5 OS pleasures in your day today - part 3

Frith

Quick pleasures for today (Saturday)

1) A lie in.

2) Hens OK.

3) Dropped off a couple of Christmas cards.

4) Spanish chicken for tea.

5) Watched the Strictly final. 

mhagster

Excellent MTM DD, son and husband had both been DTM many, many years ago! 

It is absolutely silly o’clock  and I’m psyching myself up to go out to work!Oooft so  much to be done before I even start the normal stuff! But just today to get through! I’m going to watch Strictly ( even though I know who won) when I get in to work. Which reads like I’m going to sit down which is absolutely the opposite of what I’m going to be doing…it shall keep me company as I work! 

Been a busy couple of days of work in morning and work in the evening. Have met Santa a few times now, have a scratchy throat from talking so much and singing jingle bells very loudly. But have enjoyed seeing the joy of the season through children’s eyes. 

Took doggy to the beach yesterday morning, it was such a beautiful day. So nice to see blue sky and sea but rather chilly! 

Had steak pie and veggies for lunch yesterday. I’d bought pie at start of week but DD2 has not been well so hadn’t had it ( no room in freezer) and it needed used up. So that was nice .

also had a parsnip parboiling session! Got 7 bags RTC at 7p so the already full freezer is stuffed but I love parsnips and these will last well into next year! 

Enjoying Christmas cards popping through the letterbox. 

Have a lovely day 😊

PaulieHerts

Morning all 😊
Couldn’t get to sleep and then awake since silly o’clock so been listening to a Christmas Carol and then reading on here.  Watched A Griff Rhys Jones programme about a Christmas Carol yesterday and we always watch a very old version on Christmas Eve, already watched the Albert Finney version, so I will be quite the expert!
Finding it difficult to find pleasures but enjoyed strictly final and some nice dinners and mince pies and Baileys!
Planning on a holly walk this morning to find some to make some Christmas decorations and hopefully a breakfast roll and cuppa whilst out.
Happy Sunday everyone 😘🎄

balabooberlies

The Admiral said.....

I'd ring bala to give her a bell!

'ere mate.........

that's enough of your shenanigans !

  

villagelife

A good day.

1. Quick chat with my neighbour as I was cleaning out my hens.

2. DS1 drive me to watch rugby. It was a good journey.

3. Met some people at rugby that I hadn't seen in years. Used to see them every Sunday when DS2 played rugby.  It was good to catch up.

4. Match was enjoyable and the Cardiff fans were in fine voice supporting a team that had Covid issues and so was cobbled together so the match could go ahead. It may possibly be the last match we see in a while.

5. Watched Strictly and enjoyed it more than previous years.

LaineyT

Fab photo DD.

For yesterday,

A good nights sleep and a lazy start.

Marzipan on the cake and a loaf made.

Hello to pony, I filled her feed bin up, squashing it down with my hands to get the last few scrapes in which made my gloves smell of her chaff so she proceeded to pull them off and suck on them like a baby with a dummy, it did make me laugh.

An Eccles cake and a cuppa when I got home.

Glass of wine & pizza whilst watching the Strictly final.

VJsmum

Morning all - i seem to be extraordinarily bad at posting of late.

SOme pleasures recently

1. Nice walks here and there - from and to stations and along the Thames and also to friend's house
2. Nice lunch with another brother - he's the recently bereaved brother and is lonely, I think
3. theatre (the play what I wrote) - superb if slightly silly.  Good nods to Morecambe and Wise
4. nice food - some pizza, some brunch things and a little alcohol
5. My birthday yesterday - pressies, brunch, cinema (West Side Story), loong bath with a film, out for a curry and back for cake.  All with my favourite people - perfect.

Have a great day all 

LaineyT

Belated Birthday wishes to you VJSMum, sounds like you had a smashing day 🍾🎉 X

Admiral_Barbarossa

Ms Bala! Moi! Merci!
Mince pie and Ice Cream?
DD Try Fiery Water! Works for the Albatross!
Spanish Chicken! Do not mention it to the Hens!
Eccles Cakes
And Pizza's

Breakwaters!

Watched the Grand Tour last night, with the chicken satay and some fiery fizzy waters. Cheeses were taken!

Chicken Satay
Two chicken breast, chopped! Marinade in some garlic, chilli and dark treacle!
Fry in pan until cooked.
Add the Discount Surplus Store sataty sauce, a splash. Stir in well.
Serve with fiery fizzy waters! Right tasty.
The snorkers were good, but need to be modified, so no recipe at the moment! These tasty treats are not available from Jimmy the Cook!

