Countdown to Christmas: the Strictly Come Dancing official countdown has begun edition! Thread 6.

[NoWordForFluffy]

Here we are continuing from the last thread!

Settle in and get comfy.

Yay thanks Biddy I will get on it with my entrance hall and landings today. Good reminder about the alarms!!!

Arrived home to find a Royal Mail parcel delivery card, so I've rebooked delivery for Saturday, it's international so I suspect it's DD's birthday present either from me or from my aunt. 😆

Eurgh I hate being red carded PB!

Meh. I just rebook it for the nearest Saturday. They always deliver at 9, so unless I can apparate after drop off, I always miss them. Our regular postie always leaves them in the porch, but it may need a signature.

Picked DS2 up, rushed to Sainsbury's to buy DD's best friend a birthday present and card, had pulled pork burritos for supper, DD will go to bed at 7.40 as she's had 2 very late nights. 😋😴

Philomena booo to being red carded! Thankfully next door usually takes it as our postlady is really nice, postman is a wanker who puts post in the food bin?!!! I love the sound of your dinner.

Biddy busy as always it seems! sailing sounds lovely (and very fancy!) I picture you living in a castle with a captains hat and a giant wooden wheel on the wall!

Fluffy how are you feeling this evening? It's rubbish your shoulder is still hurting.

I need a virtual alcoholic drink tonight, had to clean out the food bin after bin men 'forgot' to take it for nearly 3 weeks, so many maggots and for someone with a phobia + pregnant it was horrific cleaning it.

Seafood 🍹

Urgh. Grim, Seafood.

I send DH to collect missed postal items, though they're mainly left in the porch unless they need signing for.

My shoulder still aches. Just taken my amitriptyline, so will be OK shortly.

Not heard about the job yet. Boo!

Seafood that sounds awful. I would definitely have given DH that job!

We're lucky here as the postman is my dads friend and he knows we work so aren't here. He keeps the parcels back and drops them in on a Saturday or of an evening if he's passing by.

Well it's really hit me this evening that the big jobs that we've put off around the house has meant the house hasn't felt homely and relaxing. I feel so calm now it's sparkling, I need to do better in future.

What is the grand plan you're all following please? I think it would help me if it's about getting your house in order.

We don't have food bins round here. Wish we did.

Our postie leaves them on the back step as do most couriers. We used to have one who left them on the front step luckily we live in an area where it doesn't matter but still thought that was a bit off.

Here's the grand plan.

I'm not doing it to the letter, but it has given me a kick up the bum. Wish it would work on DH!

Evening all
Oh My ! just saw the Grande Plan
Errr l don't know if l can be so organised as that but will try to do a bit .
I did buy a Christmas pressie for DF he loves Fireball whisky liqueur and it was on offer in Mr T for 11 quid so l got the last one !
Seafood hmmm am intolerant to shellfish, that is why l don't take Glucosamine because of the shellfish.
Been to Goldcliff for a lovely walk not been for such a long time it was wonderful. I felt like the weight of the world was lifted , must keep doing this now DH is better
Fluffy hope you get relief from the shoulder and hear that you have the job very soon! If only they knew how conscientious you are, they will be lucky to have you !
Have a good evening everyone

Definitely not posh sailing - DD’s boat rides to events on the roof of the car!🤣 and only fits herself. And we live in a suburban semi-d, not a 🏰

I’ll catch up with everyone tomorrow- but good to see you got out for a nice walk MrsMad - as you sound frazzled with a
Lot of caring duties recently.

I saw (actually I heard them first ) a formation of geese this morning.

I really don't like geese at all but I love to see them fly in their "V" shape . It's one of the signs of Autumn.

Ahhhh. Same here 70. We get loads overhead as we have wetlands near here. It definitely signals autumn proper!

106

It's absolutely chucking it down. And I have to go out in it in 15 minutes.

I spent the evening in my bed last night as I had a headache. It was nice to rest to be honest. I'm up the wall at work; can't see the wood for the trees right now. Ah well. It'll pass!

Morning! DD's getting dressed, DS2's probably playing Roblox, I'm watching BBC breakfast news, I take it it's still Matt Mrs? And drinking coffee.

Just walked for 45 mins in the pouring rain doing nursery drop off. Not complaining though as it felt gloriously autumnal. Had a dispatch email for some presents yesterday so hoping to have more to wrap soon :)

Morning all
Biddy thank you , we are snowed under here some days with all we have to do for the parents, we need to take care of ourselves better and take time out too. You are so busy my dear I don't know how you can do all that you do
PSB , yes Matt today m'dear . He's alright but not the same as The great Carol the Weather . Steph wasn't on either for the business section (Debenhams going down the Swanee now ) so l turned over to Everybody loves Raymond in disgust
Red well done that will set you up for the day , the trees are starting to change here such pretty colours.
Fluffy hope you feel better today and you get that job much nearer to home for you
70 . l love seeing them doing that and the Starlings doing their thing , think l will go to Bryn Bach Park this morning and see/feed the Canada Geese after sorting the parents Ahhht
Have a good day everyone

The Grande Plan looks scary. But I only ever look at it as a way to focus on a single room a week and try to get that one area a bit cleaner. And then move on to the next one. I NEVER finish it. But if I get a bit more done in each room than I would without having something to focus me, then its a good result. And it reminds me to do things like annual checks (I tend to try and clean out the gutters downstairs on front porch week - after all the dust and dirt of building works locally means a build up of moss, and old leaves as well, in them every year, so it's good to do before winter rains really set in) and to make sure winter duvets have been washed (by the local dry cleaners/launderette) before we'll want them on the bed again.

All these things and a few other organizing bits can make me fool lots of people into thinking I am a grown up!! Cos I don't feel like one most of the time!!

I'm only very loosely following the Grand Plan as in I am doing whichever room is advised that week but just what I think it needs rather than what the plan suggests. For me it's just motivation to properly tidy.

So I am planning the get together we are hosting for friends at the start of December. There will be too many people for a sit down meal but we need to be economical as my new job isn't as well paid. So I was thinking a Christmassy Ploughman's style thing. What are people's thoughts on the following:

A glazed ham (will do in slow cooker day before)
Some sort of chicken (ideas very welcome)
Couple of large seasonal pork pies, such as a cranberry topped one
Pigs in blankets
Pickled onions
Chutneys
Selection of cheeses
Couple of puff pastry tarts (veggie)
Homemade bread (have a bread maker so this is v easy)
My red cabbage (will do in slow cooker two days before as improves with age)
Mince pies
Something chocolatey
Fruit

Drinks wise would have mulled wine bubbling away in the slow cooker all day, some Christmassy cocktails from GH and soft drinks

We actually watched breakfast news until it was time to leave (well I did, the DC went back to Roblox/Dragon City), because DD wanted to know what was going on! 😂

Have bought DD 2 buckets of Lego Creative bricks to open on her birthday tomorrow, she'll only have that and a t-shirt and leggings as nothing else has arrived yet, had super scrambled eggs and a banana today. 😋🍌