* Driving Home for Christmas * - It's the 2021 Christmas Chatter Thread!

Spendless

Unfortunately I have heard that story time and time again about people going into hospital testing negative and then testing positive in there. It was enough for me to postpone an outpatients appointment a few weeks ago. Hope your parents are feeling better soon Redredrobin.  

mandco

Redrobin sorry to hear about your mum - the amount of hospital acquired covid cases are pretty worrying - hope she is recovering well - fingers crossed she's able to get her vaccination soon

Spendless - I totally understand postponing your appointment its not an easy decision but at the moment unless its urgent the risks seem to outweigh the benefit. I was offered a last minute appointment just before xmas for a procedure I've been waiting over 18 months for but decided against it as it was in a tier 4 area and things were anywhere as bad then.

Anyone have any plans for valentines day?  We usually just get a meal deal in and watch a movie but thinking it might be nice to do something extra this year in keeping with our "celebrate the small things"  

kerri_gt

Redrobin i hope your mum is feeling better soon and well onto the road for recovery. It's frightening how often you hear people go into hospital with one thing and end up catching something else. MRSI was the last big one. I fully blame overwork and understaffing (particularly under trained staff)  - need the days of ward Matrons back

Well done to all those home schooling, another week done, you're all doing amazingly. 

Not Christmas related at all but hope people don't mind me asking for some advice. I really want a relaxing chair / area for the garden this summer. We've had a hellish time over the past few years having it landscaped with one thing and another (and a very large dose of cowboy builders) and finally this year I dare to say it's done.
I'd really like one of those hanging egg chairs but are they actually comfortable? I was looking at one like this.

Spendless

@mandco - Not us for valentine's day. we're not bothered haha, but  for teenage daughter resigned to only being able to Facetime boyfriend on Feb 14th. I found in Poundland (ours are still open) a sort of card game. It has questions on it, that the other one has to answer about each other. I believe the questions range from 'where was our first date'? to things like 'where would be my ideal place to live?', so a combination of remembering details about your relationship to knowing about the other one. DD did put to me she wanted to do something but what  could she do, and there are ideas on google but they don't all suit a teenage couple or ones that don't live in the same house, so glad I found this. I will suggest she keeps the cards face down and shows his to the camera so she doesn't see the question before he reads to her. My only thought for me and DH is whether whilst DD is occupied with her on-line date if we should order some food in that we really like and daughter doesn't care for -lol

mandco

kerri I've looked at those egg chairs too but can never make up my mind as never seen one in person and its a lot of money to spend if its not comfortable. I do like to try or at least see before buying when possible. They do tend to get good reviews though and you could always add extra cushions if its not as comfortable as you had hoped

Spendless  we're not really bothered about valentines day either and we don't usually do gifts/cards though we do have a nice meal at home/takeaway as its a nice excuse to treat yourself to your favourite foods,
The card game sounds it could be fun esp for the younger generation who might not be able to see each other in person.

mandco

Afternoon 
hope everyone is keeping safe esp those affected by the weather at the moment
anyone heard from Free & MrsI lately? 

not much happening here at the moment other than trying to get ds to decide what he wants to do in September ts hard as the usual college tours/open days have not happened and options for apprenticeships are virtually non existent i

murie

Free is OK x

3forholidays

murie said:

Free is OK x

Thanks for letting us know. Do pass on my best wishes.

Waiting on the snow melting here - still several inches thick! ☃️

Spendless

Not much snow where I am. It kept coming and then going quickly. Though my car hadn't been used for days, so when DH went to work away, I needed to run mine and the accumulation of snow on it had me removing it for ages. I was surprised how much there was on the car, considering there wasn't a huge amount left on the roads. I prefer snow like that tbh. I can't abide being out in it, especially driving. I'm happy for it to turn up long enough for people to play in it and take a pic and then it sod off rapidly.

mandco - aren't the colleges doing any virtual open days/tours? That's what DD's college has done for their new prospective students. I'd not thought of the impact on apprenticeships, but yes can see they're also going to be widely affected. I do feel for anyone in their exam years of education, whatever stage or educational leavers. My friend has 3 sons aged 20,18 and 14. Eldest is fine he's working and has been past few years. His girlfriend works at the same place so he gets to see her too, Youngest prefers on-line school to attending and gets on with his work. Her middle one the 18yo is frequently at a loose end. After his first year at college didn't work out, he changed courses, so had only been on it 6 months when lockdown1 came in, ended up abandoning it because how can  a multi trades (construction) course be taught on-line, he picks up bits of work here and there but that's it.  Maybe wait till the 22nd Feb see what Boris updates with. 

princesskitty29

I haven’t managed to get on in a little while as things have been so full on here. My 6 year old is a real handful, thank goodness my 3 year old is very laid back. We’re still doing the schoolwork battle every day, I accepted long ago that we wouldn’t get loads done but now it’s literally trying to get anything done! Thank goodness it’s half term!

 

I had a question I was going to ask you all ages ago but kept forgetting! Are there any foods you eat at Christmas just for nostalgic reasons? I was thinking about it at Christmas time as there’s a couple of things I buy because my mum did! So I know I can buy or make very special sausage rolls and normally if we do have them we’ll opt for nice ones or I’ll make them. But at Christmas I always buy a frozen bag of 50 from Tesco, they’re tiny and more pastry than filling but my mum always bought them and I have such fond memories of her getting them out of the oven, I’d always burn my mouth because I just couldn’t wait to eat them! Another is trifle, we always had trifle after our Christmas dinner and I still do it now, you can get some very special trifle’s but I always buy the Bird’s trifle box because my mum always had it. I put tinned strawberries into the jelly and use real whipped cream instead of dream topping just like my mum did. It got me thinking that I won’t be the only one who does things like that? I really like cooking and love cooking most things I make from scratch but I just can’t stray from these traditions now!

 

mandco sorry to hear about your BiL and family, how are they all doing now? We don’t really ‘do’ Valentine’s Day but I normally cook DH and I a special meal, it’s just an opportunity for us to eat something we like and not have to worry about the boys as we usually eat with them every day. But things have just been so full on in the past couple of weeks so we’re all eating together today, I’m making a pie and I’ll stick a heart shape on top! I did however buy DH a heart shaped brie, we don’t normally buy each other anything but I saw it and thought I would as things are a bit rubbish at the moment. It must be so hard for your DS trying to figure out what he wants to do next, it’s like he can’t make an informed decision at the moment. I hope things become clearer for him soon.

 

Spendless what a bonus finding previously bought presents in the car boot! How are you doing with finding the 18 presents for your DD’s birthday?

 

Redrobin gosh your poor mum picking up covid in hospital! I do hope she is better all round at the moment.

 

kerri sadly I have never sat in an egg chair, they look great!