Frump to Fab 2022 - The Big One

liberty_lily

Glad you're feeling better now, Sugarbaby 🙂

We have also cut back on what I'm calling 'gratuitous gifting' this year...plus overall we are planning to have a fairly pared back Christmas, concentrating instead on relaxing in our (hopefully) virtually completed living room, indulging in some delicious festive food and doing absolutely nothing 😁

We have still sent cards (although the number we send has reduced drastically over the years), but I had loads left over from previous Christmases (I've always over-bought!) plus many postage stamps that needed using up. The only cards we needed to buy were for each other and immediate family (so four in total 😉) meaning a very small outlay.

Thankfully, there are no plans to entertain or go anywhere (except some nice wintery walks locally with the dogs!)...yay!

Apart from those few gifts (mostly got - except for something small for DH who can't decide, lol!), the food (the most important elements of which were ordered back in Sept 🙄) and the real tree (bought two weeks ago), we had very little to buy this year - all wrapping paper, tags, crackers etc have come from our stockpiled stash whilst the decorations including wreaths and garlands have been accumulated over the years.

It all feels quite liberating 😊

chanie

i love buying xmas gifts, but i’ve culled a few more people off our list this year, due to costs. i’m quite far behind with gifts this year as our building works were so time consuming and expensive.  Me and OH have agreed not to buy each other presents this year and just focus on everyone else.

a bit of house fabbing…… i have been on the lookout for a side table and i was driving past a second hand furniture shop, when i saw this table.  The shop owner told me he thought it was G plan and i nodded like i knew what he was talking about and snapped it up for £20.  A quick online search later told me that g plan was a popular furniture brand in the 60s and all the hipsters are buying it now.  This table was part of a nest of tables and i’ve seen the whole set online for £100+.  

sugarbaby125

Chanie, that is a stylish table. Made to last. A real bargain. 

liberty_lily

Nice table Chanie...and what a bargain 😊 I'm incredibly late to the Mid Century Modern party, having loved the Arts & Crafts Movement and Art Nouveau since my student days (although back then I could only afford the cheaper end of Art Deco so merely admired the Arts & Crafts/Nouveau from afar 🙄). Now we've sold much of our collection and have embraced eclecticism I've warmed to certain aspects of MCM and like blending styles more than I ever did as it gives you so many more options 😉

Wednesday2000

Nice table.:) It looks familiar so I think someone in my family had a table like that years ago.

I bought a console table (just from Amazon) to go in our hallway. I have forgotten to take my phone out with me twice since we moved here and once forgotten my keys so I leave everything on the table to stop me forgetting!

I didn't go out to London as I felt so wiped out from having the flu jab last week. I was supposed to meet my friend Thursday and didn't so my husband went round to give them a xmas card and my friend was ill from having the jab too. He had it the day after me. 

I am looking forward to the football today!

My dog keeping warm wrapped up in my jumper.

liberty_lily

Super cute pic of your dog, Wednesday 😊 

We had a flurry of snow earlier and looks like more might be heading our way. Kitchen and living room wood burners are lit and later today hopefully the last bits of plastering -apart from that area of yet-to-be-built boxing over the pipework - will get done 🤞

We brought the Christmas tree indoors this morning to acclimatise it (and keep it out of the snow 🙄) and it's currently sitting in a bucket of water close to where it will eventually stand. 

I'll be mist-coating some of the fully dry plaster this afternoon ahead of tonight's football which we're both really excited about!

sheilavw

hi Chanie, my first job was junior office clerk at GPlan here in Lancashire, they had another branch in High Wycome. They manufactured the sofas where I worked. Lots of snow here today on and off

chanie

@liberty_lily Snap.  i’ve also spent the day mist coating our walls. The area i’m painting is the stairs and landing of our loft conversion, so whilst it isn’t a big area, it’s lots of high ladder work.  Should be able to finish tomorrow and then we can get the flooring sorted and be done for Christmas.

@sheilavw thats a coincidence that you used to work for gplan, i know i’ll be in good hands.

@Wednesday2000 your doggy looked lovely and warm.

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

I had my final 4 hour session with Ola and Kirk Anne for Neighbourhood Voices.  I had learnt so much about playwriting and written my 1st play, but my playwriting journey has only just begun. I still have so much more to learn.

We all had to write a duologue which was only 2-3 minutes long, so in January we will go to the read through for everyone's duologue. Then we also have another date when we will meet the actors and director for our duologue and see what they are doing with our work.

It is my older daughter's birthday today. She is 41 years old today. I could not visit her because of my final session but I spoke to her and she had a lovely family celebration with her husband, her son, her son's partner, her grandson, her granddaughter, her brother and her 2 nieces. 

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

I went to the Ritzy cinema this afternoon to watch the Ingmar Bergman film Fanny and Alexander. It was subtitled, which did not take away from the action or the dialogue as the story unfolded. I really enjoyed this period drama, it is full of human failing but also human warmth. It is quite melodramatic. I got a free ticket, as a Picturehouse member so saved myself £8.70.     For me this film was a 9/10   

Even the heavy snow fall on my way home did not dampen my spirits. I was wrapped up very warm with my faux fur hat and scarf and leather gloves. I had one of my wind proof automatic umbrella, so it kept most of the snow fall off me. I was also wearing thick leggings under my skirt to keep my legs warm. 

It was so lovely to arrive home to a really warm home.