Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2024

Morning all, beautifully sunny here. I'm waiting for the son of old friends of ours to call round to look at our leaning sleeper wall, I'm hoping he will be able to rescue it.

Goodness me @Obelix-Vendée, that was a close shave, as Tui34 said, it would have made a right mess of your car. I love an English waltz but haven't danced for years. OH unfortunately isn't terribly good at dancing and I'm nothing to shout about.

Hope you get your prescription @Ladybird4.

From memory, I think @RowlandsCastle mentioned a hospital stay at some stage?

I'm not surprised you were tired @Goldenlily26, that was quite a busy day.

 

Good dday all! I've been to physio this morning. Brrrr outside. Bit of a shock on waking to find the house cold enough to need a blast of CH for an hour or so but at least it's sunny.

Got home to find OH gardening - pruning brambles out of our mixed hedge - despite having injured his shoulder enough to have cancelled golf for th enext 2 weeks. Says he wanted some sunshine. I've dug out and repaired the hole in the cherry stone filled thingummy that heats up in the microwave and then sits around neck and shoulders.

I have to stay clean as I'm off to the bank in Olonne-sur-Mer to sign a document to allow our treasurer to do bank transfers without my authorisation - seems mad to me as that's what treasurers do isn't it? - and then we're going to see the secretary and try and cheer her up and also see if she's staying in post or not.

No wild boar available here @Ladybird4. It's hunted not farmed so, along with venison and pheasant, I can't get it in a butcher's shop or SM tho mine does have sous-vide NZ venison around Xmas. I wait till Boxing Day and buy it at half price.

Oddly enough, the social club's Xmas dinner is kangaroo! The first time I went to the SM in Belgium in 1991 (admittedly in an upmarket area with loads of ex-pats of all nationalities) i found emu, kangaroo, ostrich, kudu and crocodile on sale in June. Game followed in autumn. Never seen any of that here.

OH likes Xmas pud but Possum and I don't so this year he's being brave and saying I don't have to make one and he'll be happy with sticky toffee pudding. Possum dislikes dried fruit but is happy with the blitzed dates in a STP.

Cold northerly wind here too @Tui34 so I've moved things like the Bird of Paradise up against the south facing house wall. It's too big to bring indoors now so will have to take it's chances.

I hope everyone is well and you all get some sun - or rain if needed.

 

Thanksgiving dinner. Husband coming along. will have 16 cousins there. they will do all the work. young ladies. bringing stuff. we start drive down Nov. 25. I can use my right hand to share in the driving.
For Christmas --- no plans . my 2nd surgery scheduled on 12/20, taking the plates out, then i can start wrist therapy. so far my wrist has not moved since last week in september. Fractured supposed to be all healed .
So guess I can go fishing in Key West end of January. the issue is sleeping, been hard.
later.

 

Les sangliers can't half run fast too. I remember us cycling to Chateau Chambord with a wild boar running along side through the forest. Scary. There were 'hides' there, from which to view all the wild animals - felt much safer than from a bike!
I'm going to fill the brown bin this afternoon. Its last collection is 11 December, so better make the most of it,

 

Unfortunately our friends' son didn't turn up - some crossed wires about the date there. He's now rescheduled for 25th November which is never good weather here but still, have to make the most of it.

On a brighter note, OH noticed our local farmer in his tractor cutting the hedge of the house opposite late afternoon so asked him to do ours as well. It was about 8ft tall, a mixed native hedge, probably one of the last remnants of the original very old country lane hedge so we rather treasure it.
Unfortunately it tends to grow very fast - upwards and outwards! It was £30 very well spent.

 

That reminds me of a trip to Phoenix, Arizona, where we saw several notices in the desert warning to beware of the ‘javelinas’. No idea what they could be, but were suitably wary, and keeping an eye open for terrifying beasts. We then visited the local zoo, which had specimens of local wildlife. The javelinas turned out to be peccaries, very wild pig like, and looked adorable!
( An aside note, on our early visits to the USA, we were too scared to use the escalators in the malls. There were lots of signs advising that strollers weren’t allowed on them, but no one to advise how slowly one had to walk to fall foul of the rules! )
We had sun today, so a morning spent by the seaside! Excuse was a few items of shopping to pick up, got everything except a day to page diary from The Works, no nice designs in yet, but we then indulged in a lovely walk up and down the Promenade. Plenty of evidence of the recent landslides, (at Sidmouth) very scary.

 

Evening folks - hope you are all doing ok.

I won’t be making any C*mas cakes or puddings - I tolerate a bit of cake but pudding no thank you. I’m not a big mince pie fan either but MIL makes fantastic ones with orange pastry and they are the best! I quite like a Stollen though. I sometimes make a Yule Log, cupcakes or biscuits with my niece.

I’m having an early ‘tea’ and early night as long shift tomorrow.

 

Good afternoon all. No hiccups this morning with the prescription . It was really frosty first thing but guess what - tonight it is raining again! Boo! I took advantage of my village visit to call in at Aldi and offloaded a pile of dead batteries as well as doing a bit of shopping. Everywhere is already bowed under with Christmas decorations which are quite cheery to see on a dismal day.

 

@Goldenlily26, that sounded like a marathon day - not only the physical activity but the mental work needed in a meeting. I hope that you managed to get some satisfaction with your meeting with the Secretary @Obelix-Vendée.

 

Signing out for today. See you all around tomorrow.

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Evening all. I might make a stollen this year; we're likely to have at least two grandchildren with us over the Christmas period, and they're not that keen on traditional rich fruit cakes. Though they like the icing...

I'm pleased that my cough seems to be releasing its grip at last. I only woke twice last night, and had a bit more energy today. Knit & Natter this morning was fun, and after lunch I cleared a lot of leaves in the back garden. It was pretty well ideal weather, dry and windless, with damp on the ground so the leaves didn't fly about too much when raked. A neighbour's cat decided to come and supervise, spending quite a while on the garden table commenting on my technique...

 

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A very good morning one and all. Misty, murky morning here today. @Liriodendron, my cough - which I have had since I got my flu vaccination on October 5th - is also almost gone (ssshhhh!) and I have finally had three decent night's sleep this week. I didn't feel ill at all just ragged round the edges through lack of a decent rest.
I am not going to my Bestie's today as her daughter (my hairdresser) is taking her away for a pamper weekend. I'm sure I'll find loads to do here anyway. When I was in the village yesterday there was a post box topper which I just had to take pictures of:

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I was pleased to see that they had included a purple poppy in remembrance of all the animals that were killed in the conflicts too.

 

Good morning all!!

Brrrr. 5°C this morning - outside of course - but the sun has risen and it promises to warm up my lounge this afternoon through the conservatory.

You remind me to take my old batteries into Aldi too @Ladybird4 I shall put them aside. Lovely photos of the letterbox - and yes, we myst remember those poor horses.

I use the Mary Berry recipe for mince pie pastry with orange zest @AuntyRach and they are quite zingy!!

I hope everyone with aches, pains and autumn coughs etc feel a little better today.

 

What a super picture this morning @Tui34! I could just munch one of those little cakes but I'll make do with my boring cereals and banana.