Countdown to Christmas 2021 (Thread 3): Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey, isn't it Christmas yet?!

[WeeDonkey]

Here we go. The LoD season finale tribute thread!

Too many evens. 🤣😂 Not been awake long!

In this job you never stop learning. Ever. If anybody thinks they know enough and can stop, they're in the wrong job!

I had a barrister of 40+ years say this to me when I was just starting. After 15 years, I couldn't agree more!

I found my degree soooo boring. Luckily, my dad made me get a job in a solicitor's while I decided what I wanted to do and I realised law is actually nothing like that, and I actually love my career. I couldn't do wills or conveyancing, though!

Ah, wills and thrills! No, me neither. 😴😴😴

I say it to everyone, Firefly! There's always something new to come across and go at. Luckily I have a tame Barrister I can ask questions of when I'm stuck! 😂😂

I did the GDL, so was saved 3 years of boredom but gained a year of stress!

Morning! I saw that thread Fluffy but was in too bad a mood to post. Amazing how people who know pretty much nothing will post though - my favourites being "you have nothing to claim for because injury isn't a financial loss" and "if the driver wasn't convicted, you can't claim." 🙄

My car has 2 names - Martha (named by me) and Colossus (named by nephew).

If I end up buying a new car it'll be a cheap cheap runaround with no loan needed - I'm only willing to take out a loan if the car is going to be relatively new and nice and doing that now would be a complete waste for the 1 or 2 small trips each week I would need it for.

burnt I hate when people ask for help based on your work. I work in insurance, but in compliance / governance etc and people ask me about the price of their policy / why certain questions are asked etc. I don't know!

We are shopping at the mo. Very exciting - we've been to look at some edging for around the patio (which should be finished today at last). Now at Aldi - I discovered their Sicilian lemon cider last night at a friends house and it's lovely so I've added it to the shopping list.
Doing the food shop, then Sainsbury's to pick up a few things we dont get here, then going to Wilko so I can wander around looking at the garden stuff (hoping to get a watering can, bird feeder and bird feed at least 🤞🏼) then home with nothing major planned.

Morning all. Ds's covid test was negative so we are free. Which in my case means free to do the washing and tidy the living room. My mil is visiting next week so I really need to tidy up and try and convince dh to lay the bathroom floor that he has been fitting for 2 months....
I had rekordorlig pink lemon cider last week. It tastes like pink lemonade so nice but I can imagine very easy to drink way too much off haha

Morning.
I was getting out of the shower and heard a ladder.
I shouted, "is that you?" and found DH clambering up the steps to the loft hatch...
Me, wrangling a bath towel, "What are you doing?"
DH "The plumbers coming in a bit...so I thought I'd open the hatch..."
Me "When 'in a bit'...5 mins, an hour?"
DH "Dunno, I stopped listening when he said 'this morning' and panicked...I thought I'd better move this" points to hatch ☝🏻

Anyway... the shower is now clean and dried off, I've shut the cats in the kitchen and they're a tad grumpy and I've opened all of the windows...DH has mowed the back lawn. 🤔🤦🏻‍♀️
Oh, and the hatch is open. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Have I missed why the plumber needs to go up your hatch, puss?

Has he previously done bad work, and trapping him up there is your revenge?

puss at least the plumber wasn't there when you got out of the shower!

We did Wilko before Sainsbury's so DH is in finishing the food shopping and I'm in the car.

I had a successful trip I think - got a watering can (plus a plastic water misting bottle thing that I've hidden from DH so I don't have to see him rolling his eyes), yet another cactus for the kitchen (this one has pink spikes), a frame that I hope will fit my Christmas cross stitch and this bird feeding table.
No idea how I'm going to make it stable and not fall over but it was a bargain so I got it and some bird seed.
DH thinks I've lost the plot 😂

Oops, forgot pic!

Have I missed why the plumber needs to go up your hatch, puss?

