NST December 2024 – the TARDIS awaits

ldee2111

Good evening, turtles. Today was a grocery delivery day, so I’m sticking on NSD6. It’s been a very busy day: two hefty loads of washing done, two loads put away, three kitchen drawers cleared and cleaned, four kitchen cupboards cleared and cleaned, and eight shelves… and a partridge in a pear tree.

The Christmas cards I ordered the other night arrived, so DS and I wrote them out—DS did cards for his school friends, and I handled the ones for the neighbours. We went all-in on the festive vibes today, having hot chocolate with marshmallows and watching a Christmas film together as a family. Ho, ho, ho! Some of those films for us 90s kids used some interesting lingo! OH and I glancing at each other and then at DS to see if it has even registered. 

I also got a random surprise refund of £12 on something I bought from Amazon, which I still have, so it must be a technical glitch. But I will gratefully receive £12 from the multi-billion dollar, especially at this time of year. 

I’ve just come out of a lovely, toasty bath where I relaxed for 20 minutes or so by candlelight—perfect for unwinding and cleaning myself after my kitchen cleaning session… how do those crumbs and the unknown sticky stuff get that far back in your cupboards anyway?

Feeling grateful today for precious time with my family, a bit of morning chat with the chirpy grocery delivery driver, hot chocolate, Christmas films and tunes, and OH’s excellent homemade pizza for dinner (which is still in the oven but I know will be good).

f0xh0les

Back home after 3 days working away. NSD 9.  Submitted expenses and timesheets.

2 loads of laundry washed and dried, combined with the 3 loads that were clean and dry but unfolded that I found in the kitchen. All folded and returned to owners.  PE kit ready for the last 4.5 days of term.

Caught the last 10 minutes of Ice Cold in Alex, so Christmas has officially started.  Not had a gluhwein, or a mice pie yet, but did have a  couple of pieces of chocolate covered gingerbread this morning, in my defence,  I was awake before 6am, which is just uncivilised on a non-work day.  I don't currently have any work booked for the rest of the year, so I suppose apart from the volunteering, I am on holiday....

Can't believe the port of Holyhead is closed and no boats are going to go from there to Dublin until 20th December.  It is going to be Bedlam - the post goes that way!

grandmanerd

Back home from the family Christmas meal and gift exchange. Beautiful food, lovely time was had. Earlier I went to the GPO and dispatched all the cards including 2 to the I O M. This afternoon I found the hidden Christmas present and wrapped and bagged presents. Went upstairs for my shower and when I came back I couldn't find my sellotape and scissors. I was still standing up so I wasn't sitting on them. Used a variety of techniques to get them sorted. I have loads of ribbons but they were hiding too, just found a couple of short lengths, luckily all I needed.

DS1 came to pick me up, Loaded into the car with my stick and handbag, 2 stuffed bags of presents. DS2 was late. I had asked for the starters to be brought out as the baby was having soup and it would need to cool for a bit. They were expecting a party of 16 and I thought we needed to get our starters before they came. DS2 arrived as they were bringing them out, they'd been stuck in Trafford Centre traffic. I gave my grand-daughter a small present - this year's tree decoration - a dinosaur as she has been leaning about dinosaurs. I pulled out her books to read now - I've committed to buying a book for each month but tend to hand them over in packages. 8 Funny bones books this time and I was coerced into reading 3 of them plus her 'heritage' book Greta Thunberg from the little people, big ideas series. Her wrapped Christmas book is People need People by Benjamin Zephaniah. I'd also taken a tub of wild bird seed from my large tin container, so she can feed the birds (but being careful at home because her friends the next door cats might want to play with the little birds and hurt them because they are so much bigger). Uncle DS1 said they'd kill the birds and I was lying. I was trying to tell the truth but not traumatise the child.

She did peer into the bag of parcels but made no attempt to touch them so much more self-control than my mother who would pick up presents, shake and sniff them trying to work out what they were.

DS1 looked at the identity stuff but couldn't make any progress. I'll need to get in touch with them (or the solicitors) and ask them to give me a viable link.

So that's my social obligations for the year done. I do have tests to organise ahead of some medical reviews but otherwise I can veg and plod my way through sorting my house.

Grateful for a lovely time, getting cards and presents done despite obstacles, a lovely time with family. 

beanielou

So glad you had a lovely time @grandmanerd. 

Thrifty_Taylor

Sounds like a lovely day @grandmanerd. I've had one too!

Picked mum up, dropped sewing off (so good to drop them off & not collect more 😀), then dash round L1DL & Tosco. Didn't spend as much as normal, as I've got most things in now. Dropped some cards through letterboxes, & the bauble for work bestie. We took her dogs for a 4 mile walk, then rushed home.

Quickly ate dinner, then drive a few miles up the road & foraged some miss, before going to a friend's & we both made a wreath. Had a great afternoon & very happy with our end products.

Spent the evening knitting more if a Christmas present.

