Melting from the heat, yet still Counting down to Christmas 2025 (thread 2)

[NoWordForFluffy]

OK, so you all went on a bloody posting frenzy!

Can someone add the countdown from today to make it easier tomorrow? Thanking you!

Laundry from the past few days is all out on the line - just as well as I need a lot of it to pack tonight for tomorrow’s flight.

Today I plan blackberry picking and making industrial amounts of apple and blackberry crumble - for dinner with neighbours tonight and freezer batch for DH. I might try to squeeze a couple of apples and handful of blackberries in my case to bring back with me.

I might manage a swim at high tide (1pm or so), but it has been a very slow start here so that may not happen. Definitely need to do some cleaning.

actually - no swim - DH has just proposed we go out for a nice lunch as we both spent most of our holidays running around after others (not entirely helped by 1 working while the other was off for most of the time, DD moving from 1 Dutch city to another, and visits “down home” always meaning lots of jobs to be done, for DMIL especially).

We plan on a family walk after lunch.
Then possibly a film night again.
Dd wants to try a new recipe for baked puff pastry apples 🍎

122 Happy Rudolph Day 😄
Having a BBQ today. Baby back ribs, Texas hot sausages and smoked brisket. Feeling hungry already thinking about it

Oh , Happy Rudolph Day indeedy

I have washing on the go and a pizza dough whirling away in the breadmaker .
I did some garden tidy-up yesterday then late last night thought I'd broken something pulled a muscle so kept very still and deep breathed . Turned out it was a stitch so I breathed through it .

Just need to pick up a Click&Collect order and a card for Mum. Then laze about a while , thinking about my Christmas Lists

I did buy a nice fleecy throw for DD so that'll count .

Morning!

I have been to Argos to pick up some Really Useful Boxes to complete the kids' lounge tidy and got DS' school stationery while I was there as it was all on offer. After getting his trainers yesterday, he is fully stocked!

I then popped to Aldi for a couple of bits. I left 10 minutes and £35 later! That did include a double pack of Redex system clean for the car and dishwasher tablets, as well as some tasty-looking sausages.

I need to do some cleaning now I'm back, but that can wait a few minutes!

I've bought a few presents for Christmas recently (and have plans for others, such as a new phone for DD), but not today on actual Rudolph Day!

Happy Rudolph Day.
the thread title is apt today - I’ve already had 3 meltdowns (because the suitcase was so overweight, because the suitcase weighing gadget broke when I was trying to lighten the case (I fixed it) and when I thought I lost my Belgian house keys and emptied out the bags again). I have left almost a full carryon of bits for my next trip (a lot of it the nice crisps and biscuits I can’t get there 😭).

My big and small cases are packed, my backpack needs a couple of last minute additions. Taxi is booked.

So now I can hang out the towels I washed, find some lunch in the fridge (or buy something), change the bed as a nice surprise for DH, and bring down the blood pressure - I have almost 2 hours until the taxi. And I plan to treat myself to a decent airport meal - either a sneaky Burger King, or there’s a fish place that does a lovely prawn salad and brown bread. As I won’t get home until after 10pm.

Blitzed the conservatory before it got too hot 🔥
2 loads of washing done, plus conservatory roof blinds and sofa covers
Phew!

I am not doing anything for Rudolph day. I have some washing to hang out and I am cooking roast dinner as my son has been away for the weekend and he loves his roast. Me and my husband went to Hunstanton yesterday and it was far warmer than forecast, only just within my comfort zone. I have to avoid hot sun as my medication can become more of a problem than it already is.

I have bought what is currently the rest of my daughters Christmas presents recently, but you never know I may find more 🤣🤣

Happy Rudolph Day. My Christmas related thing today will be getting a lot closer to finishing my cross stitch card - I have a scarf and hat to add to the penguin and the dreaded back stitch and it’ll be done. Def by end of the week.

I had a horrendous night with LO. DH was ill last night so it was all on me and LO was up every 2 hours. The loss of routine is a problem, and he’s slightly under the weather.
This morning I went back to bed at 9:30 and got up again at 11. Feel so much better for it but it means I’m not being as productive as I planned.

Have a load of washing about to finish, kitchen is clean and the robot Hoover/mop thing is being put to good use.
Now I’m going to get myself ready as we’re out for a few hours this afternoon celebrating my aunties birthday at a nice pub that has a park for the dc.

PSI Announcement

That Sainsbury had some Christmas items in the Bakery - Panettone and Christmas Cake ( smallish with marzipan/icing on the top but no decoration)

And some sweets on the shelves that had there merest hint of Hallowe'en (bats on the price banner )

It is starting to take shape .....

