Spring has sprung...let's Countdown to Christmas 2024 (Thread 2)

[NoWordForFluffy]

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For the forgetful of thinking AKA me tomorrow, repeating the countdown!

So glad your DD’s first day went well @NoWordForFluffy

DS back today so I have had a quick tidy of the house. Have step dad arriving this afternoon so also got the spare bedroom ready.

@NoCheesesForUsMeeces I am on Clarithromycin for my throat and it has given me reflux. Yesterday morning I was lying on the sofa and sat up suddenly. At which point a burst of stomach acid went up my throat. Very unpleasant but my throat is so much better since so I’m wondering if it dealt with the bone! Have an appointment Friday morning to double check :)

Weather nice but cool here today, 23 degrees predicted for the weekend though! Last burst of summer :)

Glad she had a good day Fluffy - pretty cool to get Everton in!! (Buck are you a Liverpool fan 😂).

Meeces its a docrafts Simply make one - I took notes of all the recommendations, forgot to buy any then found a kit in my "drawer of forgotten random purchases" - god knows how long its been there but its a penguin in a santa hat and I've got to say strangely addicitive once i managed to get the damn thing in the stupid hoop. Last night I was "just one more row then I'll go to bed, just one more row etc".

Yes 70 its the pre packed Sainsbos bakery ones - they did look tempting i'll be honest.

Biddy your parties and events and travelling sound very exciting.

Jennifer BBC Goodfoodguide has quite easy recipes for cakes etc

Hoping - fingers crossed the bone now fully gone.

Think I may need to make notes next time to remember what everyone has been up to!

Meeces, I've done 6 cards now. I'm just starting my Bothy ones, which are bigger and more fiddly!

Hoping,🤞the bone has vacated now.

DD was in uniform today, and had a few lessons as well, including Geography she didn't get to colour in though, more's the pity!

Magnolia, I've had some very late 'just one more line' nights in my time! Not last night though, as I was knackered.

Oh wow Fluffy those are really brilliant.

This is mine - ignore the cock up with the red when i used ALL the thread instead of separating 🙄. It may be ready for Christmas 2025.

@Magnoliasunrise Yes, BBC good food is what I usually use for my cakes. Last year it didn’t sink at all when I got it out of the oven, so need to recreate that again 🤞🏾

@NoWordForFluffy Your cards look fantastic. Top left is my favourite.

We’re Liverpool fans in this house - we had a cake topper of us on our wedding cake, sculpted, with DH wearing his LFC shirt. And we were mentioned in one of their match programmes and had our photo in there too. That was when we managed to get to the matches - quite a trip for us. Haven’t been for a few years now.

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Morning!

I'm just back from the dog walk / run. We did some cat tracking in the cemetery (he follows the scent; we don't often find the cat!) and ran round some streets we've not been along in ages.

I have a surgeon's appointment today to discuss how arthritic my shoulder is and whether I need carpal tunnel surgery or not. Exciting times! 😩

It's very autumnal outside now. I think I've lost all hope that my tomatoes will ever ripen!

Glad your DD is enjoying school Fluffy it is a rite of passage .

The new uniform , the new school (which is huge compared to Primary/Junior) and what my DC found the most difference was the trekking between classes .
Mine worried about getting lost in school.

It was slightly easier for DD as she was following in DS footsteps . DD is so different to DS personality wise and what subjects she likes .

I'm sure teachers are used to having one pupil in their class then a couple of years later their sibling and they think "Woah , what a contrast !"

DD is concerned about getting lost. She got lost yesterday trying to find the right exit. Poor chick! Luckily it was home time so didn't matter.

She has her phone with her today (off and staying strictly in bag) in case she gets lost again later!

I seem to remember spending a lot of my first few weeks of high school (or comprehensive as it was then) getting lost.

70 I'm the eldest and dsis had a lot of comments about how she's not like me over the years. They were generally not made in a nice way either (I was quiet, academic, she was dyslexic, hated school but was a loud, popular kid).
It's taught DH not to say more than "oh another Jones/Smith/Davies, I taught your brother/sister too" when he gets a sibling of a previous pupil coming through.

Our eldest has just moved form her secondary to a new school for sixth form.

They are provided maps but I honestly couldn't understand it myself.
Though school arranged for them to be able to stay after school till 4pm yesterday to wander the school and learn where classes etc are. Wonder if that's an option?

First day back here - all ready on time. DC3 walks into preschool for the first time. They’re so excited and happy. Fantastic.

Then take DC9 to school. I notice a couple of children holding something. Mention to DC - eyes widen as they realise they were given something to complete over the summer, but they left it on a peg at school. Even me asking “do you have homework to do” over the summer wasn’t enough to help remind them. The activity wasn’t mentioned in correspondence from the school, so I didn’t know anything about it.

DC9 is so different to childhood me - I used to be academic, loved practising maths over the summer and enjoyed learning my spellings. They’re the complete opposite and I don’t know how to manage it. Now the new teacher will think DC is lazy and probably think I’m a crap parent too. Felt positive about it all this morning, but came home feeling deflated and sad.

Jennifer honestly don't worry about it I bet there are loads that didn't do their Summer homework and often teachers set it just so theres a possible ice breaker if they need it on return. I bet it barely gets 5 mins mention there will be so much other stuff going on.

