Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2024

My brother had an Afgan coat, a genuine one, bought in Afghanistan back in the days before anyone had heard of the Taliban etc. He and a friend did a long overland trip by coach, and visited all sorts of places you wouldn't dare go to nowadays. How the world has gone so far backwards in terms of conflicts, etc, is such a tragedy .
Unfortunately, the coat was stolen from a friend's car, so he only had it just over a year.

 

I have a friend following the FODMAP 'diet'. She came for lunch in the summer and I was given a long list of what she was unable to eat, the combinations of various foods - and pedantic allowances of others. In the end, I settled on gluten free puff pastry sausage rolls and salad. Truly restrictive, but she said she felt miles better for it. She reads ingredient lists forensically.
@Liriodendron your daughter will probably come well prepared.

 

I hadn't got a scooby @Penny_Forthem

 

Finished my English Christmas cards, will post them tomorrow.

 

Well done @Busy-Lizzie.

 

Evening folks, we've been fortunate with the weather today, dry, sunny and mild but unfortunately I didn't get out in the garden, apart from filling up the bird feeders.
I had rather a disturbed night so slept late as did OH, so breakfast in bed wasn't till after 9 am and we stayed in bed just chatting to each other till gone 10. Enjoyed our usual walk in the sunshine and bought a box of Xmas cards - the family are meeting up soon so I thought I'd take the cards with us.

No lunch as it's a fasting day, then OH drove us to our nearby shopping street for my pedicure whilst he had his hair cut. It was lovely having my toes pampered and she also dug a nasty corn out of the ball of my foot which was a bonus.

I was just watching ETTC when we got back when the electricians turned up to deal with a dodgy spotlight in an awkward position in the kitchen - we're not tall enough any more to reach it easily and can't get a stepladder near enough. They had one of those folding platform thingies, not that high but it made the job much easier. OH had thought the wiring was suspect but the chap checked it, popped in a new LED spotlight and bob's your uncle, done. Going to be expensive........ I wonder if OH would like a platform thingie for Xmas?!!

 

Sounds like you’ve all been busy! A satisfying day today, bus into Exeter for my eye test. All signed off as healthy, my cataracts are getting worse but slowly, and I’ve got a new prescription for driving and reading glasses. I’ve ordered four pairs, but three of them only cost £15 each including the lenses! Two for reading, and the other cheap one for distance, for watching tv. Not that much more than the over the counter ones I’ve been managing with for the last few years. I splashed out a little for a pair for driving with anti reflective coatings, but still reasonable.
I did look round the Christmas market, and a few shops, but I didn’t enjoy it. There were a lot of people shopping for Christmas presents, and I overheard several conversations about whether so and so might like such and such an item. That combined with all the shelves piled up with things that only get sold at this time of year, made me quite uncomfortable. All I could think of was the amount of money potentially being wasted on unwanted fripperies, and the container ships that must have lugged all the ‘stuff’ from China.
Some years ago, I realised that I really had little idea what my children, their spouses and grandsons would really like, and don’t already have. So instead, everyone gets money in their bank accounts for birthdays and Christmas, and instructions to let us know what they spent it on. At least we know it’s not been wasted on something that didn’t fit, didn’t suit, or ended up in the bin before New Year. And I’d never have guessed that one family member would really enjoy a day course at the Waitrose cookery school! I make up for my lack of imagination by ensuring that when they visit over Christmas, the food offerings are lavish and indulgent!
Much colder here today, but the sun was out. And we spent an hour and a half filling our green bins with fallen twigs and branches, and more of the leaves. Box ticked!

 

Oh @Blue arbour, you are making me feel quite excited about Christmas now. @lizzie27, I'm glad the light was sorted and I must say I do like the sound of the platform. If it was reasonably lightweight I would quite like one for my indoor jobs. They sound a bit more stable than a stepladder. @Ergates, I think that is a very clever idea about giving monsy to family members rather than trawling through shops or t'internet for gifts.

 

No such luck here with 2 of my children, my sons! They said they didn't want money as they have more than me. Not the point!

 

Evening folks.

Managed an hour outside today - cleared the gutters above garage and also found a dead magpie by my bins . Thinking back, there was a squawking rumpus outside the other morning - so must have been then.

I wonder if C’ cards will fade out even more now the price of stamps has gone up? I remember posting and hand-delivering dozens of cards when I was a child but I don’t think people do so much now. Remember when Avent Calendars just had a little picture each day? Now it’s wine, socks or make up! There’s even pet treat ones! (Oo I should keep this for my Grinch thread that I’ll start in December…)

I’m going to grab a cuppa now - ready for the Bake Off Final. Enjoy if you are watching it. Take care all.

 

If its dry tomorrow I will be clearing my gutters @AuntyRach as the leaves, thanks to Bert, are virtually all off the trees now. I've got an Ocado delivery - first time ever - so it will be interesting. Due between 09:00 and 10:00 which leaves me a good stretch of time to get on with jobs.
I send eChristmas cards to all the people whose email addresses I have and I hand deliver to most of the family. Sis and family in Durham get theirs posted of course. I would like it if people put any money they spend on a card and were going to send to me, to put the money into a Charity of their choice really.

 

Signing out for tonight. Hope you all have warm, peaceful evenings and I'll catch up with you all tomorrow.

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On the Martin Lewis money show, he does a feature every year, to get people to talk to family and friends to cut or at least limit the Christmas excess. Too many people feel obliged to spend money they don't have, on things people don't need etc.
In our family we've agreed to do a Secret Santa, we list some items we really want but with a set budget cap. We all get one thing, young children are exempt, works for us.

 

Thanks, @Penny_Forthem . It's good to read your experiences! All being well, my daughter will be back on a few of the food groups currently denied her by Christmas - we'll see. No onions in the bread sauce, though...

 

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A very good morning one and all. Midweek already and creeping ever closer to Christmas. I think @Busy-Lizzie will be busy today getting all the last minute bits and bobs sorted for her return to France tomorrow. I'll be waiting for my food delivery then thinking about the gutter clearing task!

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