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! 🤣🤣

We've had rain overnight, and apparently more due later on as well. Blue sky for now though!

I hope it goes well today. That's one heck of a trip you're going on. I hope you get answers too.

I have to confess to being very stressed. Sigh.

When do you start the new job Fluffy?

Wreck I hope you get some answers and the giant round trip is worth it!

It rained heavily overnight here and we're forecast a storm later.

I think all the recent stress has caught up with me. I've felt run down the last week or so but today I've got what I thought was toothache but it seems to be moving between jaw, throat and ear. Dosing myself up to the eyeballs with paracetamol and vitamins and hoping it nuggets off quickly.

Also, I've discovered something called Gentle Melody on YouTube - plays calming Halloween and Christmas music live 24/7. It's quite nice to have on in the background while I'm working and it's grey outside

Hello from the middle off the sea! On our way to Madeira. It is really choppy. I am having mega trouble walking in as straight line - as is everyone else though 😮. I saw a couple of things in Woman and Home for the list.

Basically food,coffee ,dressing up and on board entertainment!

I feel 🤢🤢 just reading that, 70! I'm not a good sailor! Especially when Why sprays herself with ALL the perfume in Duty Free then comes to sit near me.

Crazy, new job 27 Nov. Probs moving house 24 Nov. 😬🙈🤣

I hope you feel better soon. Lots of germs floating round.

66

Morning!

Send a 🚤 as it's 🌧️ ☔️ this morning. We had a very wet dog walk and my legs were soaked when we got back! As were my feet as it's was either so dark I couldn't see the puddles or they were bigger / deeper than I anticipated. 😩😩

Oh well. We survived! (The dog loves the rain / puddles.)

Haha Fluffy yes I did go rather overboard with the duty free. I believe both me and Wendy had a cooked breakfast as well 😂

Pouring with rain here and has been since yesterday. I will be floating to work later.

I hope the sea has settled down for you overnight 70
I'm not a bad sailor but our very first cruise got caught in a storm. Captain ended up altering the direction we were travelling around Iceland and skipping a stop. It was awful - I ended up in bed for a day and DH (who miraculously was fine) said he had dinner and played in the casino pretty much alone 😂

Oh wow with those timings Fluffy!

Lots of rain here too.

65

Dry and cold this morning. Doggo had a good walk and I've just harvested the chillies, as they're not going to ripen now and we want to get the greenhouse and racking dismantled and taken to the tip while we're off this week.

We've only got 2 more green bin collections until March, so we need to get moving on clearing so the landlord doesn't get funny about the condition of the garden when we leave (though it's damp and north-facing, so it's a challenge keeping it nice!). I need to bring a spade back from the allotment so we can tidy the lawn edges as well.

We had heavy rain overnight, ds’ football was cancelled (not sad about that!) but it’s a bit brighter now.

I’ve bought dd a pill organiser 👵🏼 she’s on 14 a day for now…

I need to go shopping in real life for stocking bits I think, maybe a trip to b&m.

I'm on a different countdown - 17 sleeps - until I fly away. I have managed to find temporary accommodation for a month while I look for an apartment to rent. The spare room is getting stacked up with bags and boxes as I slowly clear out cupboards and pull out what I am bringing. All getting very real.

I haven't had time to catch-up on news here recently so off to see what's been happening now.

I'm on the train home from Cardiff. Had a lovely festive wander around John Lewis (didn't buy anything though) and some nice lunch.
Going to do some housework then relax and have an early night as we're up and out early tomorrow.

Biddy is your plan to move away on your own for now with DH and DD joining you later or for them to stay home and you travel back and forth?
You haven't said where you're moving but I'm guessing European city so you'll be able to enjoy beautiful Christmas scenery/shops/markets?

14 a day Wreck? She'll be rattling! Is she pleased to have an answer or will she not care until the meds kick in and she hopefully starts feeling better?

There’s only a 50% chance of the meds working but pleased to have a diagnosis

64

Afternoon!

I've had a vaguely productive day, as I've cleared a bit more of the allotment and also tidied the garden. I edged the lawn and took all of the plants out of the borders. It looks much neater.

We've also just put the last of our lawn seed down, to try to fill in the gaps on the lawn as a damp, north-facing lawn just doesn't fare well, unfortunately. Lots of gaps which don't look great. 😩 Apparently grass seed will grow if it's over 8-10°, which the forecast says it is for the next fortnight, so let's hope it germinates OK.

