In the bleak midwinter, frosty Crepes may moan

[Collymollypuff]

Earth stood hard as iron, my heart like a stone.

[bigTillyMint]

Haha, love it! One of my favourite carols too

[Collymollypuff]

Have you had a bad night, BTM?

[bigTillyMint]

No, just woke up at 5 - that's a good night!

[NUFC69]

One of my favourite carols, too. I realised yesterday that I won't be able to get to a carol service this year.

BTM, how are you doing?

Herbs, I hope you enjoyed lunch with your lovely DS and DP. How are things with MiL? Has DP gone back to hospital?

MrsS, did DD finish her essay. Oh, and Crem, really good news about DD and the counselling.

In good news after lots of sadness, DS came round yesterday and said that we are to have a new baby in the family in June! I just hope that DDiL slows down this time so we don't have another premature baby (she is a positive whirlwind of activity).

[Blackduck]

Checking in. NU what lovely lovely news.... we told our parents about ds on Christmas Day..... total disbelief (we had been together 16 years so they figured it wasn't happening)

[MrsSchadenfreude]

NU - lovely news!

And no, she didn't finish her essay. She has gone back to school in very bad grace (slamming the door and being shouty). The school suggested she come back today and do her study leave at school, where help is on hand and they can give her help with structuring a plan of work. She was due to spend it here, but to be frank, she wouldn't have done anything apart from lay on her bed and look at kittens, moaning that it was all too difficult. And as she took up so much time yesterday, I have to do my job applications at work, which isn't ideal (to say the very least).

[bigTillyMint]

Awww, that's lovely, NU. Will that be 3 or 4 DGC now?

I have been up and down this weekend, but that's par for the course! Work again today, eeek!

[bigTillyMint]

Xpost MrsS - that sounds very sensible for her to be at school. And better for you too.

[addle]

Mrs S, good luck with the job applications

BTM, glad relatively good night

Back from w/e in NI and a brief but lovely meet up with the divine Crem. at lovely cafe/restaurant. Next time, Crem, if poss, let's meet during the day and go for a stroll as well? We actually walked by your place of work on Saturday but figured you'd be far too busy to want people popping in.

V nice visit with lots of high points marred only by brief but vicious attack of diarrhoea when I drank some bicarb to counteract the stomach cramps I'd had for days. Not nice anyway; much, much worse in someone else's house, even a lovely sister.

[Collymollypuff]

MrsS, the school MUST be able to help. They MUST have strategies and people they can call on. Is there one teacher she especially likes? Dd thought many school staff were utter wankers, but there were always a few that she admired, thank goodness.

[motherinferior]

Checking in with for NU.

[Lalsy]

Oooh addle, nasty.

NU, what wonderful news. A crepey cheer!

Crem, so glad dd has agreed to talking therapy. Well played.

And Stropps, am so pleased dd made the term. I take your point about her choices - hope doing something that seemed so unlikely to happen means she has a good base for next term.

They can't learn everything at once I don't think - dd is still poor with money and cooking. She has learned a hell of lot of other Stuff about looking after herself, and about looking after friends without being dragged down.

Nice weekend here, with dd back briefly and family fun - that rare commodity.

I am not sleeping either and don't know why. Could it be I am worried about skiing for the first time?

MRsS, good call on school. Do her friends work? Is she anxiety-prone?Good luck with the job applications.

BTM, thinking f you and ds. And Beachy, you too.

[IDismyname]

Comiserations Colly - I did go back to sleep eventually for a couple of hours. Still feel pretty erm.... sh*te. A to you for the day ahead.

Thank you for striking the Festive/Pensive theme with the new thread

Sunday nights are never easy in the matrimonial bed - DH gets himself pretty would up about the start of every week. It can start on a Sunday morning, so at least we had a peaceful day driving round the local tips to drop off some hardcore... what a life we lead

NU - your news brought a tear to my eye. Circle of Life, and all that... You must be dead chuffed.

Still can't decide whether to go to NCT knees up on Wed night. We have a SS and everything... DFs funeral the next day, so I run the risk of getting very very drunk if not careful.

In S&B news I have painted my toenails with the M&S Autograph sparkly nail varnish. They look quite twinkly and festive. I am SO trying to channel the Christmas Spirit.

Lalsy - you lucky, lucky thing. You will love skiing. And if you don't, there are hostellries aplenty to just sample the various vin chaud or gluwien (sp?). Actually, what you need is a yummy ski instructor... you'll suddenly really WANT to follow him down the mountain.

[BeachysSandyFlipFlops]

Thanks for the thread, Molly. It must be Christmas if we've hit the Christmas Crepey thread.

Lovely news NU. I remember telling the family about dd1's impending birth at Christmas. DNephew asked if I was going to call the baby Jesus .