I've got another 4 tomatoes about ready, complete letdown after last years bounty. Fluffy - if you put them next to bananas it helps ripen them but i think they need to be on their way.

Biblical rain here this afternoon, i put some grass seed down last night but with the rain and the pigeons its all but gone.

I've got a couple of tomatoes that are going red but not ripe enough yet.

I don't like seeds in tomatoes <fussy bugger > so I'll wait and see what they;re like inside , especially if I pick them slightly early . The rest of them can ripen when they can be bothered and I might roast some to freeze .

jennifer I don't imagine the homework will matter particularly so u wouldnt worry about that.

I don't think I'm going to end up with a single ripe tomatoes. 3 plants going well, 2 smaller struggling ones. All have toms on, none are as big as they should be and all are completely green 🙄

Absolutely non stop rain here today. It's been cold, wet and dark - very autumnal.

I have a similar tomato situation. Very annoying. They just got going too late and with no greenhouse were doomed.

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Morning

Autumnal here , no breeze but hopefully staying dry to get the washing out .

DD and I are going off to That Larndon this afternoon , she;s working a half day . Looking for clothes for her (££ day then !) she has graciously said I can go to John Lewis .There won;t be anything Christmassey yet bit I can have a nose about in the homewares .

Off out to Greggs in a minute to get the Traditional Friday Croissant

And ....and ... I saw a "V " formation of geese .

Geese?!?! Wow! I've not seen any wet and we're close to where the pink footed geese come to over winter. Must be soon, noisy buggers! 🤣 We get literally thousands on the fields opposite!

Gorgeous sunny warm day here today. It is the village treasure hunt and hog roast this evening so couldn’t ask for better weather.

Definitely don’t worry about the homework @JenniferGreenHat, you won’t be the only parent not to have been told about it!

Saw ENT today and they said my body needs to deal with the bone itself as the only other option is general anaesthesia and that is too risky. They said my body will eventually deal with it but they can’t say how long. At least I can stop the antibiotics now as they are making me feel so unwell.

How much of a hit did your card take in London 70?

We've seen one flock of geese flying - I love it as we live near a lake. Hate seeing them when we visit it though as they're mean. Last time they tried to chase niece (but totally underestimated her, she's 5 but literally stood and growled at them 😳😂).

Not sure what to say about the bone hoping. Must be very annoying for you!

It's been a long week so we're not doing much today.
I've noticed the Christmas board is getting my busy - I may make myself join the clean along thread as we have so many jobs to do.
But tonight = feet up, cross stitching and watching Dexter I think <rock & roll>

£260 Meeces but £20 of that was mine and she couldn't find the coat she wanted so I got her a trenchcoat today and I'll order the other coat online .

I did get in over 5000 steps

I've done 14,500 steps today...dog run / walk and two return trips to school. I did almost 19k yesterday with my trip to hospital.

The Christmas board always seems to pick up when the kids go back to school. It's regular as clockwork!

Thanks everyone for the nice comments about DC summer homework. I think I felt stressed as we’d just been talking about how we need to be more organised, work harder etc, and then bam, failed on the first day. But DC explained to the teacher, who gave them another sheet and said DC could do it last night. I’m glad the teacher didn’t make it into a negative thing for DC.

Today we went to the beach after school, and it was chilly. All the suncream was a complete waste of time again. Summer feels like it’s gone now. I may have purchased my first Christmas magazine today (Scandinavian Living Christmas Book). 🤶🏻🎄🎅🏻

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We're into the hundred and single figures now

I think yesterday has cemented in my head the idea that Oxford Street is a bit meh , used to love going a couple of days before Christmas but now the shops aren't the same , it is so busy on the pavements , they often don't have what I'm looking for and I end up buying it online !
Add to that you have to carry everything home .

DH and I do a Traditional Shopping Day on the last Friday in November , he's not a fan of big shopping malls ( DD is ) so we tend to go into town (our town) have lunch and wander round . As it's a Friday its not too busy .

This year , we're going to see "The Serial Killers Exhibition" near Waterloo . Nice cheery festive day out there

My Christmas Shopping has evolved to : Buy Less . Buy Online. Go to Bluewarer to potter. Sainsbury Food Shop. Probably a trip to Waitrose .(there's a Waitrose in the Bluewater John Lewis but it's fairly small)

I certainly don't miss the days of desperately trying to find the "must have" toy 70. My shopping also includes checking with the DC if any of them want perfume/aftershave so I can pick it up in the duty free on holiday. Some bits are online, some bought from a craft sale and the DDs and I will do one shopping trip usually at the end of October half term as they get very little weekend time.

The butcher will have his Christmas order form today. Very excited.

I try and avoid doing random shopping in the run up to Christmas as people just seem absolutely manic. I like to book a day off work mid-end of November, arrange a load of c&c orders and do a trip to town then. Get in early, do a bit of browsing (with a list), hot choc and something cake like, then collect orders and get home.

They often do late night shopping in the local town and I like to do that once if I can, but not to shop. Just because it's nice to see the town lit up when it's dark.

Today has been a complete write off for me. Some sort of stomach bug has got us today so we haven't left the house 🤢 No appetite whatsoever but forcing down squash. I foresee an early night here.