Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2024

I hope Périgueux isn't congested today, just read in the local paper that the teachers are on strike and will be demonstrating. There was a vote of no confidence in the new Prime Minister, Michel Barnier. Lots of strikes and go slows were going on already. Public transport on strike too. Planes cancelled etc.

 

Thank you @Busy-Lizzie and you have a good day too. Hope the country's turmoil doesn't spoil your plans.

 

My family are half in Canada and half in the UK and we have finally stopped sending birthday and Christmas presents due to the cost of postage. We all agree to buy ourselves something we would like as a present from each other. I have had a final attempt to order something from a company in Canada to be sent to my son, I am waiting for confirmation my order is going through although my son has told me there is a postal strike in Alberta where they live.Great, just in time for Christmas. I have almost finished my shopping for local presents, must get the cards written.

Poor Cosmos. My Rob sympathises with him. He hated me constantly tending his eye post op. He would creep under anything when I moved towards him, to avoid me. Rob has finally healed pretty well but the skin around the wound is still very fragile. It takes time. Having never heard of any animal having Cushings Disease I met a random dog owner outside the vets whose previous dog had also suffered with the same condition. Very different symptoms and sadly terminal, hopefully I picked up the symptoms early enough and Rob and I will have a while longer together. Rob is 13 1/2 so I feel we are on borrowed time now.

 

Good morning all.

Today looks like a good day to get to grips with the Christmas cards and letters. Yesterday's sofa day was definitely therapeutic, and at least I can breathe through my nose this morning... will try to write sense, though the old brain is still in dozy mode, I think.

Good luck tracking down Cosmos, @Obelix-Vendée ! I'm sure animals can mind read - they always manage to disappear just before you plan to administer the treatment. However, we once had a lovely but rather dim cat (named Squiffy) who would, like all cats, hide whenever we wanted him, but who was also very keen on talking to us. All we had to do was to go into each room and say "Squiffy!", and eventually there would be a "Miaow" from behind the sideboard or somewhere.

My husband had a very stretchy pair of walking socks, which were ideal for filling with little things on Christmas Eve when the children were small. They both loved making things, so the contents would usually include a roll of sellotape and a ball of string, together with the clementine in the toe, and various other little bits and pieces. The children were very different; both would wake up very early, when our son would immediately empty his sock and unwrap every present, while our daughter would feel the sock and try to identify all the contents, working out what order to unwrap them at regular intervals, until she got to the last one at 7am, which was when they could come and wake us up. Happy memories...

 

Good late morning everyone!

Erratic internet connection this mornings I gave up!! It is cold, sunny but the sky is overcast in most places - if that makes sense.

Chilly ride on the bike this morning as I breeze along - met 2 small dogs and Fizz is really so good now - just a flying "hello" and onward bound. She does like to do a dominating female wee at various spots though!

I'm going to have a "doing" afternoon, I think.

 

Afternoon all.

It seems like the incoming storm has made a start in proceedings - I was blown across the SM car park and neither hoods nor umbrellas are any use in that weather! Anyway - I’ve done the work C’mas snacks shop - some festive biscuits, sweets, crisps etc. obviously I bought a few bits for home too.

Take care folks and have a lovely rest of the day.

 

Wet, wet, wet here but not very blowy apart form occasional gusts. Weekly shop done with no bovver from disgrunteld locals. Waiting to see who gets invited to be th enew PM but I don't really understand why the president gets to do that rather than negotiations between the parties, given that there has to be a coalition. Anyway, nothing I can do about it yet as we don't have a vote.

Having been born and bred in Belgium, Possum always had St Nicolas for prezzies and since that's when all her school friends got prezzies she had to have some too so as not be even more different. For Xmas she has a proper stocking which I fill with choccies and small packages and then we have our prezzies and her main one under the tree. When she was little the stocking was on her ed so she'd not come charging in to our bedroom before dawn. Nowadays, she gets up far later than we do except on work days and St Nick prezzies are simple things but always some Belgian chocs.

OH is going thru our booze cabinet to see what I need to buy, or can improvise, for when I cook our Creole Xmas cake in a couple of weeks' time. No cherry brandy anywhere here so far but we can try another couple of shops in La Roche tomorrow when we go to buy our Xmas tree.

@Tui34 Rasta was a dominant female too. In fact, she taught Bonzo to cock his leg on walkies cos when we first got him he sat like a girl to pee.

@Goldenlily26 A while ago our vet gave us some healing spray made from essential oils like Tea Tree to help heal wounds. Maybe not an good ide near eyes tho and I expect Rob's skin will recover with time. Have to start on the antibiotic pills this pm. That'll be fun.

