Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 27: Calmly through the day

[MissConductUS]

I've started a new one. Please join us and share the boring and mundane things happening in your world. It will be calming for all.

Here is the link to the prior thread:

Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 26: Calmly through the day

Welcome to all regulars, lurkers, and new contributors! Everyone is welcome to join.

Hippo burpday Bizzey 😁🎉🫅🥳

Happy Birthday Bizzey, hope you have a lovely day. 🎂
I'm only working until 12 today then looking after my grandchildren while the youngest has a hospital appointment, pizzas have been bought.

I'm still in bed...

Havoc, I have no memory at all of that kidnapping case in California. To be fair, I was in high school at the time.

Happy Birthday, Bizzey!

Something came up and I had to cancel my trip to Boston.

When she was home for Thanksgiving, we discussed replacing her seven year old laptop with DD as a Christmas gift. She said it was unnecessary, it was working fine, etc. DH, who works in IT, pointed out to her that at that age, it was only a matter of time before it failed, so it was better to get a new one now. She texted DH on Wednesday that it was now having problems right before final exams. So she's getting a new laptop. It's supposed to arrive today. I hope she makes it through her finals okay with the old one.

It was cold, calm, and lovely at the reservoir this morning.

Happy Birthday Bizzey 🎂🍹🍾

Hope your DDs finals go fine MissC

Glad the test went well Havoc

Hope you are feeling Ok Tilllly

DH has been in the office for work almost all the day. Floof came on the bed with me purring and head up like a king until I played a video on my laptop then he flounced off, all attention needs to be on Floof. Floof has been playing robin and has put robin in his water bowl, robin is a Christmas tree decoration.

Happy birthday Bizzey

Reservoir looking so peaceful MissC

Lol at sulky Floof Silkie

I've been running errands today. Shop, post office, doctors. My cardigan I ordered online arrived, cream with red bits, should keep me snug all winter.

Happy Birthday @bizzey!! Hope you've had a lovely day.
Has anyone else not got their Christmas tree up yet or am I the only one? My youngest is livid! She says we are the only people in the world who aren't ready for Christmas.....It's the first Christmas without my mum so I'm really struggling to get in the Christmas spirit at the moment. Not helped by the fact ive got two hospital appointments in the two weeks before Christmas so I'm rapidly running out of shopping/wrapping & planning days and I hate being disorganised.

Shay, I get it. I'm sorry you lost your mum. Holidays can be so difficult sometimes. Hope I'm not over-stepping, as you hadn't asked for advice, but might I suggest focusing on your dd and making this a special time for her? Earlier this year I had a miscarriage and it was very traumatic for me. It helped (not immediately, mind you, I was a zombie going through the motions day to day) to focus on my toddler, get out, have special days and lots of hugs and kisses.
Sending you support. 🩷

Busy day here, although I did get another night of decent sleep. (!!!)
Took my mum to medical appt and now awaiting a second appt shortly for her with oncology. Grateful it's by phone today as I tweaked my back helping my mum in/out of car at first appt. 😢

Planning on bundling up Havoc and going to lights fest later if Havoc gets a decent nap (is resisting right now...). 🤷‍♀️

https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/festival-of-lights.aspx

Thank you for your kind words @Mumtobabyhavoc. I've got a couple of fun days planned for Dd, York Christmas Market on Sunday and Christmas Panto next week so I'm sure it will all work out fine. Will make an effort to get the tree sorted tomorrow. That light festival looks lovely!! Wrap up warm and enjoy.x

Sounds like a lovely cardigan Mallards

Yes we have 2 trees up Shay though Floofs is decorated, the big real one we have to add the decorations. Sorry about your Mum. Hope the hospital appointments aren't for anything too serious.

Lovely looking lights festival Havoc Hope your Mum's appointment goes OK.

DH has been in office almost whole day instead of WFH. Had steak in red wine sauce, cabbage and new potatoes for dinner and had a lemon curd yoghurt.

