NST December 2024 – the TARDIS awaits

Thrifty_Taylor

It sounds like you've both had a lovely day ladies.

NSD#13
The wind has dropped here, so went for a walk with DH mid morning. There were showers, but not enough to soak us thankfully!

Finished embroidering on the memory blanket, then sewed the last bits together. If you could see the set up, youd have laughed it fainted with shock! Our living room is tiny, the heated airer us currently in the middle of the floor, as the tree is in the airer's usual spot. DS3 was making a present at the dining table, which meant I had to squeeze the ironing board between the airer & the settee, to use for sewing on!! 

Did the repairs on the last bag of clothes after dinner. A friend popped round to exchange gifts, was nice to see her & her DD.

Wrapped presents whilst tea was cooking, then started mum's quilled picture. It's half done, so should get it finished tomorrow morning.

Grateful for finishing the sewing jobs, some space cleared with the sewing out of my bedroom, that I'll get mum's present made in time & I won't have to dash to the shops tomorrow to buy something!

Betharooni

Sorry for not posting for a few days. At NSD #12 after not spending on Friday and Saturday. Am now on leave from work until the new year, which is much needed. We spent time on the weekend opening the house up to the kitten so she’s been nosing around everything. Am currently on my way up to London for a hospital appointment. Tomorrow we’ll be spending Xmas day with family, which should be nice, if a bit busier than normal as it’s usually just been me, DB1 and Mum. Think tomorrow will be a tough day so just hoping to survive the day, particularly as it will be 4 months exactly since Mum passed. All Xmas shopping done though, just a couple of presents to wrap this afternoon and we have enough food in the house pretty much until the new year. Wishing everyone a peaceful Christmas.

DawnW

NSD #9 for me today.

Happy Christmas everyone

grandmanerd

I've been very busy, Yesterday I started with a visit to the library and got 14 new books. Then I was sweeping the kitchen, made soup and started on the worktops and appliances. Spent over an hour on the microwave - I couldn't work out whether there was a ring of burnt on food or if it was rust. I did get most of it off and will have another try when I move it into the front room. However I'm thinking about getting a new one. My oven is getting unreliable (several things not cooked properly or taking much too long). It will be going once the work gets started. Afterwards I'm going to have a small oven or a large air fryer. Just slightly worried about the microwave going when I'm most dependent on it, after the oven goes and before new arrangements can be made. I'll already be improvising so don't want to be without (the oven at the large house just stopped working, on New Year's Eve when I had a dozen people to feed). The one I have is mum's (about 5/6 years old and I did the same with that one - bought it when her previous one became unreliable so it was lined up, ready to go when the old one just stopped. Very short of sleep for the past two nights so I may just sleep tomorrow (if it's what I need)

This morning I was working on the front room (did a lot of sorting yesterday but ran out of steam before I got to moving furniture).  I slowly cleared about 1/4 of the floor (it's a large room),  swept all the chinchilla droppings from in front of their  cage. then moved 2 pieces of furniture in front of the chimney breast and then pulled the cage forward. Behind the cage, the droppings heap was higher than the skirting board. I think I\'m going to put out 5 bin bags today, 3 mostly on the droppings. I also swept all the cobwebs from the walls (they really show up as they get covered in chinchilla hair. I pulled a 1/4 inch layer of fur from the back of the fan too. At one point had a spider  dangling off the end of my nose. I had to rescue it another 3 times as it kept heading for the pile of sweepings.

I was also concerned that both DS3 and myself had problems  with the toilet over the  past few days (DS3 said it was only draining very slowly). So during one of my rest periods (I've done as much as I could sitting down) I phoned the drain people and the receptionist said someone could come this afternoon after 3 pm. When I finished the call I phoned for a taxi to  take me to the community shop (the taxi driver asked if I could no longer walk that far but my knees and ankles have had enough). I spent £27 (probably about £100 worth of food), the usual 5 veg for a £1 (it was 10 for £1 earlier in the week but there was only a limited selection left, lots outside which I think was free but I didn't want to be greedy. My haul included 2 x 2 large gammon slices, 2 salmon fillets, large breaded chicken nuggets (3 -4 meals worth), a pack of chicken breasts, 2 pork pies, 2 sweet potato and butternut squash pies, half a dozen pasta ready meals. They had gorgeous turkey crowns which they were selling for £10 but left those. I can always go back at the end of this week or the start of next when I can see how the food I have is lasting.

