Happy New Year.

A New Year, hope its all you want it to be..

Be Happy.

Heathy 

and 

Content!

 Chrisxx

New Year Resolutions... Yes/No?

 I'm not making any new year resolutions but I am going to.....

Carrying on losing weight. (Trying)

Carry on learning Welsh. 

Reading books I like.

Clearing out stuff.

Walking regularly. 

Knitting socks.

Trying not to spend toooo much money on plants!

Generally the same as this past year, seems a bit boring, but no point saying I'll do something that I won't! What about you?

The Face Book reading group I belong to are doing a 24 Book Blast, where you choose 24 books that you own but haven't read and read them in 2024.. I do have books on my shelves I haven't read because I didn't like them, but I might try some this year. I bought them in Lock down and couldn't get into them, perhaps I could now?

But first I'm going to read the 4 books I bought from WOB, by Elizabeth Berg, the author I found this past year.

Durable Goods; The Pull of the Moon; The Story of Arthur Truluv; The Confession Club.. so I'm really looking forward to reading them. 

What about you? Resolutions?

Chrisxx

A very special, rare present!

 I do love Christmas, and these days my lovely husband does everything to make it a lovely time for me. So different to my childhood. I didn't have many presents as a child, it was post war (WW2) and money was short.. so every thing was scarce..One year I remember Father Christmas bringing me a red doll's pram, with a china faced doll, she was beautifully dressed. I never noticed that her dresses were made of material like that of my own dresses. One of my Aunty's was a seamstress and made all my dresses and my dolls clothes too! I must have been 5 so 1947?

I loved that pram and the doll whose name was Maureen, don't know where I got that name from, as no TV and so probably heard it. I was happy to walk with my other Aunty to the town later that week, me pushing my pram.  We met one of her friends, who was housekeeper to the local Dr. She said, she had a special present for me and put it under my doll's cover with a .....'shhhh don't show till you get home!'

And this was it... an orange.. I'd never seen one before, during the war there were none.

I'm sure it was delicious and shared between us all, my gran and two Aunties.. what joy! I've always loved oranges.

Do any of you have similar memories?

Chrisxx

Brrr but all for charity.

The Christmas Day Charity swim!

And these always standing by in case they were needed.

There are usually about 400 people doing this every year.

And these too making sure everyone is safe.. all volunteers working every day 24/7 

          All amazing wonderful people who do  this every year.

                It was cold and very wet!

Chrisxx

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

 

Hope everyone has  a wonderful day and that Santa's brought you loads of presents

Chrisxx

Finished!

 We've finished our advent jigsaw, it wasn't easy.. Dh did most of it after the first few days! I got fed up!

Each 42 pieces came in their own numbered box and the back of each piece is numbered too, 1008 pieces.

I did the 24th day this morning.

I don't know if we'd do another one, having it on our dining room table has meant lifting the board off for meals.

I expect we'll do a jigsaw after Christmas as a winter activity.

Dh is busy in the kitchen cooking the Jamie Oliver gravy, roasted veg, bashed chicken wings and herbs, he loves to faff around in the kitchen!

And if you wondering did we cut that huge pork pie and have some for breakfast today?? Of course we did, I had a small slice but still a bit much for me, so just having an oxo for my lunch! No Sunday dinner today we're having steak and salad this evening instead.

One more sleep!

Chrisxx

Ready or not it will arrive!

So are you ready?? 

Why do we put ourselves under such pressure.. I've said to Dh, will it matter if we haven't vac-ed the lounge,  cleaned the windows, or swept up the leaves by the  front door? No, it won't and I won't be bothered if we don't get those things done, we will still have Christmas.

Today I went to have my hair done, and when we got back by the time we'd had a coffee and chatted, there was only time to whoosh the bathroom, eat our leek and potato soup, before it was time to drive to pick up our groceries. We had a 'click and collect' as we missed the 'window' to book a delivery.

Its really easy, as there's an area for it before you enter the car park, so we're usually in and out in no time, but today there was a queue... although we only had to wait about 10 mins. 

We checked through everything as we unpacked and Dh started to laugh. He likes to have pork pie for breakfast on Christmas day, odd?? Evidently its a 'thing' in W Midlands!

He had ordered a 440g one and they had substituted it for a 790g one!! So it will be enough for several breakfasts, lunches and teas! Really, I think he was rather pleased!

All else was fine and we had collected our duck from our home town butcher in the morning, so all's well and we'll be ready, even with windows that need cleaning!

Chrisxx

Weather!

 Storm Pia, doing its worst in my town.

And over the pier, poor Light House!

No need to tell you we stayed in!

We don't need to look out at the weather, altho' the front prom is about a mile from us, we can hear the sea at the beach just 10 mins walk away.

Also the gulls swoop around us when the sea is rough, squawking. such a noisy lot! 

A sure indication of a rough sea.

Chrisxx

What is old?

Its my birthday! I'm old,  but I never envisaged being this old when I was young, but as three of my friends have died in the last few years I am grateful and feel blessed I have got to the age I am.

When I was about 13 or 14 and in school, (it was an all girls boarding school) we had a new teacher start, called Miss Howells, she taught the science subjects and I was in her biology class. I loved her, she was fairly new in teaching and chatted to us, unlike the other teachers. We learned she was 28 and I thought wow that's old and no boyfriend!

Coming up to Valentines Day I decided to send her a Valentine Card. I sent it to a cousin living in the Midlands for her to post it from there. On the day,  we all asked Miss Howells, not had she had a card, but how many cards had she received?  she shyly said, that she had received one and blushed. I was so pleased that she was pleased... 

When I think back now, perhaps it was a bit cruel to send the card, but there was no malice in my action, I just thought a lot of her and admired her and loved her . When I left she signed my Autograph book, saying..'Keep learning and smiling' I kept that book for years and then over the years it disappeared, but I have always remembered her. I did well in Biology, but don't all children excel in subjects when they like the teacher?

I often met children I had taught, while I still lived in Essex and sad to say some of the names were forgotten, but the ones who bounced up to me smiling and obviously happy to see got my most beaming smile and the comment, 'And what are you doing these days?' (Note no name!)

The photograph is of the beautifully wrapped presents from my lovely husband.

Chrisxx

Have you made your list?

 Are these really getting smaller?

It seems people who buy these every year say they are, and we did see a TV programme featuring tins of chocolates, that showed they are smaller. I can remember when pound jars of jam became 14 oz, so it has always been happening!

I am not a great chocolate eater. although when offered one I'll happily take one and eat it, but I can leave them. People on any kind of diet complain that chocolate is their downfall and that its very difficult to leave. Is it a drug, some people think it is??

I love crunchy vanilla fudge, Waitrose, Tesco and the Coop all sell it, all the same weight, but the Coop price is the cheapest! I've asked Santa for some, and other toys I would like.  I don't believe in 'thought transfer' and ask Dh outright.  I even tell him where to buy them! I actually give him a list of three things and ask for one item off the list! 

Have you made your list?

Chrisxx