Not dropping Santa down the chimney!: 2025 Santa, Shoebox & Life Chit,Chat,Chunter! ALL welcome....

Katiehound

hi Chanie
Glad to see that you are back on line , hope the load of stress has abated.....

Got home today from the Norfolk trip.
 Jeepers it was so hot up to 31 degrees- too hot to even think straight.
 It was like that every day I  was away but very thankfully a bit cooler today on the way home. Last Monday it seemed that every Tom !!!!!! & Harry was en route to Norfolk- nose to tail traffic jams (remembered Victor Meldrew & the b/h trip?) and of course I had my dog in the car with a wet bandana tied round his neck to cool him  down. it didn't help that the main road was closed only a few miles from my destination with diversion signs that took you through housing estates and.... just left you! Fine if you are a local but I found myself heading off in totally the wrong direction....Arrived at my friend's breathing fire & brimstone!

Today the only holdups were on the 2 railway lines that I cross (rare things in these parts of the world) but both managed to have the level crossings closed- one literally closed as I got to it- the van in front was allowed through!!

Still unpacking. Rain forecast for the day tomorrow but washing done.

8 shoeboxes delivered thankfully.(and 2 knee blankets) No, no space created. Must remember to do my online form with bank payment which is so much easier than handing it over with Gift Aid paperwork.

the car is getting new shock absorbers on Thursday. it will be good not to hear the squeals going round corners & over potholes!

off to walk the hound in the drizzle after hunting for snails on my hostas- loads of munched leaves........

Katiehound

One depressed hound at home after yesterday's 'small' procedure. He has to wear the collar for 10 days & can't control it! (Plus only lead walking & no playing with other dogs or children)
Not much change from £700.

Today the car is at the garage for new shock absorbers but I got home with the teeny courtesy car and there was howling at home....
My wings are clipped too... may be able to leave him for a swim tomorrow.....

Happy_Kitties

Katiehound I hope your car is now sorted and depressed hound has the cone of shame off soon. Vet bills are not cheap, for my cat she has cost me a mini fortune but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Well today is the day. It has took me a week of planning and packing and yesterday to fill the car up with extra items (including some of Katiehound’s bags she made and sent me) for the hub organiser for the extra projects she does, including extra bits for the shoeboxes. Also taking over 6 finished shoeboxes but plan is to do another 4, I have one nearly finished already. 

I have a big tub that the items were stored in. Hub items are now out and wrapped Christmas presents in (you can see with the tub how I have cut back on presents, much less in there). My DDs bedroom looks empty so tomorrow I plan to give it a dust and hoover. Battled down on the stairlift last night with 300 m on wrapping paper going all different ways, still got to get this in the car. I remember getting these rolls stupidly cheap 2 years ago, storing them away and forgetting to give them to the organiser last year. 

One problem present for birthday and Christmas, I was browsing on the B@@ts site, spotted something that would be perfect and even better they have some items half price, like a promotion to almost encourage people to be looking at their Christmas items. We have a very small store where I live, will pop in next week to see if they have the items in I want, if not I will order online. My plan is to get finished by mid October so there is no panic but it depends on how I am feeling as I’m not the biggest fan of shopping or wrapping.

I hope everyone os doing okay and by the sounds of it keeping busy. x

Happy_Kitties

6 shoeboxes dropped off so far. The hub organiser was determined to get everything in her car, it was really funny as I dropped the extra items off aswell including some bags Katiehound made. DDs bedroom looks very bare, still decluttering bits from it.

4 shoeboxes to go, the one nearly finished is still nearly finished and I have a shoebox ready for the next one. I’m hopefully going to volunteer for at least one session at the hub. I cannot believe that October is fast approaching, I really need to drop birthday presents off to Duncle, for the life of me I cannot find one which is really frustrating, I’m going to have another look tonight. 

Really need to do a recycling centre run with the items I have been decluttering from DDs room while I was getting the hub bits out. I seem to be doing stuff but not getting anywhere fast at the minute which is really annoying. 

Katiehound

Ah well life threw a wobbler at me last week!

last Tuesday I ended up at urgent care (no A&E here) with a 3-4" gash in my head. Played tug-of-war with a towel on the clothes line but it came away in my hand and I fell backwards into wooden fence & concrete post. One minute at the line, next in a heap on the little retaining wall with a 'grazed' head... that's what I thought anyway.
Much later in the day phoned friends and my dog runner came to look- verdict: nasty. her daughter is a paramedic so she sent daughter a photo. Go straight to hospital! (Do not pass GO!)

Nurse at Urgent Care wanted me to go to A&E- 30 mile round trip but I said I would be alright. No concussion just a gash which is now held together with 11 metal staples! Can't get head wet so no swimming (or hair washing come to that!). Clips come out mid day Friday and I suspect that will not be a pleasant experience!!  Local anaesthetic in scalp wasn't too nice either. 
 Today I went to leisure centre & told them what had happened- how I wasn't allowed to swim and although they said they usually  needed a letter from the doctor they extended membership for 4 weeks. I pointed out that I hadn't been to GP

Shay's lampshade of shame came off last Friday and he is one happy bunny. Only a teeny scar beside his eye.

Today I am busy sewing duvets because I couldn't get in touch with the groomer: seems my phone was not taking messages. Think I have actually lost count of how many I made over the summer. Suspect there are 10 that I have forgotten!

