Simple living in the country - back to basics

Cheery_Daff

Thanks EH, yes, families and Christmas are often a tricky one. I don't blame you not wanting all that travelling though. 

Still, it's only one day - doesn't really matter what day it is. I do like the peace of Christmas day, knowing we can't even choose to go anywhere else as nowhere is open, and there's something I love very much about spending the day just lying around and reading, pottering about and cooking Christmas dinner. But I've had that for the last 16 years worth of Christmas days so I shouldn't really complain. But I think it's ok to acknowledge to myself that I will miss it, and then I can move on and just enjoy the day for what it is. 

Won't be going anywhere on boxing day though... 

Lots of resting done today. Mr Cheery got up to let the chickens out, I didn't even get out of bed til 10am, and have sat on the sofa watching Call the Midwife since then. I do like to watch the old episodes before the new one comes out on Christmas day (I confess I haven't actually checked that it will this year!) but I've left it rather late, and I've only just finished season 4 I think that leaves me another 7 seasons worth, including Christmas episodes, to get through, and with the best will in the world even I can't fit in 16 hours a day of Call the Midwife episodes for the next 4 days  

Trying to decide whether to just cut my losses and skip to the end of season 11 so I'm reasonably up to date on who everyone is, or whether to just keep ploughing through in order and not watch the Christmas episode until I've finished (which might be about March) What a decision to have to make! 

Right. Another cuppa, and I want to check the banks, then get dressed and get myself to the big shops. Mind you, there's such a fog I can't even see the garden gate, let alone beyond, so it might be a bit of a trek!

Cheery_Daff

Right, banking all done. Christmas spending has indeed got rather overboard (although technically there are four birthdays in that total as well which I've just lumped in altogether). Today is definitely the last day. 

Had the bill from the plumber too so must pay that today - £545. 

I always forget how alarming this time of year is. House insurance, car insurance, usually a large LPG bill, all due Dec/Jan/Feb so even though everything is saved for, it does rather feel like an awful lot is leaving the bank in a short space of time! 

Definitely a space for Uber Frugal January again I think... 

Baileys_Babe

A couple of years ago I watched all the episodes of Call the Midwife over a couple of months, it was very enjoyable.

Dd has told me this year's Christmas special is airing on Christmas Day, not that it will make a blind bit of difference we will be too busy to put the TV on. We might watch it boxing day.

Cheery_Daff

Evening chums 😊

Oops, realised I didn't answer the question about the race food EH! Yes, they provide snacks, but it's always wise to be prepared - I know from experience that being at the back of the race means sometimes snacks run out (although with this going round in circles there shouldn't be a 'back' as such). Also we'll be walking rather than running, so can take on something a little more substantial 😂

If all else fails there's a cafe nearby 😂😂 i have form for once nipping into a shop for jelly babies during a half marathon 😂 so I'm sure my running friends would be delighted if I left a race in the middle to go to a cafe 😂😂

Anyway, a palaver of a day. For various reasons we didn't even get to our shopping destination til 3pm, then both of us were so tired and uninspired that we only bought one present 🙄

Still, not all is lost. I remembered an extra one I had for my sister, so have drawn a line under hers. The one I bought was for a nephew, and for another nephew I've had an idea and found it online, supposedly delivered before we see them. One final thing to get for Mr Cheery but I'm thinking right now he can manage without that.

So that might just be me done, and I am very glad - both my budget and my enthusiasm for shopping are done in 🙄😂

Fancying a home day tomorrow. Over the next couple of days I'd like to do various things

* hang remaining blinds
* wash up all the dishes in the offshot that have been used for chicken food 🙄 A very tedious and grubby job 🙄
* get some decorations up in the kitchen 
* sew some more present bags
* clear all sewing stuff out of the kitchen
* do a general clean round everywhere
* change sheets
* do some washing
* change bedding in chicken house
* pay plumber
* sort out race food and clothes
* sort all clothes out in spare bedroom (this can wait if it has to)
* write some cards and get them in the post 🙄 Every year I vow to send cards and every year I fail!

That'll probably do - will do a proper plan tomorrow...

KajiKita

The chicken the chicken feed dishes? Can you just leave them to soak for a while in hot soapy water, with a timer to remind you to go back to them after an hour? That would deal with the worst of it would t it?

I so hear you on the Christmas shopping thing! 

KK

joedenise

Certainly wouldn't bother writing and sending cards now!  The post are on strike now until after Christmas so really would be just a waste of money so really not worth it.

Fortune_Smiles

We haven't sent cards for years - except for one or two for people who don't do the internet.  We post Christmas greetings on Facebook or send emails and donate the money we would have spent on cards and postage to charity.

I know it's not the same but writing cards was a chore I detested and it's taken so much pressure off not having to do it.

Well done on completing the Christmas shopping.  We're finished here too although Mr F is still waiting for a final delivery from the big river company.

Fortune x

Cheery_Daff

Evening chums 😊

Still not done much useful today. We've both been really tired. We nipped to the cafe, and then into town for Mr Cheery to do the last of his festive shopping. I did some idle pottering about, and incidentally found something I'd been looking for for Mr Cheery for weeks, so that was a nice bonus! 

Then I sat in a supermarket cafe plotting and scheming over a cuppa while he nipped round for a few bits, so that was nice.

So the beaky dishes haven't been cleaned out, and I'm afraid there's a grim stage before soaking, involving scraping all the dried, encrusted, possibly mouldy ancient chicken food out - yes, we really are that disgusting 🙄 A delightful job for tomorrow 🙄😂

And no cards written either. I will send some, but it's less about sending cards and more a nudge to write letters to people I've not written to in a while. The only cards on their own that I'll send are to a couple of elderly relatives who will appreciate them.

Anyway, tonight is more resting, and tomorrow will be a day of activity!

Ramouth

Don’t envy you the chicken dishes - I am imagining something like dried on weetabix or porridge!

Cheery_Daff

Yep, with a side order of occasional furry mould and chicken droppings 🙄😂

Plans are all up in the air again - Mr Cheery has woken up with a rotten cold. We'll see how the day develops, but if he's still like this later we won't be going anywhere tomorrow. 

On a more immediate note, it does mean I'm on my own with sorting out the house today.

First though - the last 10 mins of this episode of Call the Midwife, and dressed. 

Then I think I'm going to have to accept the rest of the blinds aren't going to get put up today. So I'll pack everything up and restore things to order for Christmas, and they can go up at some point later. And then on with the rest of the house and some wrapping!