Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2024

How good to hear from you @Badly_Maintained but with such shocking news. Although I don't understand your poem, it brought a tear to my eye because I still miss my Dad very much. Would you be able to translate them for me? I hope your road to recovery will be a good one and I wish you and your precious Mum, a safe and warm Christmas. Please toast your lovely Dad!!

On a lighter note - good news @Penny_Forthem for your excellent scan news.

Lovely tradition @Ante1 If I had have known, I would have collected some wheat this summer to sow for the pots. Today is my grandmother's birthday - her name was Lucy and she was born in Dublin's fair city in 1895. I miss her sense of humour.

Terrible weather today. Cold rain - I managed 10 minutes with Fizz at 11.30 and had to come back because the rain started again. There's nothing nicer than the smell of a wet dog in winter!! Believe me. She stayed in the conservatory until we managed to get out around 3.30pm when the sky cleared. Walking again. Good for the soul!! Better for the smell!!!

Enjoy the evening!

 

Lovely story about your grandmother @Tui34. I understand you completely about dog.

 

@Tui34 in case @Badly_Maintained doesn't see your post for a while this is a translation of those beautiful, moving words:
Dear Father,
May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind always be at your back,
May God meet you in the heart of his hand.
Until the day breaks, and the shadows run away.

 

I am signing out for tonight - looking forward to GW. Hope you all have restful nights and I'll see you in the morning.

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Snap, @Ladybird4 . That is exactly what has happened to my Amaryllis too. Purchased quite a few weeks ago, nothing doing, demoted it to greenhouse, felt sorry for it with the colder weather so brought it back in house and put it small bedroom and forgot about it. Today, I happened to glance at it and surprise, surprise, there was a leaf starting to grow up through two cut leaves at the base of bulb. Slow growers obviously.
@Ante1 , love the wheat tradition, it does make a striking display when grown, with the candles and ribbon. I did treat myself to a nice white Christmas cactus today with lots of little buds on it.

 

Lovely story about the wheat seeds @Ante, my mum's name was Lucy and she would have been tickled pink to know she had a Saint's Day today. I'll have to remember that. Her only sister was also born on the 12th so a double coincidence.

I really enjoyed meeting up with my friend this afternoon, we gossiped for a good couple of hours - in fact it got dark before we noticed. I bought (or was persuaded to buy) a Robin nesting
box styled as an old fashioned bright red postbox. Not entirely sure if it will be to the robin's taste but it's very cheerful. I just have to decide where the best place to put it.
I also bought two packs of tulips on special offer at £2 each. I wasn't going to bother with tulip pots this year but succumbed to temptation.

Didn't enjoy the drive home though, I don't do a lot of night driving now because I find the lights bother me, it was also raining and the rush hour so not nice at all.

 

Good morning all. Thank you for telling us about your mother name @lizzie27, and how she and her sister had a birthday on almost same day.
@Songbird, Christmas cactus sound lovely.
I didn't sleep to well. First I fell asleep on the sofa and woke around 2am. Tried to sleep again in the bed, but it was impossible. It's still dark outside but much warmer. Rain and warm air arrived with south wind. My pets are all fed, and I have my first cup of tea. I might bake biscuits this afternoon. Two days ago I found ground licorice in the spice store, so it's time for experiment.

 

Good morning @Ante1 and all dropping in later. I am hoping to make a quick SM dash this morning, hoping to beat the crowds. I've cards to post and Lemsip and cough medicine to buy. if I continue feeling like this I will drop out of quizzing on Monday night. I don't want to 'gift' this bug to anyone. Too dark yet to weigh up what the weather is like but the moon looks rather splendid in the sky.

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Good morning @Ladybird4. Hope you will be much better till Monday.

 

Aww thank you @Ante1. I just have to let it work its way out of my system. Once SM sweep is over I'll keep warm inside and drink lots of tea.

 

Morning early birds. I’m only up because I have booked a shopping ‘click n collect’. Good idea to go early today @Ladybird4 as expect it will be super busy. I’ll only need to nip in to get a tv guide for Dad and then collect my shop.
Dad said don’t get him the Radio Times one as it’s £££s. He’s not wrong - but I do love having one of those - it’s a bit of a tradition.

Have a lovely day everyone. May colds be gone, worries subside, bakes be awesome and weather be dry.

 

We bought our Xmas RT yesterday @AuntyRach , you're right, it's almost compulsory to buy it and get the marker pens out. Think I've marked only 3 or 4 things for the whole fortnight ....

 

Fond memories of the highlighter pens and TV guide (and Argo catalogue) when we were kids @Bluejayway. I think we only had two colours of pens though so someone had to use a star and another a square symbol! I bought Dad a newspaper with a TV guide (good value) and am still considering RT for me as I don’t watch much really.

SM was ok but starting to busy-up even at 9am.

 

Good morning all.

I was so sorry to read your news @Badly_Maintained but glad that you are still with us. I translated the poem with Google Translate.

I had a busy day yesterday, hadn't realised I hadn't been back here since my morning post. Just read through.

I managed 3 hours gardening yesterday. As we had been away for over 2 months there is a lot to do in the garden. Probably won't finish it before we leave again in early January but we'll be back end of February or early March so I can deal with it then.

We are going back to the UK earlier than we would have done as we will be taking my oldest grandson, 19, French, to Uni in the UK to do a six month course and improve his English. He is at Poitiers Uni reading political science. OH has to go to the UK anyway to apply for his 6 month Visa to help get round the Schengen problem of 90 days in every 180 days.

We'll be going to my daughter for Christmas, near Poitiers.

 

Hello. Another grey day here but, at sunset, the skies were clear so a bit later on we had a magnificent view of the moon and the brighter stars and planets but, sod's law, it had clouded over by the time the meteor showers were supposed to be visible.

It's very cold again and the ground is hard. I still have weeding and bulb planting to do before mulching but not today or tomorrow so I'm resigned to cleaning all the windows and floors ready for a wee furniture shuffle before we bring in the tree and put up lights.

That Schengen thing is a real PITA @Busy-Lizzie . More so for people like you and OH but the garden club has organised a trip based around Taunton next June and the French not only have to get a proper passport but pay an entry fee. They think the Brits are being awkward but this plan was first hatched over 10 years ago by the EU, which included the UK, to protect the Schengen free movement area.

Hugs to anyone with lurgies or other pains and having to face an SM on a Saturday. Nightmare!