63 Morning from a very dark, grey Wales

Wreck how long will it take to know if the meds are working for your dd? I have my fingers crossed for her.

Fluffy I hope your lawn comes up ok.

We traveled to see an ill member of DHs family yesterday so it was a very full day. Was great to see everyone but obviously the atmosphere was quite tense.

Today I need to do the housework I would normally have done yesterday (clean bathroom, change bedding, load of washing, dusting) plus work and I want to make some proper plans on what to get people for Christmas.
I tried over the weekend but I have absolutely no inspiration at all so I'm going to list the children here in case anyone can help 🤞🏼

Niece 1 - 11yo, girly, likes dancing, tracksuits, lip gloss, puzzle games

Niece 2 - 8yo, likes drawing, unicorns, dogs, cats, soft toys

Niece 3 - 6yo, daredevil, likes digging in the garden, climbing trees, dolls, Disney princesses, glitter, has no attention span at all

Nephew 1 - 5yo, likes avengers, cars, stacking things/putting things in boxes/arranging things in order, drawing

Friends DD - 11yo, likes lego, science, running, logic puzzles.

They all have a lot of stuff and will get so much more from their parents and grandparents. I don't want to buy plastic tat that will end up in the bin.

Also, if anyone has any idea for a 50yo auntie who has no hobbies (except shopping), doesn't drink and who doesn't want anything in particular, that would be amazing!

Crazy have you seen the smart games on Amazon? They do loads of age ranges and are small.

I think around three/ four weeks. We will have a follow up in 6 weeks.

Afternoon!

I've had a relatively productive day so far. I've walked the dog, weeded the front garden, and some of the back which didn't get done yesterday, and watched as DH removed the greenhouse! I have also emptied all my chilli pots of earth (harvested them all on Saturday) into the garden and dug them in, plus I've swept the paving slabs as they were covered in dirt.

Just the sheds to sort through now, but I'm dreading that job! DH went to the tip with the greenhouse and the racking (which was the racking from those mini greenhouse thingies). The garden looks enormous now. 🤣

I've also saved us £20 a month on mortgage payments by contacting our broker to see if we could change rates, which we could. Better in our pocket than theirs!

62

just lounging about getting ready to leave Lanzarote.
the Canaries have had no rain for 9 months then on Sunday it was biblical 😏

there are a good few shops with Christmas stock in. And Hallowe’en …

Have you stocked up, 70? Is this your final leg now?

It's been wet here today. Not as heavy as forecast though, thankfully.

DH took the kids out for lunch today while I stayed home and sorted their clothing drawers. DS hates getting rid of stuff, even when it's too small, so it's a job best done alone! We have a charity bin at the bottom of the road, so one of us will do the hundred yard dash to throw them in before they're missed.

I slept funny last night and my neck really hurts. Definitely falling apart in my old age. 🤣

Costa are late announcing their Christmas drinks this year.

I wanted to buy a Christmas plate so I could put it on the table with cakes on it but I would’ve had to buy 6 of them. I’ll have a search in TKMaxx instead..
One more offshore adventure on Thursday then DH can buy some Duty Free.
Apart from that it’s relaxing and eating and seeing what entertainment is on offer

@70isaLimitNotaTarget Also try B&M and Home Bargains. B&M had some individual stand alone ones last year.

Thanks I’ll have a look there too.
I know from experience in TKMaxx/HomeSense if I see something I want Buy It Then. If I wait a few days it’ll be gone. And they won’t be selling Christmas things for long.

How about here, @70isaLimitNotaTarget?

Oh that’s nice fluffy , I’ll have a proper search when I’m back on my laptop rather than the iPod which is sooo slow!

Morning all,

Canaries cruise sounds fab 70s, I hope you're finding a few nice things for the case home.

Crazy, it sounds like your life is as crazy as ever, it's sad when seeing relatives because one is ill.

Fluffy, what did you do with your chillis? I have a plant with quite a few and no ideas ( or time really but I'll magic up some of that🤣).

Yes, I'm heading the Brussels, which I love as a city for 20 years of work trips, but never lived there. As DD has leaving cert (A level equivalent? Final exams to leave school/get into uni) this summer, she and DH will stay here initially and I'll do the visiting - but we'll share that next year and DH hopes to do some WFH days in my apartment to make longer weekends. But it's the first time I will have lived abroad and the first time I will have lived alone so I am getting quite excited. (My packing includes all my hobby materials - sewing, knitting, paper craft, etc for the quiet evenings...).