The Garden Fence - proper Old Style support and chat!

chickens11

Nursemaggie......Yea im also very slow with the christmas cards and all the stuff that should be done by now......To tell you the truth im only sending cards out if I receive them in the letter box , I really cant be dealing with it all.......

Nowadays so many people do one announcement in the local newspaper , or do it via facebook , or email.......
As for the wrapping well ive only bought the families tins of biscuits and a bottle of plonk each , I will go get the gift vouchers this week then thats me done ..........

I cant be running around towns buying stuff people dont want , its a waste of time money and my energy that I dont have in the winter ..........

Ice snow melted and weve had a bit of rain this afternoon , and lot less cold .......

Hope your all doing well and keeping warm ......

Floss

I only send cards to those we receive from (apart from my eldest who never sends any cards for any event). Last years cards received list forms the start of this years cards to be sent list.

maryb

There was a comment in one of the papers last week along the lines of a lot of people have given up sending cards. We were queuing at the PO last Saturday to buy a small fortune's worth of second class stamps when we bumped into our neighbours who said they are trying to cut down on the number of cards they send and are waiting to see who sends them a card

Funnily enough I have noticed that we have had far fewer cards this year than we would normally get by this time in December. I wonder if everyone we know is playing chicken

My take on it is that if we get cards this week with second class stamps they were going to send them anyway. If it's next week with a first class stamp, they only sent one because we sent one (or they couldn't face doing it until the last minute) and they's probably be happy if we didn't send them one next year:rotfl:

Floss

Forgot to also state that our cards were all posted on 2 December.

ivyleaf

I haven't written any yet But we did buy the stamps for them today.

greenbee

I have written envelopes and bought stamps but need a few more cards. And to write the ones I've prepped. I only send to people I don't see regularly and mostly people I don't have social media contact with.

elona

mardatha

From what I can remember an infinitive is "to go" "to have" etc.

To split the infinitive is to say "to happily go" or "to sadly have"
which splits up the two parts of the infinitive.

I'm a trekkie too

mardatha

Ahhh ok gottit. TY!

monnagran

Elona is right, mar. The adverb should come after the verb and not before it, splitting the infinitive. So for all the Trekkers out there, it should have been, "to go boldly."
Doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it?

The wind is howling again tonight. I'm not sure whether that woke me or whether it was Millie flapping her ears. She shakes her head so vigorously that her ears act like clappers.

At last I have broken the back of the card writing. Just a couple of letters to go and a few cards to be hand delivered.

Now is the time to consider the lavish gifts I intend to bestow upon my nearest and dearest.
Most will have something home baked. I have three men who live on their own to accommodate and I have ordered three cake tins to fill with a cake. One of them has become vegan during the year so I will have to look something up for him. My friend up the road with three children will get a sackful of cookies and then there are the elderly neighbours who all get a Christmassy plate with half a dozen mince pies on. They are all so appreciative that I'm glad I hit on that idea a couple of years ago. And, (never start a sentence with a conjunctive, mar) everyone gets a jar of my famous Clementine and Cointreau marmalade. Small jars for little old ladies and bigger ones for hulking great men.
I will so enjoy next week, me in a warm kitchen with Christmassy music in the background, cooking up a storm. Lovely.

I do enjoy these night time sessions where I can think aloud on the trusty tablet and bore you all silly.

Now, who else is around? or shall I go back to sleep?

MMF007

Hi Monna, hope you are back in the land of nod! Your xmas cooking and gifting sounds like heaven.

I have been watching shooting stars!! About one every 2 or 3 minutes. I slept ok for a few hours but woke when mum had a coughing fit next door so I checked the sky and there is a little cloud but lots of clear sky.

Just chilling for a while then I shall snuggle down again.

We still have plenty of snow on the garden and some ice on paths etc but it is a lot safer so I am planning on taking mum shopping before we visit dad this afto. It will give her something else to focus and and we may even have lunch out.
She is still undecided about being away for Christmas. She feels guilty.
Ironically if it was not xmas she would stay here on her own and if it was not xmas we would feel less guilty about leaving dad in hosp with no family to visit him for 10 days while mum had a break! Not sure that will make sense to anyone but I know what i mean.
She is capable and independant but this last few weeks have revealed the problems of combining failing eye-sight, the need for long distance travel, several health crises, and living too far from family. We begged them to move nearer a couple of years ago when ill health first became a real issue, but to no avail.
Mum has sacrificed so much over recent years to look after dad, has had only one break in the last 5 years (staying for a week with DB, and she was ill the whole time), and really really needs a rest, a break from the immediacy of the stress and a little fun with the grandkids (who adore her, of course). She is totally torn.
We feel she should have a break. We are sure wider family will think we are selfish monsters.

It's a no win situation.