Thread 11 - TalkLair: “The candle flame gutters. Its little pool of light trembles.”

[Kucinghitam]

Whoops, missed the filling up of the previous thread! (thread 10).

Although the nights are gradually drawing in, the new lair of JTT escapees is all cosy and homey inside. The hearth is glowing, the walls covered in dubious artwork, books by non-approved authors line the shelves, rugs are down on the floors (and assorted pets curled up on them).

We just won’t mention the gnawed bones of our prey over there in the corner of the cave…

That's a gorgeous photo @Vegemiteandhoneyontoast Also, a good idea to go to the supermarkets or Wilko type places now to get fairy lights as they'll often be on sale. If not there's always the evil of Amazon.

I think having the hyacinths is a great idea @DeanElderberry I bought an an amaryllis bulb that's just in wax and needs me to do nothing but wait for it to grow which I'm looking forward to seeing at some point this winter, but I think I might get some pots of hyacinths and maybe daffs as well. It's the promise of spring that they bring which is so uplifting. My lovely bunch of flowers from the Irish cousins is reaching its end and I've decided I will have flowers, potted or in a vase, around me while I'm being an ill person. Flowers cheer me up.

Oh and @DeanElderberry I'm sorry that it's been such a death heavy start to the year but hopefully it'll all be out of the way and the Year of the Dragon will bring fresh light and a good year ahead.

Three post ment, but also nice stuff as follows:

I'm clean and it feels bloody wonderful. I had a shower, the shower sleeve kept my PICC line dry. It's all good.

I did a bit of almost housework. I've had a lot of deliveries and small boxes have become Django toys. Got out the box cutters, cut up the boxes and got those and the paper packaging and all of the too much stuff into the recycling bag ready to go outside. It's neat again. Plastic packaging - please stop with this shit - in the bin. I had a bit of a rest afterwards but it felt good to actually do something.

Clothes were delivered that fit me. I feel more normal.

I found a small flask type thing of what was one of my favourite perfumes and no longer exists. The original Prada. Anyway, because it's all incased it still smells good and now, so do I!

One of the boxes I cut up contained a couple of new cermaic bowls for the cats to eat from. I attach a photo because they're so silly and so cute!

I do like reading your updates @MouseMinge , obviously the good news ones most but also the others because you're one of my oldest online friends, and one of the very few I've met in person.

Anybody else watching the new season of The Traitors? It's just as camp, silly and great as the last season so far.

I've not started yet, @Dotellhimpike . I loved it last time but I don't know if I have the headspace for it this time but I do love Claudia.

So, yesterday, cream doughnut and pot noodle with a shortbread biscuit for breakfast and later some Jacobs cheese minis.

Dinner this evening? I remembered I had a jar of posh lobster bisque in the cupboard. From the ridiculous to the utterly sublime!

Yesterday's food is sounding suspiciously like solid food, @MouseMinge - yippee! If you can cope with shortbread, can I recommend Nairn's cheese oatcakes (which melt in the mouth) topped with whatever supermarket own-brand version of Philadelphia cream cheese you find acceptable. I'm a fan of the Co-op's.

Lobster bisque is yum. Costco sells it here. I've also become a fan of fish chowder since I came to Maine, and that might work for you Mouse. It's easy to make and easy to eat.

I got am amaryllis as a secret Santa gift at my Brits in Maine group lunch before Christmas and it's just in flower now.

Oh that's lovely, Brit!

Aargh! Baby Triffids!

That's a beautiful amarylis! Mine will be the standard red but I bought a white one, already partly in flower, for the people I spent Christmas with. I love the red ones but the white ones are a bit special.

Has the snow arrived yet, @Britinme ?

@Gonners my mouth literally watered reading about Nairn's cheese oatcakes. On the list!

8-10" due on Sunday @Mouse.

Tonight I made a spotify playlist for a friend. Then I wrote explanations of why I chose the tracks on two-sides of A4 paper because I'm nothing if not an obsessive maker of list type things that are not really necessary.* I was going to add a Prince track but found that I had a duplicate of a CD that has the track on, so she has no Prince track on her playlist but will have a Prince CD!

I've also decided that I am going to buy a jigsaw puzzle (and a roll mat because cats) soon and do it. I used to love doing them and then the internet was invented. I think it will be quite theraputic.

Finally, I don't know whether safari parks are a good idea or not. Probably not, but maybe they're okay. Anyway. For some reason I've wanted to go to one. I saw some stuff from Longleat today - I wasn't searching it out - and have decided I shall ask to be taken there. It's only £9 per adult which I think is pretty good. I'm also going to go to New Lanark this year. It's been somewhere I've wanted to go for ages, I'm an admirer of Robert Owen. He wasn't perfect but most people who want to create a better world aren't. This is positive forward thinking rather than dwelling in the now which can be very up and down.

Sweet dreams anyone who's still awake. May we all wake up to a lovely day tomorrow!

About the same distance, but in the other direction from Longleat, are the Aspinall parks - Port Lympne and Howletts. They are more expensive but really good - and if you get DLA, PIP or similar you can get a concessionary ticket that also allows a carer in free, so the per-head prices works out much closer to Longleat.

The enclosures are designed very much for the animals rather than visitors, so you can't always see everything, but they have a massive breeding and reintroduction programme so always lots of babies. And the gorillas are kept in proper troops, which is lovely.

@MouseMinge good tip on buying the fairy lights now. It's lovely seeing you perking up and re-discovering the joys of eating after what seems like years of problems. More of that!

I'm finding this discussion oddly fascinating.

(Full disclosure: I'm with the OP.)

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4977956-do-you-know-somebody-who-wraps-presents-this-way?

Yes, I was just reading that one. Why on earth would you stick tape directly to the present? Especially now gift bags are so easily available for people who can't wrap.

Why would you even consider doing that, and continue to do it when someone has specifically asked you not to? People who say they have always done it and will continue to do so because they have always done it should have their own gifts wrapped in used fish & chip paper.

If it was a tin being wrapped I might stick tape to it, but would never consider wrapping a book that way. What a strange thing to do.

That is borderline psychopathic behaviour! Why on earth would someone do that? I don't see how it makes wrapping easier either but that might be because I've just woken up and my brain is still half asleep.

I've accidentally stuck tape to a present, on occasion and spent ages doing my best to peel it off, causing as little damage as possible. It's saddening to see a bit of a flaw, when you've taken the time to choose something nice, only to spoil its appearance.

What strange behaviour! I think it may make wrapping some presents easier but it’s only acceptable if you use that tape that comes off without a mark if you so much as look at it or if you’re wrapping something that’s in, say, a glass bottle or a plastic wrap that’ll be discarded.

Also, great to hear you sounding so positive about food @MouseMinge - it must make such a difference!

I hate wrapping so I put everything in gift bags these days.

I can't wrap neatly but I've forced myself to take a bit more time over doing it so they don't come apart. Monsieur PSD is superb at both choosing presents and wrapping them, so I have to try to keep up.

I agree you should treat yourself to plants and flowers MM. Especially given the low costs of pot noodles...

I love one aspect of January and that is the lovely scents of plants now. I always have a pot of hyacinths on the go, usually blue, and the Daphne in the garden keeps me well-supplied with sprigs that have such strong beautiful scent

Hyacinths make me sneeze. A lot.

I love flowers but seldom have them indoors (or in my mostly green garden, come to that, although there are a few intrepid roses still flowering at the moment) but the beautiful bunch my niece sent for Christmas is still flourishing and bringing good cheer.

I’ve recently been getting more houseplants as they make the place nicer and require minimal effort.