If Halloween is your thing, Home Bargains is the place to be. Rammed with stuff!

I do love Hallowe'en but I was away last year on the 31st so I didn't do any decorations as the rest of the household wouldn't want to get up to the door

As it;s a Friday this year I reckon it'll be busy We get loads of small children (in fancy dress) but I switch off the lights etc before the older ones start .

I'll have a look in Home Bargains at the weekend . I;m more a witches'n'skeletons'n'black cats decorator ( and Nightmare Before Christmas Skellington Jack) but not Zombies or Killer Clowns .

121 up earlier than usual this morning because I have a nurses appointment and a Dr's appointment. Lucky me. But it means I didn't sleep well last night. Also I ate a ridiculous amount of ribs and brisket yesterday evening.

Today, I’ve already had a plumber come to check the 3 jobs he’s doing tomorrow (I sent a further email last night when I arrived very late and found my toilet had been running like a tap for almost 3 weeks! My water bill is already huge because of the leaks…). I am just finishing my shopping list and going to get food (and breakfast - I didn’t even have my usual bottle of long life milk in the cupboard).

DD is coming tonight - so I need to get laundry done, travel mess tidied, and work stuff sorted, and find her gear in the basement up to the apartment. But she probably won’t be here until about midnight, so I need to stop for an afternoon nap to still be awake to let her in.

Happy belated Rudolph Day!! I made Christmas pudding vodka yesterday and I'm starting to clear all the crap out of the Christmas cupboard that's built up over the year. So will treat myself to the Baileys cinnamon swirl as soon as the cupboard is empty.

Was at the tip this morning recycling DS GCSE books/practise papers/notes. It was very therapeutic hurling piles of paper into the skip.

Got school trainers and shirts and will do a few more bits this afternoon.

120 Morning. I’m still in bed waiting for LO (beside me) to wake up. He’s being shipped off to nursery today so we can get a list of jobs completed.

Am a little behind with my penguin cross stitch as we seem to have been invaded by bloody giant house spiders 😩 Last night there was a very very fast one in the living room that initially raced under the tv cabinet then came flying out and hid under my seat so I had to abandon sewing until we found him.
The night before we had 3(!) in the living room, kitchen and bedroom. So one of my jobs today will be generously spritzing diluted peppermint oil around the place in the hope of putting them off.

Also, went to Sainsbury’s yesterday and picked up LOs first 2 Christmas presents (giant snacks & ladders and a dinosaur dig thing) in a toy deal. I was very stealthy and managed to sneak them through without LO one seeing even though he was sat in the trolly

Today I’m considering booking a Santa train. DH thinks I’m bonkers as it’s quite expensive but I think LO will enjoy. It’s just a local one so not sure how great it would be.

Meeces, we did Santa trains for years and loved them. Last year we didn't as the kids are a bit old for it now.

We are on a short break near to Kirkby Lonsdale. We're only a couple of miles from there, but in a tiny village which has nothing in it other than houses! The dog is a bit unsure about what's going on (I think he thinks we've moved here!), but it's a lovely cottage and the garden is properly enclosed, so the dog can't get out (so many allegedly dog friendly places either have no proper garden, or a garden which isn't actually enclosed).

Enjoy kirkby Lonsdale @NoWordForFluffy if you make into the town, there is a Booths at the top of the town and just down the road there is an excellent brewery that also makes lovely pizzas ( they also allow dogs).

We already have Booths planned (though we live near a different one, so it's not a novelty to us!). More for the stuff we forgot to either bring or get in our food delivery, like butter!

The brewery sounds interesting. I shall look that up!

It's not hard to find, it's just called the Kirkby Lonsdale brewery

119 into the hundred and teens. Christmas feels a lot closer today. On my way to North Yorkshire today. It's going to feel cold after Hampshire

@GrannyWeatherwaxsBroomstick I'm off to Leeds later and I will be packing lots of woolly jumpers.

@NoWordForFluffy have a lovely mini break in Kirby Lonsdale. I think I'm going to have to plan my next trip to somewhere with a Booths nearby!!

There's a thread on AIBU about Tesco having Christmas stock out in August .
I would go on a tell them there's only 119 days but I fear for my own safety

I need a long run up to Christmas to sample things . I;ve already had a bottle of Clementine juice (Asda) and perfected the Cinnamon Buns

Sainsbury's have tubs of chocolate in, as the app was trying to peddle them to me! Still a bit dear yet (£5), even though supposedly on offer.

I start getting the ambient stuff from about now. I'll have a look!

I bought a tub( Heroes) in Tesco a couple of weeks back (IIRC £4.50 with Clubcard so better value than the carton)
Those tubs have had some serious shrinkflation going on