Travelling On

Karmacat

I wanted to do something, but nothing stressful - and as a result, I've used *all* the potatoes that were sitting in the fridge - enough for maybe 4 portions - I'm afraid I *did* peel them in the end.  I was slicing off some of the eyes, and underneath the skin the flesh was unpredictably green, the ergot thing.  Since I'm not keen on killing myself or even giving myself psychedelic upheavals, I peeled them rather heavily, lets say 🤣 Plus frozen sweetcorn and frozen parsnips made it in there.  It was better than throwing them away (I've had to throw away a fair bit just recently, I'm sorry to say, entirely my own fault) and they're extremely tasty  

Sister, nephew and baby managing to stay outside of hospital - nephew is still bad, he seemed to have the strongest antibiotics possible, and his illness hasn't shifted, after a week of antibiotics now I'm wondering about viral pneumonia, I understand that's an indicator.  Mentioned it once, but I don't know enough to push it, and everyone's got good medical people.  

I may have had a slurp of something alcoholic 🍾🎄 which was very nice  

Cheery_Daff

Aw, best wishes for your nephew and family xx how worrying for you all.

Well done on using up the veg!

beanielou

Hope everyone is on the mend soon.

Alchemilla

Hey KC. Have you any plans for '23?

Karmacat

Hello lovely people  

Alchemilla, very good question, and I'm touched that you're even now thinking about other people's ways of going forward.

So here we are!

January
Always it's own month: English and French accounts, insurance renewal.  Plus this year I (should) have my niece's cat for 10 days or so, while she's away with my sister. I *have* to give the kitchen pantry a severe clean, between ant killer and mould, probably crucial for the cat's health, and mine too.  Also January, possible trip back to Liverpool, and possible rolling family emergency popping it's head up again, I hope that doesn't coincide with travel for any of us.

Travel
Brother is gifting me his 5 year old roadbike that will be great come spring, if he can get it down here.  Sister and I will probably have an AirBNB holiday, as usual a self contained cottage somewhere close.  Trip to the Norfolk rellies would be nice, I had covid during the last one and couldn't go.  Might well be doing a fortnight's trip to Ireland!  I've only been once, and I need to remember not to plan distances too much: like this country, there's massive amounts available within 5-10 miles or so.

Car
Yep, I'm thinking of it again, the finances add up better than I thought.  I still need refresher lessons, of course, and need to work out what would suit me, and whether I could even cope with car-ownership given my fatigue levels, but I'd like it to happen, I do *not* like being stuck in this town dependent on public transport and other people visiting, nice as they both are.  If I get 5 years out of a car, it could be the best money I ever spent.

Woo hoo, socialising
Because of the car and the bike, and having done so much in the house these last few months, I feel like a little bit more is on the cards for the first time in a long time.

House
I need a sofa!  IKEA, as soon as I've put down the underlay tiles I've got - after the cat's visit I need repairs to my guttering!  If a narrow waterbutt I already have could be attached during that process, after repairing the patio just outside the kitchen, I would be such a happy bunny.

Garden
I'm ahead of where I was last winter with the garden - difficult to be out there at the moment, my face hurts for hours/days afterwards.  Neuralgia, caused by shingles.

Hobbies
Gardening, yep.
Genealogy.
Reading, I like it, what can I say 🤣
Writing.  I like that too 😛
Learning a few more recipes.  I won't call it "cookery" 🤣
Crafting, knitting etc ad infinitum.  Encouraged by the furoshiki!  I want more  
U3A, including the spaceflight group.  Yeah, baby.
Fitness.  Yeah, right.  I do have some dance DVDs.  

Karmacat

Furoshiki!  I did it!  And I took a picture 🤣  All the "wrapping paper" is cloth.  Next year, all the tags and "string" will be renewable too.

apple_muncher

That's looks fab, karma! Well done! I used fabric to wrap things for my sis as one thing she'd asked for was pretty fabric! So mine didn't even have to look christmassy 😁.

greent

Ahhh - they look fantastic! - and I see lots of fabric ribbon is being used *this* year. 

When it comes to tags, if they are the sort that have 'string' on, I sometimes reuse those for the same people the following year 😁

Karmacat

Thanks both!  Greent, that's very possible - until this year, I always wrote a little phrase, or even sentence, on my tags, but this year, I've just written initials in felt pen, so I know who they're supposed to go to 😀 so these could actually be re-used.  And yes, the ribbon is re-useable - it's actually artisanal knitting wool I bought for craft activities, just a single ball of it.

I'm currently doing one of the tasks I listed above for January - starting to clean the pantry, which is so disgusting I'm genuinely having a hard time making myself do it.  But I *need* to do it.  Just off again now to clean the mould killer off the walls 🙄

beanielou

The presents look AMAZING.