Hope the mince pies etc go down well @Ladybird4 and you find a matching or toning blue.

Stay well everyone and may people with lurgies get well soon.

 

Storm inbound here, too @AuntyRach
I have been finishing off the Christmas present shopping from the comfort of home. Just my bestie pal to buy for, but what do you get the woman who has everything?
Hub took a tumble in the middle of the night. He has a tendency to sleepwalk. Nothing broken, but he's very sore. We had a very disturbed night.
Just solved bestie's present; a hamper of locally made goats' milk soaps and balms. They are truly gorgeous (and not at all 'goaty'!)

 

I can’t believe this. I had to cancel my last trip to see daughter because of snow and flooding. Supposed to be heading to Oxford on Saturday, but I see we are promised gale force winds. To add to the fun, it looks as if one of the train lines is going to be packed out with football fans. Hopefully not actually on the route I’ll be using, but could be entertaining on the platform. Thankfully I'm staying over until Monday, as there are notifications that there will be cancelled trains on Sunday, due to staff shortages. I’d have thought with the recent pay increases for train drivers, they’d have a queue of recruits out of the door!
I do hope I don’t have to cancel, I shall be so disappointed.

 

Hello folks, getting dark already so I ought to draw the curtains soon. It's been raining all day so no gardening which is probably a good thing to give me a rest. Had a lazy day after just driving son to the local train station - he's got a works do on tonight and will be back here tomorrow.

I too, hope I'm won't be disappointed @Ergates as I'm expecting DIL and Granddaughter to stay over the weekend as they want to go to the Xmas market. The rugby's also on so the city will be heaving and I'm glad I'm not going with them.

@Penny_Forthem, Do hope your OH recovers from his fall, not nice at the best of times and it hurts more when you're older as well!

Hope @Ladybird4 managed to find the blue wool she needed to finish the scarves. I have no idea how you would knit three scarves at the same time though, sounds complicated.

We had our usual S/M delivery earlier and I went to put the bananas I'd bought in the porch to keep them cooler - oops, found last week's uneaten stash already in there. I might just have to bake a banana cake soon!

 

I hope you manage to see your daughter @Ergates.

Nice surprise @lizzie27, I love banana cake.

The teachers' demo was over by the time we arrived in the city. We went to the super food SM "Le Grand Frais" and Lidl first. Bought lots of goodies in Le GF, some to take to daughter for Christmas, fish to freeze, huge prawns on special offer and lovely fresh veg. Chocolate marzipan from Lidl, OH loves it. We had lunch in Périgueux then OH bought me a lovely teal coloured coat with a false fur lined hood for Christmas. I don't have a coat, only an anorak and a puffer jacket.
I don't know what to do about OH, says he doesn't want anything. I bought a few things for my children but didn't have time for the toy shop for smaller grandchildren. Will have to be another trip.

 

Love the sound of the coat, @Busy-Lizzie, teal is my favourite colour. I forgot to get any chocolate marzipan in Lidl. Will have to make a special trip. I’ll need to replace the lebkuchen that OH went and ate as soon as I brought it home!
I hope your OH is ok, @Penny_Forthem, and heals up quickly. Your bestie will love the goat milk toiletries. My daughter brought me a bar of goats milk gardeners soap, it’s lovely and apparently really good for getting tree resin off the fingers!
I can hear the wind howling outside, surely it’s not supposed to have started yet!

 

Good evening all. I had a super day at Bestie's but the rain was persisting down. The mince pies and mulled wine went down a treat. Luckily we were inside. Bestie didn't have any blue wool but she came up with a brilliant idea. Because I am knitting these scarves to go to the Ukraine, she suggested adding a yellow border to the blue scarf and then it would be in the Ukrainian flag colours. I will be able to pick up the stitches from the cast on edge and knit a further border there as well. Problem solved.
@Goldenlily26 I have relatives in Canada too - in Toronto and Cobourg. I usually just send e-cards to them. The wind is starting to build up here now but I do hope the staff shortages don't spoil your meeting up with your daughter @Ergates. Sorry to read of your OH's fall @Penny_Forthem. Hope he is fully over it now. @lizzie27, the only drawback to knitting three scarves at once is that periodically you have to unwind the three different yarns as they do get twisted together. Sounds as if you had a great ahopping spree @Busy-Lizzie - some delicious goodies there.

 

I have never tried chocolate marzipan so I am now tempted to try it!

 

Signing out for tonight so I will catch up with you all tomorrow.

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