😱🙈😂

Why also has a cactus collection, Crazy! 🌵

Firefly He needs to isolate the hot and cold supply (in the loft) so he can replace the cartridge in the mixer. I just about get a dribble at the mo. 😂

Crazy that looks good.
If it's a bit unstable, you could wedge it with some pots underneath.
We do that in the winter so ours doesn't blow over.
You could screw in a cup hook on opposite sides and hang a fat ball holder from it...the sparrows will love you forever!

Fluffy I hope he brings his own torch! 🔦

I definitely have an eclectic cactus collection Fluffy and Crazy. My daughter bought me a new one today that is quite tall and is going to be called Nakotomi Cactus 🌵 (Yes they all have names as well).

@NoWordForFluffy

Have I missed why the plumber needs to go up your hatch, puss?

😱🙈😂

Fluffy I missed that sentence altogether! 😂😂😂

I leave you lot alone for the morning and it's pure filth! 😱

Puss I was considering hooks for suet balls etc but thought I'd better ease DH into that as he thinks I've gone a bit garden-bonkers already 😂

Why I don't have a collection yet but I'd like to. So far I only have Clive - he was a small 99p B&Q pot (he came with a little sombrero on). Now he's around 10years old and 30cm. I love him.
I also have a plant that was a teacher present for DH. He almost killed it. I rescued it because we thought it was a cactus but now it's come back to life it's very definitely an Aloe 🙄 so she's called Vera.
And now I have my cactus with pink spikes. No name just yet but I'm sure I'll find one....

Crazy, I started a cactus competition with a patient last year, she was convinced I would kill a cactus but so far I haven't which is a miracle. I have Bob, Alf, Professor Plum (who has purple spikes) Bibitty, Bobetty, Spud and now Nakotomi.

It's a running joke in our house about how I can't even keep a cactus alive. I don't know what I do but I kill all plants I buy.
I bought my first proper Christmas gift today . A paper making kit for dd. Now just to hide them sensibly this year so I don't spend December trying to find them haha.

why I love the names! Am now wishing id bought a cactus with purple spikes so I could do joint names like your bibitty & bobetty🤔

My garden isn't going to plan. My strawberries are struggling and my supposed wildflower seeds are giving me nothing but grass at the mo (the seeds were really old though). And I'm extra late planting sunflowers so no idea how they'll come out!
We've been out there this afternoon moving furniture onto the patio and DH pinned the lantern things in place. They look lovely ☺️

Charlie I have a dedicated Christmas box that I use for early bought presents - but I don't have children that could find them so I think that makes it easier.
Could you note on your phone where you hide things to make things easier?

Woolly I've managed to lower the tone within 24 hours of returning to MN

Charlie I have a list of gifts, and if they're not in the usual present spot, I put a note on the list.

I bought a couple of things ( pyjama shorts/top and hair grips) for my DD Birthday in a couple of weeks .
No idea what she wants as her main presents but I always do a box with presents per age (so this year 19 presents for 19 yo)

I really don't like houseplants , I think it's from my Mum and her OTT collections , one of which was plants . Every surface in the house was covered with cuttings in water , plants in any container she could find , plants she bought , was given or rescued .

I had an ivy in the bathroom but it got too big and now lives outside (happily) in a pot .

So DD wanted a plant for her room, she got a cactus (Ikea) then one from Urban Outfitters and one a friend gave her .
They live on her desk out of the way of the female cat (who has form for throwing things on the floor )
Her plants are Spiney Norman, Derwent and Tony . Bit of a Monty Python/ dinnerladies crossover

I'm not a houseplant fan, either. And I only grow flowers for the bees, not because I'm that arsed about them in general!

I've just potted on 21 chilli plants. I have 30-ish left, which means I've lost about 30 to 🐌 🐌 🐌 Bastard things.

My mum meant to give me my cactus (Spike) which is about 35 now, but didn't. Maybe as we weren't going straight home!