Countdown to Christmas 2023: launching into summer with more Christmas planning (thread 2)

[NoWordForFluffy]

Here's our new thread. Almost missed that it was needed!

Can somebody add the countdown again please, as I've no clue! 🤣🤣

Afternoon!

Work is still stupidly busy, and I have appointments and training fitted into next week, so less time to do my actual work.

It's a nice day today. I've had my hair cut (had to be a bus wanker to get there as I can't drive yet!) and collected my new glasses / sunglasses. I'm in the 'getting used to new prescription' phase. 🤢

I need to do some housework. Boring.

Fluffy Snap! I'm just coming to the end of the new prescription phase - I picked up my new glasses and sunglasses on Wednesday.

Biddy that sounds like a lot of people to organise visits with!

I am recovering from a hangover today. I'm quite proud of how well I've managed considering how much my feet hurt. There was a lot of dancing involved but I needed it

I'm on the sofa with my cross stitch, crochet project, work laptop, reading book and journal all within arms reach and all I've done for the last hour is scroll online
I need to do at least a few hours work this weekend so trying to gather up some motivation

Dd was away all week so it was peaceful and calm. Her plane was delayed almost 2 hours (apparently an anti-social behaviour incident on the outbound plane), and she only had 1 hour of sleep last night (because when the end of camp disco finishes at 2am, it's perfectly sensible to pack your gear then and only go to bed at 6 for a 7am wake up call!). So she was like a bag of cats coming in, with both DH and I getting it int he neck for different things.

I love her dearly but occasionally I need to remind myself that I like her as well.

But I am proud that she did the trip solo and enjoyed the camp as well. And I have access to the wine cabinet....

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Today I am going to the storage unit to sort a few things as I keep working on a major declutter. I'm not doing Christmas stuff yet but plan to reduce what I have and give a decent lot to local charity shops. As there's way too much to fit in our house at once...

Afternoon. Dh is putting up DD’s blinds/shelves/mirror etc today. He reckoned it wouldn’t take long but has only done about half. I knew it would take longer!

Fluffy you’ll be pleased to know I’ve recently converted to Sainsbury’s. I do still think lots of things are a bit more expensive but with the nectar offers, quality, and how much quieter it is I much prefer it to anywhere else at the moment.

Afternoon!

I do like Sainsbury's, Wreck. Its pack size is often bigger than other shops on some things, so price per kg is similar. I put a matching basket if stuff in my basket at Morrison's and it was much dearer.

Plus, if you maximise the Nectar points offers you can make loads to spend at Christmas or whenever (linking eBay and Argos helps with this).

I went to the allotment this morning. Rats are eating everything now. And loads of things are already ending. Bit of a short season this year. Weird.

I've done the cross trainer since home (back to doing it daily) and I'm meant to walk the dog later but it's wet! 😭

Oh Morrisons is really expensive. I can get free delivery but the few times I’ve used it it’s been extortionate with hardly any choice and awful fruit and veg. I don’t really use eBay but have linked it to my debit card as spend loads in Costa 😳😅

I do the Asda rewards and have earned about £250 since last September. I spent £70 on booze for last Christmas. Every time I offset some of my cash back against my shopping I buy a voucher for the equivalent amount to spend on Christmas shopping. I bought £100 of Amazon vouchers and spent them on Prime Day and I've got £70+ in my account waiting to get more amazon vouchers and a PlayStation card. I'll roll it over until the end of the summer and then spend it. Everything earned after that will be used for Christmas food/booze.

It's definitely better than clubcard

I use Sainsbury and collect the Nectar Points for Christmas , it is very nice ti get my trolley full of shopping and say "I;ll use my Nectar Points to pay this one "
We use Delivery about 3 weeks out of 4 , then I go to the shop on one week ti have a nosey about ,
Easter and Christmas food planning involves a trip to Waitrose for beer (DH) . White Chocolate Ice-Cream, Coffee Ice-Cream, Waitrose own brand lemonade ,croissants, Waitrose Lemon Curd , some of the sweets , Tivalli Schnitzels (the sweetcorn ones )

Costco is every month or so , they do start selling Christmas things about September . I used to buy a box of the glass baubles every year but since les chats arrived we don;t have a tree

We don’t have an Asda here, we’re closer to it now we’ve moved but it’s still half an hour away. Even Co-op are doing their own prices for ‘members’ now. I’m not signing up to yet another on though, we only have corner shop co-op here anyway.