DD spent day at school then working whole evening at the university college. We had a chat about her Oxford interviews, she's had two and an entrance test now. She could hear about 2 more by 10am Monday but nothing yet. Some people have 2 and a small proportion have 4 as they may end up at a different college to first one applied to. It's a bit of a mystery how the whole system works but some candidates are interviewed at another college to even the applications out.

Our tree isn't up yet either.

I showed my DS (20) how to put on a wash today.

Sorry for your loss Shay and Havoc.

I'd let DC do the tree Shay if you don't want to, maybe put it on the stand yourself if it's heavy but pulling down the branches and decorating they can do themselves, if its not to tall of course. Can you forget wrapping paper do gift bags instead? It's what I do when I'm in a hurry, it's so much quicker. I hope you manage to have some fun over Christmas. It's hard when there's someone missing, especially when it's the first time.

Another lights festival! You lucky thing Havoc I hope you don't get rained out of this one.

It is Silkie - chunky, cropped and the red bits are strawberries.

I've been around the suburbs looking at the Christmas houses, some people have gone all out with their decorations already.

I have been out dancing 💃🏼
ABBA tribute band - equal parts good and awful

Tilly, sounds fun! Haven't been out dancing in ages.
Mallards,Thank you 🩷 yeah, tough year, but have made it through and excited about baby coming.

Shay, your plans sound lovely. 🎄
Silkie, love that you have two trees! 🎄🎄
I have a little artificial tree that I'd always decorate for the dining table, but it woyldn't be Havoc proof yet. 😂😂😂 Fingers crossed for your dd. 🤞

The lights were gorgeous tonight. The only thing missing from years past was the carrousel, which was a disappointment. The Vandusen display is gold standard. Parking is a gong show and ended up parking up the block on the street...neighbours must hate the traffic this time of year.

Only took a few pics of displays and the pics don't do justice. One is lovely lights along a creek; the other is one section of walkway.
I'd been keeping my eye on the forecast and we're expecting rain/snow tomorrow and possibly next few days, so even though it was chilly, tonight was the best choice.
Also took Havoc to see massive display on a house in a suburb the other night.

I’m determined to get more festive today! Need to dust and hoover before putting decorations up, I want to get my Christmas cake in the oven this afternoon and I really need to do some more shopping (probably online).

But for now, I’m sitting in the car outside the swimming pool having dropped off DC2, willing myself to get out and go for a run in the sleeting rain.

@TodaysTheShay our tree isn’t up, either. In fact, we don’t have a tree as such, just a small decorative twig-like thing that you plug in and it lights up (I’m making it sound so attractive, aren’t I?! Actually it’s very pretty). I lost my dear mum a few years ago and she loved Christmas. We used to have great fun planning it together and I did all her shopping and suchlike because she was housebound, so it felt devastating not to have that any more. Tbh Christmas hasn’t been the same since, so I'm sending you a handhold as it’s very difficult.

If possible, try not to be too hard on yourself, just do as much as you feel able. There’s no standard you have to meet. Agree with letting the DC do as much of the decoration as you can, they'll enjoy it and it maybe takes the strain off you a bit.

Loving the lights Havoc!
Helena you are very energetic!
Sounds lovely Shay, I wish my boys were little enough to want to do things like that.
Off to work Christmas do this afternoon. I will be catching the train in. DS is also planning on going to town with his friends but I must travel in a different carriage so as not to embarrass him!

Thank you for the Birthday wishes 💐!
Had a lovely day and younger ds got me Len Goodman's autobiography 😍!
(Strictly Come Dancing)

The other 2 have got something planned but as ds1 didn't come home in the end this weekend...I have to wait as it is something from both of them. 🤔🤔....??

No tree still for me ....The thought is there ....but the body is getting it's arse into gear to do it 😂😂!

Shay ..1st Christmas is so hard x.

I remember the first Christmas after my dad passed away ..

I just dumped everything in the sitting room and told the boys to get on with it .