DD I will not mention the soccer!

Was again in the gym this morning getting beach ready!

Home for dippy eggs and toasted marmite soldier, tea and a churn!

It is regret that I have to inform you that the Mint Matchmakers bought for the season, will not see lunchtime today! Enjoy! I have!

Jen sends her Buzz

Keep Safe!

DigForVictory

Dear me this week fortnight has got right out of hand. Still, On Leave now, may even try the 5OSPs a day Every Day!
Ahem, Too Long. <Hangs head>. Part 1:

villagelife - hurrah Wayfield customer services, and huzzahs for new baby girl! 2 hours for 10 minutes?! Love DH's essential supplies for Christmas. Cleared a dumping ground - awed! Illuminations at Kew... Managed to excavate the freezer slightly?! "where the chocolates were" - well, youth doesn't always Quite Understand. (I wept at a Californian museum of gold as it didn't contain chocolate. I was Very Young.) Dear Gods what a plonker of a patient parent! "downstairs at least is ready for Christmas" - I'd take that as a win & collapse in a heap, myself. "Cardiff fans were in fine voice"- well, so I'd hope!

LaineyT - a family sharing Thai - excellent! Bed sorted for eldest DSS. Box of sweeties from grateful customer?! Cor! I love how archaeologists see the same landscape differently. Advent candle - oh - note to self for next year & January sales! Often the way, buy & send cards, then find the stash (ahem). Blissful mild stroll. Baked spud with an egg yolk? Oooh! Rathbone makes a splendid Sherlock, & B&W is just inimitably stylish... I quite enjoy sitting still while someone reverses. Merit and calm. Whoops nosebleed but hurrah 2 decades extra experience covering for the retired vicar. Love a family gathered "for a coffee, actually we all had a hot chocolate with whipped cream"! then "An Eccles cake and a cuppa" - this is how to recover from the coolth outside!

bala - unquestionably your spirit is indomitable & yes tea & good memories are wondrous. Eep, new vet. Proxenia is wonderful - I want my funeral/away-she-goes party to be a proxenia event. "the kindness of strangers" is one of those amazing all you can do is pay it forward things. Owch vet but oh smile! Treat yourself at Christmas to a really bright phone cover? (I've a kindle in Kermit Green - never been stepped on, or lost for long!) Even the little chats, & nods as you go, add to the sum of interconnectedness.

Happycas - in the wrong regardless of car keys, credit card, google-fu & the ability to book doctor dentist & vaccine appointments. Whereas you can get Christmas cards out in time! And cook! Time out with friends & more to eat later all the better. "a winter scene on our boarded up door" - sounds like something that will be brought out year after year, Excellent! Back so bad you are running on painkiller-time as well? Owch! Had to google orzo, looks fun. Retired teachers returning - it's a toughie, isn't it?! 

Admiral - ah those nuts of ginger. Will get cards discounted from supermarket (Dec 29 ish) & give the difference to a local charity. "fish and chips...proper food and good for you" Absolutely. Edinburgh breakfast? Expand a little please? Snorkers! Red Notice sounds a merry romp. Kitty learning to bring you a couple of plump birds to cook, or just sport? Lead Foot Sue - Admiral, careful! Noone taught me the elderly have biccies - largely as my elders were teaching me to make jam. "sour grapes and a wafer biscuit" you know how to show a girl a good packed lunch... Grand Tour, eh? Will nudge younglings. Dark treacle your cunning secret to a superb satay!

SuffolkSue - you have bought cards at all! (I haven't. Setting a whole new fashion in being late indicated, I think.) Owch, these very-nearly-would-have-beens. You're allowed to enjoy people individually as well as en famille. If you don't make the effort, you risk having people making a fuss at you - it's difficult. Fingers crossed tests let you spend time with family & escape as needed.

Montserratlabis - you saw all Orion? We need two frosty nights on the trot to realise there isn't a lid of cloud & then go goggle upwards! Listening to hockey sounds wonderful. Sea bass? Hmmm, might go Thai on that! Proof reading backwards! "have finished work" - a Wonderful feeling.

