Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

Sleetwood Mac, Sir Grits Hoy, Gritty Gritty Bang Bang, Basil Salty, Skate Bush, Spready Mercury are some I've heard mentioned @Penny_Forthem.
I am with you in the blood boiling @Blue arbour; selfish, stupid people who don't even think about the rescue service and how their lives are placed at risk.
@Songbird here is my enthusiastic but budless Amaryllis:

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and to think you were considering pitching yours out! I bet you are glad you persevered!

 

Happy New Year to all. I do not believe it - some of my daffies have been in flower for the last few days.

 

Wet here, and 11C. No snow for us, but one of the roads into Exeter is closed by flooding. Slept in till nearly 10am, must have needed that, have had a few disturbed nights recently. Didn’t have any alcohol yesterday, I suspect it’s no coincidence that I slept well. I’ll be taking down the rest of the decorations today, and the end of the Christmas booze can be stowed away in the ‘cellar’.
What scary conditions, @Anna42. We have the disadvantage of living on the side of a steep hill, and our drive can get really treacherous in icy weather. Even if we can get down to the road, it’s not necessarily much help as the roads in every direction involve a 1 in 4 climb.
So glad you were able to cope with the heating problems, @Busy-Lizzie. Nothing worse than arriving home tired after a long journey to a major inconvenience.

 

@Ladybird4 and @Penny_Forthem , I wonder if mine heard me threatening it and decided to grow instead of getting chucked out?! I had given up on it in terms of “ seeing to it” and dumped it in our little bedroom and left it be. Perhaps the conditions in there are just right for it? Small, warm room, upstairs where it’s never really too cold? I don’t know really but I hope yours start to show some signs soon of bids and /or growth.
Hope @Busy-Lizzie has settled down now after her travels and gets the boiler working /keeps the boiler working properly. What a time to start playing up in this weather. We have snow here too.

 

The boiler is still working The cottage is quite cosy now. We have been having a hibernating sort of day. I hope Liam isn't too bored. He is recovering from sinusitis so I expect a quiet day is a good thing. We were all tired after the journey.

@Obelix-Vendée Liam isn't going to Bristol after all. Poitiers University were so late with their applications that it was too late. He's now going to Greenwich Uni. We'll take him there next weekend.

 

So pleased that the boiler is up and running @Busy-Lizzie. You will soon catch up on your sleep - after the uncomfortable pillow and then you'll be looking in your garden to see what needs doing. It has been raining steadily for several hours here now and the snow has virtually all disappeared. Heaven help us if it freezes tonight.

 

Going to wish you all a great evening and I'll catch up with all your news tomorrow.

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Well, the rain washed all the snow away by the time we woke up this morning and the temps had climbed to 11c and higher during the day. OH braved the rain to get the paper whilst I stayed in the dry and did nothing apart from a quick walk round the garden to check it over and count my snowdrops clumps.
After a hearty lunch of vegetable soup and thick organic bread, we bussed into the local hospital to see one of our friends. He's been there for a fortnight already but was looking and sounding much better than when we last saw him. They've temporarily stopped the chemo because he was getting so weak with not eating so are now concentrating with building his strength back up in the hope he can go home. We'll try to visit again before that happens.
I've got the Sunday roast lamb cooking and it's making me feel very hungry. Earlier tonight because I want to watch Antiques Roadshow soon.
Have a good evening all.

 

Rain is very heavy this evening. We popped down to IKEA this afternoon to buy a picture frame, and were shocked at how busy it was. We normally go in the week, when it’s relatively quiet, so I don’t know if it’s always like this at weekends. However, we knew what we wanted, went straight to the right section, and then benefitted because all the check outs were open. We were almost straight out with our purchase, actually quicker than usual.
I’ve taken all the decorations down, and the artificial tree has been dismantled and packed away in its box. OH appears to have found an old John Wayne film he hasn’t actually seen before! I shall finish the book I’m currently reading. Sleep well, everyone.

 

My friends came, the husbands all got on, they all like food and we had a good time. They left at 6 so they didn't have to drive home in the dark and we went into instant clear up mode - dishwasher loaded, tablecloth in to soak and Xmas decs down. It's raining so the tree will be posted out of the window tomorrow morning and we've left some fairy lights up to last us thru the dark days till Imbolc/Candlemass/Chandeleurs.

I'm feeling a bit fat and full after all this feasting and looking forward to going back to a lighter diet on Tuesday. Tomorrow is Epiphany so there'll be galettes des rois tomorrow at the patchwork etc meeting. Healthy bean soup for lunch tho and lots of veggies for dinner to compensate.

@Ergates since we've retired we do no major shopping at weekends precisely because it's quieter midweek. The only exception is if Possum needs something and then we try and get it done on Saturday am before the hordes descend after their lunch. Shops like IKEA may not open on Sundays, just a few MS, DIYs and garden centres open in the morning.

Tired now so off to bed. Good night all. Sleep well.

 

Glad you and your friends all had a good time @Obelix-Vendée , presumably you found your missing tablecloth in good time?

I'm also feeling a bit fat after the festivities and looking forward to getting back to our 5-2 diet.
Trouble is that we've still got chocs to eat up and OH has just bought me 2 bars of Bourneville which were on special offer in the paper shop. I adore dark chocolate but not the 70% stuff.
Will have to limit myself to 3 squares a day.

We don't do any shopping at the weekend either. I have a weekly S/M delivery which we find very much easier and use local shops during the week if we need to.

 

Good evening,

We now have heavy rain, which I hope will wash away all the snow (though it’s still very visible).

The remaining decorations will go away tomorrow. I left them for our 12th night meal ( I like to keep the festivities going, so keep some things up until 6th January ). We had pheasant with lots of vegetables, followed by cheese and biscuits with grapes (got to have our 5 a day ). Back to normal routine from tomorrow, although I too, have still got plenty of chocs to get through, so the diet will have to wait.

Like you @lizzie27, now we’re retired, weekend SM shopping tends to be a thing of the past and any other shopping tends to happen during the week rather than the weekend, unless unavoidable. There has to be some perks with getting older .

 

Good Morning all. Sounds like yesterday was a day for taking down the decorations (12th Night), some shopping, some good meals and some relaxing. I hope the coming week is kind to you all.

I have a bad back! It went into spasm yesterday and it’s pretty uncomfortable - I can’t bend, walk or sit - so work is out today. I’ll stay up to message my boss then try to get comfy on the bed again…

 

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Good morning @AuntyRach, sorry to hear you are suffering this morning. Just when I thought I would wake up to just rain after yesterday - wrong! Another whiteout this morning.
@lizzie27, I do hope your friend can get some weight on so that he can get home. He sounds a little like my friend's OH who is still in hospital. He has had 5 blood transfusions so far and they want to build him up so he can start his chemo.
Pleased you and your guests had such a happy time @Obelix-Vendée. I really agree with driving home before it gets dark - not my favourite time for driving.
The last of my decs and cards will come down today. I will not be going out in the snow!

 

Good morning @AuntyRach, @Ladybird4 and all to follow. I'm sorry to hear that you have a back problem @AuntyRach, hope it will soon pass.
Here is the same dull morning with rain and wind. Luckily, today is bank holiday, so school starts tomorrow. Oh what a joy. I'm also very glad that @Ladybird4 has snow, and she can go out and play in those beautiful white stuff.