Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness...and ramping up those Christmas preparations! Countdown to Christmas 2024 (thread 3) (title edited by MNHQ @request of OP)

[NoWordForFluffy]

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(Saves us checking the old thread tomorrow!)

Here goes, folks. New thread to see us through autumn!

We've got two loads out, 70. The wind has dropped today, sadly, so I'm not sure how well it'll do. We'll hang it in the downstairs loo when it comes in, as we've a wall mounted airer in there. We don't often use the dryer.

DH has grown tomatoes this year and, whilst I wouldn't call it a harvest, we've had a fair few and they've been delicious.

Dog walk and coffee, Asda, visit friend who had just had a hip replacement, make roast, ironing (another mountain here!) and breathe!

Full on autumn here today. Laundry on the heated airer, lovely roast beef dinner and a nice glass of red wine. I even rendered down the duck skin that I had saved in the freezer for the roasties and had enough to fill a tub that gone back in the freezer for the Christmas Day roasties.

I'm looking at Christmas handtowels , some of mine were utterly past it and got turned into cleaning rags . I have one that is still looking goods , it is white wuth silver embroidered stars .
The recycled ones did that weirdy puckering along the edge then I had to stretch them out straight .

Some nice red ones in Dunelm though I do prefer white towels I can see a darker one makes more sense doesn't show the dirt as I cannot put an embellished towel in the hot wash .

Runs in

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Runs out

My Ocado shop arrived earlier. I now have 2 bottles of cranberry and clementine Buck's Fizz, a bottle of Christmas Cosmo and a tin of shortbread plus all the ingredients to do my Christmas cake and make chilli jam. Bus week ahead 💪

@TheWoollybacksWife
Oohh that haul sounds lovely, happy cake making.

I'm planning to make mine on Sunday 23rd November....which I think is Stir Up Sunday.

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Morning!

Another crisp autumn morning this morning. Office day for me, so I'm currently on a train.

I need to go food shopping later on. DD has decided that she likes to come with me (and she's handy - kind of, when she's not running me over with the trolley! - as she scans shopping on one Nectar card and I do the other, to maximise our points collecting).

Woolly, sounds like you have a Christmassy week ahead!

Good Housekeeping have cast their votes on the tastiest mince pies 2024 and they are.....wait for it........Aldi Specially Selected 🥇

Strangely, I haven't had a single mince pie yet, this year. I can't eat one without it being saturated in thick double cream so my procrastination is no bad thing.

Also love the ones with a buttercream topping.

No Yuletide planning yet as it's DS2's 18th on Thursday. We've got family coming to stay so I need to a wiggle on with cleaning etc.

Just got in from a very muddy walk with MonkeyDog.

Off to get birthday balloons and banners once I've had a hot drink.

They're wrong. It's mine! 🤣🤣

I rarely eat a shop bought mince pie as I much prefer my own. Think I'll start making batches of them soon, to get the freezer stocked up.

We're getting wreath making kits in the post towards the end of November, and MiL has pre-ordered mince pies for then!

Oo I love the aldi specially selected mince pies. Waiting for the Halloween stuff to go so the full selection comes out! We got through so many boxes of regular mince pies already. I'm weirdo and prefer them cold by themselves!!

Strangely enough I make pretty good pastry , I use the food processor to mix the fat/flour then a knife to add the water. I have very cold hands (to match my cold heart) and do the minimal handling and chill the pastry
I can make apple pies and quiches..... but not Mince Pies

I've already had a couple of packs of the Sainsbury bakery shortcrust ones , just easing myself in

I always make mince pies too. I have Raynaud's so make good pastry :) I add some orange zest and bind with orange juice and that works amazingly with mince pies. Going to but the Christmas cake ingredients today and make it at the weekend.

70

Morning!

Me too with Raynauds and pastry. I have to admit to using my KitchenAid to make the pastry, however, as it saves my shoulders having to do too much. My right one is arthritic following the tendon tear, so I try to labour save where possible.

I also use orange zest in mine, plus cream. And homemade mincemeat.

In awe of everyone who makes their own pastry.

I've "made" mince pies using <<hides head in shame>> ready roll pastry but I always make Christmas cake.

Does anyone still buy picture advent calendars?
I love them as they remind me of childhood Christmasses.
They're quite tricky to get hold of on the high street, WHSmith usually have a very small selection.

I discovered a website dedicated to them called, er, The Advent Calendar Shop.

If I ever remember to use it, I got a picture advent calendar from the Christmas shop in Berlin. I also have one with dogs on which I fail to get out every year (am I the only retro person who reuses their calendar?)!

I bought one in TK Maxx last year. And for the same reason…reminded me of being a child 😊and they were far cheaper than buying online. Maybe £2.99 if I remember correctly?

Enjoying reading all the posts here, but I’m totally confused…what are all the numbers about?🤔

I'm pretty sure its the number of days till Christmas :)

Sorry, figured it out. Bit of a slow start this morning obviously 😅😳Reading the thread title properly would’ve helped!!

Yep...we countdown all year. It bloody rattles along at a stupid rate of knots at this point!

Thanks, the penny dropped seconds after I posted. Ah well, I’m used to embarrassing myself at this stage 😁

Thanks. I know, the last bit seems to go so fast and I’m never as organised as I mean to be!

Time is a bonkers old beastie!

Just had an email to say that my cross stitch advent calendar has been dispatched!