Here we go again...Countdown to Christmas 2026 (Thread 1)

[NoWordForFluffy]

365

Evening!

I'm a bit tipsy and very tired, but it's been a good day.

Round 2 tomorrow with the roast dinner!

That sounds AMAZING. I'll be round now yeah?

Ooh I haven’t checked in for a few days. It’s been all go.

I suspect now that we are in February, time will start to go faster.

I had to have a mammogram the other day. I’m 40, and I naively assumed that I was far too young. Apparently and unfortunately not. Anyway, all is ok, thank God.

Deeply saddened by the loss of Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone mum) She’s a Christmas icon! Too young to leave us at 71.

Today will involve ironing, parenting and a takeaway for tea. I cannot be bothered to cook at all.

New Year’s Eve does feel like a world away.

I’ve been watching videos on how to make Christmas baubles. I’ll need to buy some supplies, but I’m going to give that a go.

My DS has decided he likes Chocolate Brownies now , he is really restricted with food ( always has been ) he won't look at something and think "Oh that looks delicious , I'll try that" whereas DD was "What are you eating , I'll just get a fork " . He's very much "Do I recognise that?"
We were in a McD a couple of weeks ago , he had a Brownie because there was nothing else he fancied at the time ( it was a pre-packed dry brick of a cake ) I said "Proper homemade Brownies are a world apart" so he tried one next time I baked them.....and he's a convert now

I need to book my Mammogram , I have some A/L in the end of Feb so I'll try for then . Not the most pleasant but necessary appointment

326

Morning!

It's dry here, but high humidity and low wind until lunchtime. Being the optimistic type, I have two loads of washing on the line and we'll put another in before we head out shortly.

The bedding won't take long to dry once the wind picks up, so we should be OK for space!

I've not been invited for a mammogram yet. Apparently it's any time from 48, so just a matter of waiting a while!

I got my orthopaedic appointment through yesterday. I'm surprised it's during half term as my surgeon rarely works during those holidays. I'm waiting for it to be cancelled!

Re mammogram chat - I wasn’t invited as such, but had a little lump that was bothering me and after examination I was sent for one. I just assumed they’d perform an ultrasound!

I’m furious with this soggy, cold, damp weather. Will we EVER get frost? I think since November we’ve had about 3/4 frosty days?! I like Winter to be Winter!

325

Morning!

It's Tuesday, so it's office day. I'm on a train into work, alongside the usual grim sniffers. It's like sharing a train with Cuddles the Monkey (one for the oldies!).

At least the weather is dry today. Usually the rain comes on an office day!

I'm tired today. I was properly woken by the alarm (as opposed to already being slightly awake) and that's already put me out of sorts as I'm not fully awake yet!

I managed to get the kids up and off to school. Ds12 was sending me text messages using Siri. He’s cute when he’s not a smelly almost teen.

dh js in London, he leaves at 6am but will be home by 4.30.

tonight we are having sausage rolls for dinner as we didn’t use it all at Christmas. Hooray!

It’s FREEZING here today in the North West. Absolutely bitter. Hoping for frost this week!

Afternoon. A spreadsheet and new database is giving me a headache in work today so I’m taking a break.

I went to the local craft shop yesterday. My crochet request has now become a pigeon or a seagull and either way I need grey which I didn’t have in my stash. And LO was with me, spotted some orange yarn and immediately requested a pumpkin 😂 I’ll need to get started tonight.

It is grey and cold here and it’s been intermittently raining all day so far 🙄 but I have some daffodils and snowdrops in pots in the kitchen and both have bloomed overnight so that’s cheered me up a bit and made me think about what I want to try and grow in the garden this year.

North west here as well and it is so cold!!!

Do you think thats it for snow this year or does anyone think we could still get some?

@NoCheesesForUsMeeces theres a grass verge i walk past most days and the daffodils are starting to come up! I love daffs, I always think when I see them coming up that I wished id planted some bulbs. What month do you plant them?

