Countdown to Christmas 2023: get past the post-Christmas slump by thinking about the next one! (Thread 1.)

[NoWordForFluffy]

364

Morning (just)!

I failed at eating yesterday which meant I got blotto far too early and wasn't well. Oops! 🙈

But we had a great time anyway and I avoided having to tidy up!

Countdown to next year is go go go! 🎄🎅🏻🎄🎅🏻🎄🎅🏻

345

Miserable start to the day. It's meant to improve, but the winds are going to be bad again.

Tribe, ouch re the car. What was wrong?

DM already broken our agreement to only buy 1 thing for each of my DC (3 of them) for Christmas! Went round today to be greeted with a large bag of gifts she'd spotted and 'just couldn't resist!' 🤦‍♀️ it's only January 14th and I'm already stressed as to where we'll put it all and they've all got birthdays to come first!

It was DH's car - bless it, it refuses to give up the ghost entirely.

It needed ball joints, tyres and a fancy pants sensor.

It hasn't needed any work done on it for the last 2 years, and it does about 1000 miles a year at most.

We could probably just about manage with one car, but it would be tricky for half of the week so until it actually collapses into a heap we're going to keep it 😁

Well at least January is half done by Sunday, my usual hibernation day lovely lazy day. In the summer I won’t hibernate so much but winter yes once the clocks go back.

Tonight we had a social night for leaders of the Scout group. 1 Cub leader apparently arrived to the pub but missed us. 3 other leaders found the group. But all were too old for the group of Scout leaders gone to another pub before possibly finding a house party. Odd juxtaposition....

But as I have had more than 1 alcoholic beverage, (and am I. That older cohort), I'm waiting for the kettle to boil and fill my hot water bottle to hit the hay. I'm too old for this , as the movie goes.

But I had a fun night!

344

Morning!

Still breezy here, but dropping during the day. Temp has dropped too. I put a load of washing out earlier and there's our bedding to go out soon too which DH will do as I'm on the way to the allotment now.

The kids have had a screaming match over playing Monopoly which was fun! 🙄

DD is seemingly sick of DS right now and he was forced back into his own bedroom last night. TBH, it needed to happen and he says he slept OK on his own.

He chose new wallpaper recently, so DH and I need to get his room sorted properly for him.

Afternoon. What do you have growing at the allotment at the moment Fluffy?

We finally have a nice day so I've just been out and tidied up a few of the house plants using the potting bench. My poinsettia is still going strong so I repotted it. My cactus has also had an upgraded pot (and stabbed me twice while being moved).
Big cactus is getting an upgrade nearer the summer but I'm worried about my lemon tree. It doesn't look very happy.

It's my dads birthday today so I'm out this evening for a meal. Apart from that it's all boring, housework mainly.

I went to asda. It’s was extortionate. I am never going back there it was horrendous, more expensive than sainburys for sure even with my blue light discount plus hardly any stock. They had tried to hide that by having the same thing in multiple aisles. I did manage to get ds a blind for his bedroom but apart from that spent £130 and only have three bags of groceries to show for it, am about to go to sainburys to get all the stuff I couldn’t in Asda.

My lemon tree is also unhappy, Crazy. We're feeding it weekly and hoping! 🍋 🤞

I have leeks, garlic and onions growing now, Crazy. My rhubarb is just sprouting through the ground for the new season. I love seeing stuff sprouting; all the promise of the new year!

My snowdrops are slow this year. They're poking through the ground, but nowhere near flowering. They will eventually though!

I was clearing and tidying today, doing some weeding and I got one more barrow load of chippings for the back of the plot. The ground is too wet to go near it right now.

The little birdies were really loving the food I put out. I love watching them. Mr Robin always arrives just after I do as he knows I'll put food out for him!

We've just been swimming with the kids. DS simultaneously loves it, but also can't cope with the sensory effects of the acoustics on him. Or other swimmers being in his way sometimes. Challenging times!