We are fully in the Christmas spirit here, house all decorated, raucous carols at dd2's school last night in the form of a Wassail with mulled wine and a very loud 'carol-off' between children and parents. It's always a really good evening and a fantastic chance to blast out some carols not in a church. We have formal carols both tomorrow and on Friday night and carol singing in the village next week. I'm going to be carol-ed out....

Ds recovered slowly from his throwing up session and has hobbled off to school with sore stomach muscles. He seems OK at the moment and we're not going to do the family therapy. I think the six months in the run up to major exams is not the time to be delving around in your psyche. I may be wrong, but that's my gut feel. Plus he now has a girlfriend and that might prove the best therapy

[MontserratCaballe]

Thank you for the thread, Molly. I love that carol.

Nu, so thrilled for your news. What a wonderful Christmas surprise.

Sorry for all the non sleepers. Must be incredibly vexing as well as exhausting.

Am loving the m and s calendar. Today's offering was a bit odd but both dds looked on wistfully so no doubt it will find a home.

Need to do a present audit today. Think the girls are all right but da has virtually nothing. It was daft to have a December baby. However, I do remember a Christmas with a snugly newborn which makes all the present buying problems worth it

[BeachysSnowyWellieBoots]

I've had a Christmas Crepey namechange

[motherinferior]

Love it, Beachster. I changed mine to Motherinfurrierfestivehat one year.

On an S&B note, what shall I ask the hairdresser to do when I go? Am aiming to grow it out a bit but it also needs some TLC for now!

[magimedi]

Checking in to check out!

Yes, I'm off in a day or so for a month & don't know how much internet I'll have or do - I tend to keep it to a minimum on holidays.

So can I be the first to wish you all a very Happy Christmas & sincere hopes that everyone has a much better 2017 than 2016. It really has been a shite year for so many of you & I hope you all reach calmer times next year.

NU - Your lovely news is maybe a herald of better things for everyone & good luck with the operation & hope you recover asap.

[herbaceous]

Ding dong merrily, Crepeys.

Invigilating exam here. Which isn't v exciting. Unlike NU's news! How lovely.

DP is at home today. Trying to get some rest and flinching at every phone call.

I am hoping for quick publication, and thus payment, for seeking my soul to the devil. Still. It will be as much as I earn in a fortnight teaching...

[Cremolafoam]

Herbs, I will break the habit of a lifetime and deign and buy a Daily Fail ( choke) just to view an American Tan tight! Hope it paying for Christmas. Have you and Molly exchanged the train set yet? . I am very excited for your ds, to be honest.

Waves, yawns and feels sorry for all insomnia-early wakers. Bloody awful looking at the world for a dark cold kitchen table. I was there at night with my audiobook and droopy eyes.crashed out on the sofa eventually. Dh was like a hog roast on a spit, spinning anxiously all night and couldn't be approached for fear of being snored at. Sunday nights are indeed the pits.am short on Xmas cheer today as a result.

NU, what a gorgeous thing! So pleased for you.

Tree is in festive bucket and upright. I was banned from decorating yesterday as dh furious at me for doing 25 jobs at once ( wreath, tree decor, ironing, making a lasagne, writing cards, hoovering, wrapping pressies, unloading dishwasher..) he can't bear it when I do Whirling Dervish, so was forced tositinachairandwatch tv) nervous energy thus saved up for sleepless night. Can't win.

Addle, if you had called into the UH, you would have seen the queue of 50 people and me trying to answer a phone and juggle the Saturday team with about as much grace as an exploded bin bag. It was hell in there, so probably best you sailed past.

Mrs S. Good call , sending dd back to school. Best of luck with the job apps. Dd clearly did not get her lack of motivation from her mum. Hope you have sacked the tutor. I mean really.

Beachy nice name change. I am considering doing the same.
Much respect for those pulling Christmas cheer out of the gloom.

[Collymollypuff]

If you were quick, Crem, you could fly over here and have a leetle play with the train set before Herbs comes to get it.

[motherinferior]

Argh. 'Few tweaks' required on two pieces. Am clearly not as robust as I thought as I just want to weep with exhaustion...

[BeachysSnowyWellieBoots]

Some might call today's trip to the woods 'atmospheric'. I call it 'manky dog walking weather'.

[motherinferior]

And again with the arrrgh.

Didn’t get the teaching although they’ve stressed that either of us could have done the job and it came down to Very Small Details.

Oh well.

[bigTillyMint]

Lovely photo Beachy and love your name-change. Glad you have decided what to do re FT and things are looking a little brighter.

I got the call to pick DS up and he is now in bed exhausted. At least I had a morning of normality. And am now watching a hilariously bad Christmas film

Happy Hols MM - how lovely !

Cremo, respect for tackling 25 job's at once and staying sane

I must make use of my enforced time at home and do some cards...