Grateful for a fun day, time with mum & friends, my door wreath

DawnW

NSD #7 for me today. Yesterday was hectic but nice, with an early family Christmas party at my son's and new(ish) daughter-in-law's house. Early because they leave for their delayed honeymoon in warmer climes on Monday morning. Lovely to see almost everyone together   We had to leave early, at just after 6 to babysit for DD2 and her husband who were going to his works 'do'. They weren't late back, but I was shattered after all that, and am still tired today. Shame the two events coincided but can't be helped. The kids were really good, so that was a plus.

This morning I went for a walk with OH and the dog, then froze some of the mince pies that I made on Friday evening. Also some bread rolls that our hosts insisted we bring back as they didn't want perishable food left in the house. I assume they didn't have space in their own freezer, or too much to do in advance of their trip to bother.

Got the soup maker out, and made a spicy sweet potato and carrot soup with fridge veggies. I had some for lunch

They I got the little potted Christmas tree in and decorated it. One of the little sets of battery operated fairy lights has died, so I will need to buy another, but all good otherwise. All presents are now bought, including the secret santa for work. I need a gift bag for that. I will look in one of the local pound-ish shops for both.

I also cut the remaining chillies off the plant in the conservatory and composted it, as it was infested with aphids. I washed the chillies and froze them. It is easy to chop them straight from the freezer for use.

Now cooking dinner for tonight which is pretty easy, as it is pre-made chilli with jacket potato, coleslaw, chopped beetroot and spring onions. I have beetroot in the garden that I am trying to use up before they deteriorate, and had a few rather sad spring onions left in the fridge.

Grateful today for seeing family yesterday and for a quiet, pottering sort of day today

f0xh0les

Today I went to the Costa del Seal at Donna Nook on the Lincolnshire coast.  

Not a NSD as we had to hit the local c00p for a sandwich lunch for 3 - came to less than £20 so not too spendy, and there is enough left over for DS4's packed lunch tomorrow.  School ends at 11.30 on Friday. 

This week is going to d-r-a-g  so I wanted to do something nice, and the seals might be away by next weekend. 4 hour round trip but definitely worth it, plenty of baby seals everywhere!  Less than a foot away from us.   Happy day today.  Will never forget it.  £5 for car parking.  Amazing day.

grandmanerd

Apparently my grand-daughter said she was missing me as they drive home yesterday evening. So the day started with a video phone call with her and DS2 as he was getting her dressed for the day. They were going to the theatre to see 'Stick Man'. Poor stick man seems to have had a traumatic existence - he falls out of his family tree, is carried off by a dog and ends up far away, A family collect him for firewood and finally Father Christmas rescues him and gets him back home in time for Christmas.

I asked about the dinosaur I had given her and DS2 went to get it out of his pocket, then I watched her put it on the tree (third time lucky as the string of lights was impeding access). DS2 had been reading her Funny Bones books to her this morning and she now has a favourite. Yesterday she insisted on me reading them to her as soon as I pulled them out  of the bag. 

My throat is still sore but not as bad as 2 days ago but I am very very tired and there's a squeaky wheeze when I breathe, Mostly relaxing today but brisket with veg was cooked, a few more things went out on the line (spaces where I have brought things in), more things put away in the fridge (I only managed the freezer stuff yesterday) and the sink to drain bucket trip happened 3 times. Some washing up done, some rubbish rounded up, medicinal ice cream loll consumed. Need to write a list of things I need and try to fit them in on days I can venture out,

Grateful for more time with my grand-daughter, easy food, making progress, time to rest

f0xh0les

I was in a hotel on the Quays til Friday, so did the tour guide thing as an ex-local. Showed them round, pointed out media city, and the Blue Peter garden, then did the Lowry Exhibition in the gallery. There were streams of tiny kids holding hands, two-by -two, coming out of StickMan and you could tell they had loved it. Hope grandaughternerd enjoyed it.
I always thought Stickman was a bit of an idiot and didn't deserve Mrs Stick or his Stick Children. The scrapes that stick got into, the egomaniacal shouting of "I'm Stickman, I'm Stickman, I'm Stickman, that's me! and I have to get back to my family tree! " 
I had to explain to a work colleague who Stickman was, and it turns out I can still recite 75% of it over 10 years later. Her face was priceless.....
That part of my brain could have been used to understand maths. Or maybe the bit storing all those song lyrics......... 
If maths was taught by song or rhyme I would have been brilliant at it! 🤣🤣🤣

Thrifty_Taylor

Bless you @f0xh0les, you do make me laugh! I'd noticed a pupil carrying stick man round the playground, one day last week. The next day it was an even bigger version of it! 

Stormaggeddon here, so stayed indoors. Cut out the squares for the patchwork memory blanket, & assembled them on my machine. Had to collect DS2 from town, was pleased the barriers weren't closed (as they often are in horrendous weather!) & he could get home.

Grateful for George Michael, I watched the programmes from last night, & sang along as I sewed, staying cosy & that the barriers were open

NSD#8