My husbands orange tree isn't very happy either. We have our doubts it will make it this year.

Cold here arthritis has been vicious this week heated throw a godsend.

Ooh rhubarb! I miss allotment rhubarb. My parents have a new crown, but it'll be another year before it's okay to eat.

Weather is awful here, there is talk of snow, and as the local fields are currently flooded, snow will cause utter chaos.

343 Morning (just).

Sounds like an expensive shop for you yesterday Wreck

I don't have anything growing in the garden Fluffy - I left it too late to plant things before going away for Christmas and haven't had the headspace for it since.
Need to have a think now though.

We're having a bit of nice weather for once - it's cold but sun is out and the sky is blue. Obviously I've shot out and put some washing on the line so 🤞🏼 it dries.

I barely slept last night (stress and hormones) but feel surprisingly refreshed today. Sure I'll crash later so for now I'm ploughing through the work to-do list and knocking little housework jobs off in between too - making the most of the energy while I have it!

Ordered big laundry shop that’s me sorted for most of the year now. Very cold here.

342

Morning!

Busy day again yesterday. But it always is!

I have many meetings today. Exciting times. 🙄😳

We had a dusting of snow last night. Doesn't bode well for others if we have snow! 😱

Morning. It’s -4 here and so many roads closed due to floods yesterday I can imagine the roads are awful. So pleased we don’t live in the middle of nowhere anymore.

I’m going to a funeral today but have a uni tutorial first. It’s only going to get up to 2° 🥶

Laid up in bed at the moment, slipped disc in lower back, absolute agony, so spending my time eating chocolate and biscuits left over from Christmas, watching elf on dvd, and updating my Christmas planner for this year !

Walked daftdog at lunch time, the fields were flooded a couple of days ago and now they're skating rinks. It was actually quite pretty but it'll be awful when it thaws.

Its bloody freezing here too - currently-4° and I'm hoping the anticipated snow misses us because the roads are already more pothole than road.

341

Morning all, chaos reigns today....

DH on nights so is upstairs sleeping and DDog is thoroughly confused.

DD "poorly" on the sofa and has scammed me. She was very out of sorts yesterday, and her teacher said she thought she was coming down with something. She's woken up all snotty and spluttery, and has made a remarkable recovery once I'd called school to say she wouldn't be in. (I've made a rookie mistake here haven't I?)

I've got a day full of meetings, and will probably be on the gin by noon.

She played you, Tribe! 🙈🤣

Sodding freezing here still. Starlings will remain feisty in their bid for food!

Freezing here about -3. The food shop is coming today plus I have another blood test so the rheumatologist can see if anything has changed, as my blood tests don't match my symptoms apparently. Standard me there though.

Oh no Tribe! We’ve all been there… that’s why I generally have a rule of ‘unless you’re vomiting or have a fever you’re going to school, they can call me if you’re unwell’ although DD’s school call me every time she goes to student reception to say she doesn’t feel well 🤨

I’m home today (strike) so working on my assignments. My car is broken again.

Woke to the tiniest dusting of snow this morning but it was gone completely by 10am.

It's so cold here today, Fluffy I'm trying your method of maintaining the temp rather than just putting the heating on in the evening.

TribeD you definitely got played. My dm's response to this was to make the day as boring as possible - she would say on repeat "you're too ill for tv/games/chocolate" etc 😂
I remember lying on the sofa while she watched This Morning (it was Richard and Judy then) and thinking it was so boring I would have had more fun in school.

What's up with your car Wreck? I hate that they don't just work every time.
If I win the lottery I'm buying at least 2 cars and hiring a full time driver!

340

Morning!

Still very cold here. 🥶🥶 Don't think there's snow though, thankfully. Though Manchester airport is apparently shut due to heavy snow. That's further inland than us though, so different weather pattern.

Not good news re the car, Wreck. Is it all the same problem as before?