Off to sew 2 duvets now as need to deliver tomorrow......

Hope everyone is fit and well. Autumn is upon us: don't like the shorter days.....

Katiehound

Staples out yesterday but head still tender. It was a bang! clip removal was......painful.

Need to pack with a bit more oomph now. Leaving on Monday

take care & stay well, avoiding the nasties, if possible.
Katiehound x

Anglea

Hi everyone,

Katiehound I wonder how you are feeling now after your fall and where you are as you were leaving in your last message here?

I could have sworn that I had posted here after Chanie's return but can't see anything of mine since August. Good to have you back Chanie.

I've been spending most days either with my own medical appointments or mum's. And mum has another one 8.40 am tomorrow and I have one on Wed and Friday, literally never ending. Every week it's either one of us or both.

I spent Autumn Equinox visiting a standing stone, the one I've mentioned before and we looked through the graveyard nearby. Then we went to Bristol for a Sea Shanty Pirate Festival. This wasn't successful as everything was too noisy and crowded and even though I was starving as hadn't eaten all day we had to come back home and go to a chip shop in order to eat.

DS2 was here on a visit yesterday and it all went to plan but I haven't heard from his brother (Japanese wedding) for months, he's totally awol since his last visit here. I think a part of me is reluctant to call him just in case he tells me some kind of bombshell news which is usually the case. And I don't think my nerves are up to anything more.

I did hear from exH that DS turned up at a funeral which I had no idea he was attending so I know he's ok.

But I do feel a bit down in the way he is because it's not just me but mum and it's as though we don't exist.

Happy Kitties, when I read about you going down the stairlift with the wrapping paper I remembered the hole in the ceiling. It's amazing how many shoeboxes you are all making for charity. I really enjoy reading about Katie's sewing and everything you are all buying.

I've restarted the art/craft club after a year's absence and at the moment just making things for art abandonment whilst I decide what to make for the online friend for Christmas. I have a few options.

How are you Auti? Any more bags or baking?

Auti

Angela - hi. Have made a multicoloured corner to corner crochet snuggle blanket using 2 strands of yarn so it is a good weight (bottom piccy) then child loved it so much that he wanted one so I made him one, just single strand, out of what I has left and a couple of balls of yarn I had to buy to finish it off (top piccy). Also doing some parchment craft (pergarmano type) for christmas cards etc.  Keep safe and hope DS is fine - I have one that unless I instigate a message I would never hear from but that is just him with no malice intended just focussed on his day to day stuff. I have accepted that it is just him and so I randomly text with random stuff and it works for us  I have another that texts overtime and usually about not a lot but for him I think it is a bit for reassurance so again just go with the flow

Happy_Kitties

Auti- I love the snuggle blankets, they really are lovely. U made me smile when u said about ur two DS’s and messaging. That describes DD exactly! She is either one or the other, never anything else, but she knows I’m always here if she is ever stuck.

Katiehound-I hope the head has settled now. Sounded very sore staples in and  after the staples came out. 

Anglea- you do get to some amazing places. I think I would have struggled with the festival but I love hearing about ur adventures. I’m abit the same at the minute with hospital appointments, I had to go for a minor procedure last week and was  sent home as they had not done the pre op properly. This is the second time now. It is an awful hospital, has a terrible reputation and back in special measures. Next week I have a 6 hour round trip for different pre op with another hospital. This one is excellent and I don’t mind the travelling at all.

Chanie- I hope you are doing okay

Another shoebox completed and i have finally found the missing birthday present. I have arranged with Duncle when he will be in so I can drop them off (then will complete the last of the Christmas presents). 

The shoebox hub organiser put up photos on the shoebox hub of all the gift bags made up ready for local projects. Makes me feel happy that I played a small role in it. I am hoping to volunteer at the hub before Christmas so I want to get at least another shoebox done that I can drop off when I go. When I was hunting for the missing birthday present, I found more items that should of gone to the shoebox organiser, so need to take them over with some other bits.
I went into the next town yesterday to pick up items from Arg@ s only to find I had left my phone at home with the details on. So had a float about which is unusual for me. I went to Dunelm and picked up 3 gift labels from their gift tree. From the things I already had at home I’ve already managed to fulfil 1 1/2 so far. A trip to The W@rks also finished off the big present label as that wanted quite a few things, but I think that is being split down into several presents, 

Still haven’t fixed the hole in my ceiling but I have finally got my little autumn display out. As the days get shorter I love light and I have my glass pumpkins in the display and glowing away. 

Think that is everything for now, take care and stay safe everyone. Safe journeys Katiehound!

Anglea

Hi everyone.

Auti I find the corner to corner blankets very interesting and wonder if they are harder to make than a large blanket on a base row or much easier? I have found myself missing stitches when it's the base row method and it often ends up out of shape hence I used to make blankets from squares instead.

Happy Kitties I love the idea of glass pumpkins. I have DS2 visiting on Saturday so don't have time to do a longer post as have to get ready to go out and get some final items.

Katiehound and Chanie I hope you are both ok.

I finally heard from DS1 on my birthday the other week and I called him again on another day as I had been on my way out when he first called. As usual he's done some unusual things, flying the plane for weekends away and sleeping in tents under it.