I’ve started to see autumn bits creeping into the shops I feel like we haven’t had a summer yet though.

Wreck I really resent the 'members only' prices supermarkets are doing. Hate the big brother nature of them but the savings make it hard to refuse so we stick with Sainsburys only now.

Fluffy I feel like I messed up a fair bit of my gardening this year and it seems like time to sort it has pretty much run out

Today has been like winter - very dark and it's been raining all day. I've had candles burning and been crocheting for a while. It's very cosy, apart from my dad and ddog snoring away, disturbing my crime documentaries

I reckon I must've earned about that many Nectar points in a similar time, Buck, as I've spent loads this year and still have over £200 left.

I've just booked a hot stone massage for 19 August. It was on Groupon with a promo code so was only £16.80 for an hour! I'm very crunchy after sleeping funny while I'm in a sling, so it's definitely needed!

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I've only ever had a hot stone massage once before Fluffy but it was fantastic. I think I need to find another place.

I had a massage in Turkey years ago - steam bath, scrubbed with a soap filled bag , buffed with a loofah then massage with oil.
Relaxing is the last word I'd use to describe this one-in-a-lifetime experience

I'd love a hot stone massage. May request a voucher for somewhere for my birthday as my dad keeps asking what I want.

Many years ago I fell over <shocker> while I was in Prague and my back was sore so DH found a massage place. It was deep tissue I think - absolutely amazing, but one option was to lie on a mattress and have someone small walk on you - I turned that part down!

I had one a few years ago now when our health cash back policy included 'wellbeing' which had massages as claimable. But for £17 on Groupon, I can cope with paying myself.

Bit damp here. Again. Need to build a boat!

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Morning everyone, I love/hate a sports massage (made a mess of my leg muscles because I rode horses a lot and have no balance).

I think the plums on the tree are about ripe so might be making jam today. Looks like being a bumper crop this year. 😃

Granny I am at your plum tree. I really want one but can only have things in pots and not sure how well that would work.

Also, is the poor balance and horse-riding related? Asking as my MIL is a rider and her balance is worse than mine!

Sunny and fairly warm here, not that I'm enjoying it. I'm taking advantage of DH being away to work extra hours without him moaning at me about it. It sucks but it does mean I'm kind of getting on top of things before I go on leave and it all goes to shit

@CrazyBaubles , I don't know if the balance and riding are related, but I do know I fell off a lot.
I am indeed making my first batch of jam, and I love the feeling of breathing in the jam steam. Sad I know.

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Morning!

I've just been for physio and he's very pleased with my progress, which is good. I now have different exercises with resistance bands and a weight to do. This is working towards strength and stamina.

The birds ate the baby plums (and apricots) before they grew properly at the allotment, so no fruit for me!

Crazy, why are you limited to pots?

It threw it down this morning. Sunny now. Day of two halves! 🤣

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How did the jam turn out Granny?

It's been like autumn here since about 5pm yesterday. How can is he starting to feel Christmassy when it's the start of August?

I'm spending most of today home by myself as DH is away and dad is working then going straight out for a meal with his mate. Is it sad I'm planning to spend most of it working extra hours and having screen breaks to clean both bathrooms and hoover?

Ooh cross post Fluffy

I'm limited to pots as there's nowhere really suitable in the garden for a tree right now - we have 2 wonky lawns then a pebbly area.
There is a random tree/bush thing in the middle of one lawn and I'd be happy to replace that but it's a bit too close to the house and would likely be a problem as it gets bigger, but if we plant it further away from the house it'll be either right by the shed which we don't want, or next to my gardening corner, blocking the sun.

I'll figure it out and get a fruit tree at some point I'm sure. For now I'm settling for my random tree/bush and my potted Christmas tree

Jam turned out great @CrazyBaubles . We had some this morning with croissants. Still plenty of fruit on the tree but not ripe yet.

I bought 2 presents for DS today. A PS game and some guitar strings. I'm also watching the H&M website for some PJs to come into stock.

I was in The Works with a friend this morning and spotted their Christmas display. She rolled her eyes while I bought some gift tags. We'll see who is rolling their eyes in December 😂

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got my implant injection today, so I'm out and about earlier than usual.
Bought a gilet for my Dad in Costco yesterday. They just came in and he wears one out every year so it's a safe buy.