I still had to rearrange things after they had gone to bed as it was awful 😂.

It was always tradition in my household though, that nothing Christmas could happen till after my birthday.

So even if mam had got Christmas cards ...they were not put on display till my birthday cards had been taken down !

Then Christmas starts 😂.

I have a new tree this year !

(I don't do real )

My other really was looking very bald 😂.

Bit now I am worried I won't like the new one ...and will want my cosy 14 year old tree back !

Lots of memories attached to that old tree !

Even though I cursed it putting it up every year for looking so pathetic 😂

Mitsouk I'm imagining the "drat!" look on his face, having successfully avoided house chores knowledge until the grand old age of 20 and finally having to succumb.

Glad you (sort of) enjoyed the show Tilllly.

Aww Sprouts, sorry he's reached the rejection age!

Bizzey I'm the same with getting attached to inanimate objects. Hope the new tree works out.

I'm not sure there's enough collective willpower in the entire universe to accomplish that Helena but if by some miracle you achieved it I hope you're not totally soaked.

I decided to use the only dry bit of the day to get outside for some fresh air so went for a walk through the woods.

Oh and I love your creek pic Havoc I'll bet it was even nicer IRL

No main tree here yet. Will be Friday at the earliest; though I put the tiny artificial one up in the glorifiedback porch /conservatory.
Spent the afternoon wrapping presents and sorting my shopping list for the last few bits and bobs ( I have a big family!)
We had a takeaway for tea, ( because I was shut away in the spare room and DH & DS can't/won't cook.)

Welcome, @Mitsouko67, and thanks for sharing your laundry news. My son, who is almost 24, had to learn how to do laundry when he went to uni. Now that he's back with us, I do everyone's laundry together.

Lovely pictures, Havoc. Some houses here do it up like that, but none in the immediate area.

I did some Christmas shopping today and am plugging away at decorating the tree. I'm looking forward to DD coming home on Wednesday.

Lovely pictures Havoc

Sorry about your Mum Hilda

Hope work do was good Sprouts

Glad you had a good time at Abba Tilllly Love them.

DD has been working at her river tours job today after working until late last night. Had a lovely chat with her about her interviews etc yesterday.

Put decorations on the real Christmas tree today so that's all our decorations up now. Actually apart from 2 small hedgehogs I just remembered. Washing done. Picked up some Christmas presents and a book for DD and took the underwater disposable camera into Snappysnaps to be developed from Mauritius. You couldn't really see what you were taking so not expecting anything that great but you never know. Had a salad for lunch, pear and blue cheese and about to have a Chinese meal for dinner.

Thanks Silkie. It’s a while ago now but you never really stop missing them.

We’ve just had a rather exciting episode - a total power blackout of our entire town. The weather is horrendous, lashing rain and very high winds, so perhaps no wonder. It’s back on now but had an interval of stumbling around trying to find torches and/or candles.

I’m now going to contribute to the tasteful Christmas lights with the restrained display outside a restaurant I saw the other day 😅

Love it, Hilda! 😁😁😁
I really enjoy light displays at Christmas. It's so nice for our dark and dreary days!

we did get some snow mixed in with rain for about an hour and it's just rain now. I'm so glad we went out for lights last night!
Have got third load of laundry in, waiting for Havoc to doze off and will continue with laundry today as I've let it pile up this week.
planing on baking a couple of carrot loaves today to use some of the yoghurt and carrots I have too much of (plan is lots of cinnamon and raisins, too); maybe an icing sugar glaze with a bit more cinnamon and vanilla and pop one in the freezer.

I think Havoc is getting much closer to potty training. Has been getting quite upset at pee diapers and insisting it's a "poo poo" and wanting diaper off. Have been introducing potty and toilet all year gently.

Have got a doc on that I pvr'd a while ago about a 1969 concert held in Toronto as "Canada's Woodstock". John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Bo Diddley... all these 50's rock and rollers...plus political/peace artists/singers... it's super interesting.