Frith - the Preston emporium cafe is likewise shut - a worrying trend! Halloumi kebabs - yum! Am I right in thinking this "pyjamas for Christmas Eve" is a recent-ish American Import? As yikes the cost of pyjamas pour l'homme is eye-watering but Worse in December. 100% attendance week! Ongoing saga of tooth! Hens on a festive spree, dashit. Congratulations on the jabs. Smaller son has this Christmas lark nailed! "Spoke to the therapy dog" - did you get an answer? Some days are crackers - a guided tour of the scar & your mum finding the eye man Takes Action! Dropping off cards - ah, yes, I ought to.

ampersand - escaped posts So Frustrating. Owch enforced new phone, wildly impressed by your emoji-speak! Awed at hamper stints & the range of colleagues there. Autocorrect & the range of variants on vielle - only of body! Colouring in calendar - just how do you get those fine details with a crayon? Mindfully, clearly. "80 lovely canvas bags" - awed & hoping Zettle loaded & worked! Delighted prem grandsons are still with us & congratulations on getting "no sorry" past teeth! Love McCullough's post!

Nargleblast - rock solid advice, family trip & case from stepson - hurrah.

mhagster - "an absolute lazy bones" - is a Very Relative Term! Shifting a bag of wood is hearty exercise. "mince pies in synchronicity" aww. Son moving boxes from store to new flat & advised of meaty Christmas package awaiting! Icy dog walk sounds hazardous. Daughter ambulanced away? back same day, phew. Oh, Haggis.... Still going & DD2 mending. "gingerbread men/stars/snowmen" well, that's Christmas inspiration! Twice armed is she who speeds with an excuse - "had to dash back as a chap was coming to pick something up" well played! Enjoying lights but alas no DD2. Proper parsnip planning prevents going without later. Well done!

DundeeDoll - BiL home, hurrah! Getting the students through their PhDs is exhausting as you care. Big Sleep! "about to start housework (honest)"! Bereavement & family raffle, argh but cathedral & Bruch's Kol Nidrei. Shuttling newsprint as well as walking dogs - there's time & motion & support! "10 mins break at lunch time for soup" - bring on the Christmas vac sharpish! How do you enjoy a pint with a mask on? A straw? PFHEA - that's the chit that says "Qualified to run a university", pretty much? Robust & lovely faith in you. Even as you make a worryingly credible Minnie The Minx!

Purple kitten - towing Santa's sleigh? Wow! "a model set that it turns out DH wants" - oh yes! "steam lights train" sounds Absolutely Glorious.

VJsmum - fingers crossed for interview & hurrah SiL. Gollum "I hates it" of Christmas shipping - oh yes! Hence the "Rudolph run" in November to try to get the heavy lifting (lit. & met.) done before everyone else gets infected with the seasonal panic. Odds on DH's family Do have royal connections (you have to work quite hard not to, after so many generations back!), just The Stud Book can be very erratic on skipping extraneous daughters & stillbirths. Happy belated birthday & with all your favourite people, excellent!

PaulieHerts - isn't carpet amazing after bare boards?! Best of luck with a holly walk!

OS Pleasures recently

Have I mentioned how I love it when I express doubt about mothering & am roundly corrected before the feeling settles in?! Thank you!

Tesco reducing their festive wreathes already! So, preliminary decorations up. The new wreath is hanging on a bungee of elastic from a face mask - very 2021!

Argh, freezer Tetris with a son who doesn’t want his Iceland/Greggs sausage rolls out of their box (holds 8, 3 left) but is complaining of the fruit I have for out-of-season cordials & syrups!

Blimey. Middleson cleared his room of a few things & his chain mail shirt will go on eBay. Some of me thinking well, recycling it onto a small history-mad soul is only right. Some of me regretting he’s grown up; the history lessons he delivered were vividly memorable. (Especially the one with the fake beard.) Never any issue with blades as he was clear as glass up front, “just one idiot & I hand the whole event back to the teacher”. Shocking virtue; chain shirt worn over school uniform, & selfies… Good times. Only right the shirt should go to another enthusiast.

Sis self isolating as possible “OhMiGod” variant. Coping so far, but not planning for if it’s the full 10 days plus feeling rough. Pleasure is full family zoom. [All clear, phew]

I see Storm Barra is coming. Fortunately I am in class & expected nowhere. A simple pleasure!

Sis diagnosed with “golfers elbow” - the other side to tennis elbow, seemingly. At least it’s not carpal. [Or is it? The pins & needles are clear somethings not right.]

Our parents have misplaced the monthly weblink. “They’re a bit special” is our daughterly opinion, as we pleat with giggles.

Class went well, trainer good & diligent about the breaks. Slightly embarrassing - I’ve done IT project work & so the vocabulary is (hazily) familiar whereas others are dropped in raw.

Aw youngest is “ducking for supper” - which, as I’d planned to try duck, leaves me grousing… We are both laughing though, so it’s no big deal.

Day two in class got awful real with some seriously new & strange ideas, but not as bad as the database optimisation! Plus, (bonus) no exam!