Utterly exhausted when I got home (I walked very slowly) so rested but did little bits when I could. I'm nearly ready to move the kallax unit into the alcove where the cage was but I need a brush (possibly a paint brush) to get the last bits out of the corners. The drain man arrived at 2.30 pm/ The soil stack was clear and the toilet flushed properly for him (he tool a rod up with him) but he found a blockage on the underground pipes when he put the camera down. So a quick and simple solution but I'm glad I called them out. Tackling the problem at the first sign of trouble seems like the right thing to  do - I don't want any extra problems cropping up.

I'm sleepy so I might not do more tonight, I can toddle through over the next 3 days. Mrs Builder is coming on Friday after she finishes work, to help with clearing the kitchen. She was going to come last Saturday but I only saw her message just before noon. Happy Christmas everyone.

beanielou

Happy Christmas to you all. 

weenancyinAmerica

Happy Christmas to all from America - Nancy

Thrifty_Taylor

NSD#14

Merry Christmas all. I hope you've had a relaxing day. I cook Christmas day (DH does the rest of the year). Watched a few videos off my utube list whilst peeling the veg. Had a nap after dinner 😂 before I washed up.

Everyone here has had a good day, I hope you have too.

Betharooni

NSD #13. 

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope all had the nicest possible day. I wasn’t really in the mood tbh but spent the afternoon and evening with family and had a lovely time there.

Thankful for family, supportive friends and entertaining games played together.

DawnW

Today will be NSD #11 for me, as I have no intention to go anywhere, apart from a dog walk, or buy anything.

Had a nice day yesterday with DD2 and her family, but will stay at home today. It is the first Christmas since my brother died, and he always spent it with us, so it seems strange. Anyway, just today and then back to normal. I am thinking of tackling some decorating in the main bathroom. We decided that we don't need to replace it. I did entertain the idea after we had the small shower room done earlier this year, but can't justify the expense. I did buy some storage for it, which I have been very happy with. I now need to repair cracks near the ceiling caused by serious leaks from the shower room (the main reason we had it redone). I can do this and repaint. We will need to have the external render replaced at the front top half of the house this year as it is falling off in places and looks awful, and could potentially lead to damp. This will need doing by a builder. Mine and OH's days of going up ladders, apart from my little step ladder that I will need to reach the bathroom ceiling, are now over, so we will need to reserve the money in the household repair budget to pay for that.

I will cook a chicken today for a roast dinner and for leftovers meals. I will use some of the 8p veg that we got in L*dl the other day to go with it

The weather feels very mild after the cold days we have had recently.

f0xh0les

Good Morning!  and Happy Stephen's Day to all who keep/know a Steve/Stevie/Stephen/Stephan/Stefan or Steeee.

Celebrate them, in all their 'specialness' for indeed they are special.

Yesterday came and went. They opened their presents, went back to their rooms, got called for lunch, they went back to their rooms, they came down for a snacky/buffet at  8pm, they went back to their rooms.  The End.

Next year I will book a holiday instead I think.  They can all play their computer games.  Smallest will be 16 by then.

Today is eating the last of the Xmas bits - I only got in enough for 2 days of festivities - and then the menu will be massively bulked out by veg.  Weight is coming off after the last 6 mince pies and the Xmas pudding are eaten today.

Is it really bad I want to take the tree down already?  Xmas is over now.

I have new carpets going down in the second week of January so I need to get on with decorating.

I got my new 2025 diary, my new 2025 wall calendar, and a 5 year diary.  So I am set and ready and raring to go!