort them today and send them tomorrow. It WILL be done today - I will come back and confirm it as so this evening!:D

We went pootling up the high street yeasterday and practised our smiling. I didn't notice anyone giving us a wide berth :rotfl: We got some smiles back and some nice comments aimed at BG. We will practise again today, although our walk will be more about excersise and fresh air than shopping

Right BG is awake and making squeals and smells - I think I need to go.......

Greying X

EssexHebridean · 14 December 2016 at 12:04PM

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

ooooof, wouldn't do it too ya really, but have you room for +3???????

Greying X

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: Genuinely, no - we're staying HERE - gorgeous, but small!

Greying_Pilgrim · 14 December 2016 at 12:09PM

EssexHebridean wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: Genuinely, no - we're staying HERE - gorgeous, but small!

oh, that looks familiar - did Monty Halls stay there when he did his series about the seas/coastline etc If so..... where did the film crew bunk?????? :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: [just kidding

]

Edit: Ah no, Monty & Reuben were on North Uist, not Benbecula. Phew!

Greying xx

EssexHebridean · 14 December 2016 at 12:11PM

We've done this with gifting for years - the deal in the close family is, you write a list - it can contain things you want, or even things you NEED, that someone else buying for you saves you spending your own hard-earned on. BUT - no list, ='s the very real chance that you get no pressies. We do buy "off piste" stuff too - of course, as surprises are always nice, but equally it's nice to know that what you're buying for someone will really be appreciated, and USED! Mum's and mine frequently include items of makeup etc, MrEH's usually features a bottle of whisky somewhere along the line, and my Dad generally forgets to write one at all, which means socks often feature. (Serves him right!) :rotfl:

EssexHebridean · 14 December 2016 at 12:16PM

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

oh, that looks familiar - did Monty Halls stay there when he did his series about the seas/coastline etc If so..... where did the film crew bunk?????? :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: [just kidding ]

Greying xx

Ha - nope, he "stayed" HERE - but you will note the quotation marks around "stayed"....suffice to say all was not *quite* as it appeared to the casual viewer, and something that strangely enough never got mentioned was that as a result of him coming in and offering his services for the role of "ranger" FOC for 6 months, the previous incumbent of a broadly similar role was made redundant ahead of his arrival...

The dog (Reubs) was apparently utterly thick - the pub that they were shown visiting has a swing-door as a secondary defence against the elements, and apparently every time they went in without fail, Reubs forgot about the door, and either got a smack on the behind from it as he went in, or a face-first meeting with it upon going to greet someone new arriving! :rotfl:

Greying_Pilgrim · 14 December 2016 at 3:30PM

Wow, it's going to be a scrum in mr Al from the 18th onwards, the S6 are just 19p according to THIS post. And funnily enough, I was thinking that mrL was doing quite well with what they're proposing for 29p. part of me wants it to be British produce for that price, part of me doesn't as who is taking the financial hit?

Greying X