Me, tired, lugging parcels to the drop off point. Then slippering off to supermarket for bubblewrap sellotape & bread so he cannot send me out into the storm tomorrow. [They’re out of bubblewrap, dashit] Pleasure was brief feeling of “can hunker down at home”.

Middleson furtling with 3D printer “little busy now, mum” but when Youngest goes to research lunch ideas (he’s house cook by day, bless him!) suddenly time is found for opinions! Love ’em to bits & very proud of them, even as I chuckle.

Ye gods Boris will play every card to distract, not just Plan B but new baby as well. Congratulations Carrie for doing most of the work! [Romy Iris Charlotte?! Alongside Little Willie]

Robin bouncing on a high branch by the window. Staying alert, curious, looking around while staying poised on a gust-shaken branch. Middleson asked had I not known that two birds lived in that tree? No & on closer peering, neither were robins but it was still good to see them.

Family zoom is all good fun, but the scamper for the bathroom at the end is a pleasure all it’s own.

Aw youngest wrestling with Keralan curry paste for our meal. It’s the amount of yoghurt that stumps him but I’m sure the curry will taste great!

My fourth lemon pip, which managed a bit of root, has been cracking on: just the tissue it germinated on was restricting it. Four tiny leaves! Clearly not overawed by its taller siblings. Miniature jam jar whipped back over to help it stay warm.

Aw, local weaving museum asking me to become a Trustee! I’ve been their cheerleader & auditor for years, and thus have unwillingly stayed at a careful distance to avoid any possible conflict, but if they can find another auditor I can join the board. Very flattering.

Finally had duck & little pancakes - tasty but a bit expensive. 

My parents 55th wedding anniversary! So proud of them. ‘Emerald’, seemingly.

The new variant numbers have got a bit enthusiastic & with Middleson a one jab to date wonder (young immortal), I’m trying not to twitch. So today we bought dust masks with HEPA filters which have antiviral cred & as of tomorrow we can all look a bit Darth Vader - including Himself who will be sacrificing most of his beard to stay safe. I’m touched he takes my concern seriously, & distressed about the beard. Just want to drag Middleson to a nice medic with a needle… The whole point of this (for me) is to keep my parents & family alive without virus til gone Easter. And I’m not putting a year on that any more.

Oh idiot me. Picked up the phone  and read some old text messages. We didn’t know they’d be the last but thank the gods they’re happy, loving, appreciative. 

My ongoing little quirk, to have a book of Christmas stamps every year - it is a steady source of joy at the beauty & the hope of the nativity. Just to cost! Ah well, as a funeral plan it’s prettier than others & more optimistic. Now to find the album to put them away in, along with the 2015 books I found <blush>

The reusable filter masks for the family have arrived. We look a bit Darth Vader, but the breathing’s easy & the peace of mind is surprising. Himself’s already planning to paint his so it’s a lot less glossy black & slightly more dry-brushed Science Fiction but he’ll wait til the filters need changing. Meanwhile he’s cutting his beard so the mask fits & works & I’m both thankful & horrified… (I’ve always known him bearded. Even his “summer coat” of mutton chops bewilders me the first few days!) [He says he looks like a slightly elderly Flashman & I see what he means!]

Early morning luften, opening a door & windows for a few minutes to let the air change in the house. Cool, yes, slightly damp as last nights rain trickles through the garden, but clean, refreshing and full of birdsong. There may be complaints from my chaps that it’s cool (they’re all snoozing under duvets, I think we’ll be OK) but this few minutes listening to the benign natural world gives an additional boost to the first brew of the day.

Enjoying the Google doodle of pho & then intrigued by the donkey Platero, wondering who the people were & boggling happily at the ‘reach’ of a doodle. Never heard of Yasujiro Ozu before. (Great fun to slide down Google rabbit holes!)

I need to find a more sensible place for the tins of Elnette hairspray. Last used almost two years ago to hold my unbound hair largely out of the way for the funeral. I don’t use it at all ordinarily & youngest declines it as a fixative as digital art fixes by clicking save. A feature I want in “future hair”…

The boys have discovered the American breakfast at Asda - a sort of cooked English but with Pancakes & golden syrup. All tools that lead to cooperation are noted - thank-you letters can be fatiguing!

The annual fuss over Christmas cards for MiL & SiL…. We had to wake the night shift worker (this week) to sign his gran’s card (& will then copy/fake that for his aunt…) Himself’s in Card Factory looking for the right card & I’m sat wondering if a novenna would help, & just appalled at the crowds. Youngest is acting as link, stood outside the shop but aware of where the car is!