@NoWordForFluffy i hate that, being woken by the alarm rather than already being slightly awake, seems to throw me off for the day!

Day of housework today, boring! Son wants to make some banana bread when he gets home so we will do that, throw some chocolate chips in as well!

Taking yet another short break 🙄

ILoveCats I planted my garden ones end of October I think? They were PITA because magpies pulled a load of them and I had to put the pots under a net for a while (magpies are a menace around here).
My inside one were cheap pots from B&M that I bought a week or so ago (think they were 2 for £3 or something).

I wouldn’t take too much notice of my gardening though, I’m notoriously chaotic. I plan a fair bit but the actual time planting is done when I have time rather than when the experts say it should be done

324

@NoCheesesForUsMeecesI have a seagull pattern too. Give me a shout if you want me to send it to you.

I'm actually knitting a jumper for myself. I loved the pattern and thought it would be a nice jumper for all winter but my DH asked me today if I was knitting next year's Christmas sweater so I'm not so sure now.

I am really hoping we will get some snow or failing that some frosty mornings otherwise it will just feel like a very wet and miserable start to 2026.

I bought a few of the mini daffodil and hyacinth pots in sainsbos so they are currently cheering up the kitchen worktop as a little mini indoor spring garden. They are only £2 a pot so I keep buying one when I go in.

Definitely feeling like a wash out winter. I mean it’s safer and easier for people to get around, but I want beauty.

It has been a very wet start! I remember looking back at photos a few years back and we had snow in March and April, but then we've also had heat waves during those months other years as well!

@NoCheesesForUsMeeces the squirrels hide nuts in my pots and then the magpies come along and dig them out!! Last summer there was soil and flowers everywhere! I forgot to fill the squirrel feeder with nuts one day and a squirrel ate the head off my little boys sunflower! 🙈 ive learnt my lesson now to keep on top of the feeders!

The mini daffs sound nice, I just want some to go by my front door, ill have a hunt round and see what I can get! Ive already been planning what needs doing when we get some sun! Front garden needs the fences and posts painting, need a new door on my electric box as its previously been painted and thats flicking off. To be honest i'm tempted to vinyl wrap it myself. The path needs jet washing, metal gate and rails need painting as well. Then ill get some nice new pots and plant them up. The front didn't get touched last summer as the back was renovated instead.

Anyway, back to christmas!

A washout Winter is exactly what it is! Where’s the bloody frost? I think we’ve had 3-4 days with frost since November. It really makes me
sad! I like seasons to be seasons.

Yes, it’s cold - but not that crisp cold. More the windy, annoying, miserable type of cold.

We generally don't get as many frosts here as in other places which are further inland. This type of winter is quite standard for us.

No sign of any freezing weather in the forecast for the next week either. I don't mind; walking the dog in icy conditions is hideous!

I too want seasons to be seasons. Nothing but wall to wall rain here!!!

323 why won't it stop raining?
I'm going to start planting tomato seeds next week. It was so dark today that I was listening to Phantasmagoria while I went through a seed catalogue

I really don't like February

Still raining here. I went to the shed to try and find my caulking gun (which I didnt find) and the garden was just squelching, its like a bog now.

Good idea to plant tomato seeds now as I always find I'm still getting tomatoes in October but they dont ripen so maybe everything needs to be moved ahead by a month.

IMO the only good thing about it is that DH and I buy each other fancy chocolate on Valentine's

@Magnoliasunrise I make green tomato chutney in October with any unripened tomatoes. Then all the plants go in the garden waste

In 2024 I grew some tomatoes from seed , they were amazing
2025 seeds stubbornly refused to germinate so I bought 3 money-maker plants from the market , they were equally amazing but not quite as good as the ones grown by the sweat of my brow !

I'm not a February fan either and Valentines Day is ignored by me (until after when I can buy cut-price LoveHearts sweeties )