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!

I sent my DS a reminder about a month ago , ordered some nice soaps (I will get him to transfer the money to me) . DD got me some shower oil (I was with her). I wouldn't trust DH to sort it , I'd end up with a litre of lavender bath foam < hurls .

I will be making the High Tea, DD can set the table , I'll make us all Sit Nicely , DS can tidy up .
I will remind my darling son how I went for nine months without alcohol, ciggies, liver and blue cheese to incubate him, (the fact I don't smoke/drink./eat meat or blue cheese is completely irrelevant ! )

I might get a card from the Cats if I'm lucky .

287

That's funny @70isaLimitNotaTarget re lavender foam bath. I got gingerbread scented shower gel one year for Christmas when DH was sorting kids presents and it was revolting.

Its the schools Head of the River race today, about 300 boats will be on the Thames. It's still a bit windy though so I hope it calms down for them.

Ds2 was asking what I want for Mother’s Day, I’ve got an empty pot I got for my birthday so I’m asking for a patio plant, maybe a magnolia or something dwarf.

the year is chugging along, isnt jt?

I feel 🤢 thinking about being in a boat on choppy water.

The year has started at a massive rate of knots. Can't quite work out how it's zooming along (even January wasn't slow!).

@NoWordForFluffyMemories of the ferry trip when we went to Belgium appearing to haunt you? 🤣

My granddaughter is 4 weeks old tomorrow which doesn’t seem possible. Time is whipping past.

Exacerbated by you and our aunt going to Duty Free and coming back stinking of perfume. Tipped me right over the edge! 🤮

But yes. I'm not a happy sailor. 🤣

Those 4 weeks flew past!

@NoWordForFluffy We definitely got carried away with the perfume but a force 18 gale was probably the main culprit.

It was hailstones and grey here today. I really hope the sky is blue on mother’s day!

I’m hosting a mother’s day afternoon tea tomorrow for my sister and my cousin. My sister has baby twins (Adore them) So it’s her first mother’s day weekend.

DD (16) Informed me that she’s far too busy to attend, but the younger two will be here, as will my cousin’s young kids.

Sandwiches, scones, jam, clotted cream, savoury pastries, home made cheese cake, chocolate cake, tea, coffee and plenty of mimosas. Can’t wait!

286

We have blue skies this morning but no idea what temperature .
On Thursday night there was torrential rain and I heard on the radio there was flooding (A406 , I know the bit that flooded )

I'm going to wander out later to peer at my plants and look like I know what I'm doing

I keep going out to peer at my bulb lasagne. Both pots are very sprouty. No flowers yet and no clue what's what! 🤣🤣

I do similar but for front garden plants I use LO as cover - I ask him if the flowers are here yet/what colour flowers can he see/how many etc so we can inspeft them together.
Back garden plants I just shamelessly go and check on (not that there’s anything of interest planted yet).
Ive decided this summer I’m growing mini cucumbers again, chilli’s, tomatoes, garlic, onions and 2 types of potato as well as replacing my old strawberry plants.
Will see what happens with some of the hanging baskets as I planted flowers that should return this year….

Am also considering underplanting my rose bush as there’s quite a gap between the top of the planter and the nearest flower…

We are away at the seaside and it’s a glorious day so far. Cold in the shade but dry, sun and brilliant blue sky.
Weve had a chilled morning, visit to the beach and nearest seaside town, chips for lunch then ice cream before coming back to relax/shower etc before the hell that is evening entertainment begins.

285

Happy Mothers Day to all you lovely mummies!

Morning
My DC are still asleep - lazy articles.

I have put our bedding into wash , so nice clean sheets to look forward to .
Pizza dough in the breadmaker for DS for dinner
Then I'll wander into town to pick up a couple of things for High Tea .

DD is up here. DS isn't.

We have on and off rain, and the wind is back. There's apparently a 4 hour dry / windy window later, so the bedding should dry in that time. It'll get washed later.

284 DS made me a personalised vase on his new 3D printer. I suspect that many gifts will be printed this year.

Morning!

70, I can top trump your bedding last night. Ours wasn't just clean, it was brand new! I treated us to new fitted sheets (organic cotton) and a Sophie Allport set (Fetch) from the sale. It was a very nice bedtime experience!

Windy here again today. It was hailing when we got up, but thankfully stopped before I left the house with the dog. That would've been like getting sandblasted! 😩 Dry now, so the towels are flapping madly on the line. I reckon they'll be dry enough to come in soon! It's meant to rain again later, but then dry overnight, so we will likely stick more washing out this evening!

I'm meant to be off today, but a client, expert and counsel could only do a conference today (it's like herding cats trying to arrange them sometimes!), so I'm off on Friday instead this week.

Morning. We got back yesterday evening so today I’ve washed the holiday load, unpacked and popped to Morrisons (and Greggs for a sausage sandwich) before coming home. Going to do a quick tidy as there isn’t much to do then have a busy day. MIL will be here in about 10 minutes, then it’s nursery run, soft play, home for a bath, club then out for tea as a delayed Mother’s Day treat for MIL and my dm.

Hope everyone had a nice Mother’s Day! On Saturday DH took me to a little gift shop I like in the seaside town we were at and told me to pick a few things as part of my present. Not very glamorous but I bought a lovely Welsh blanket, a little house tea light lamp and a jumper. Then had flowers, cards and a promise of a terrarium to come as he was scared it wouldn’t survive the journey.
Also, the place we went to for lunch did a little Mother’s Day treat on the table with sweets, a chocolate heart and a little cardboard heart that said Plant Me which was a nice touch - it was so nice both me and LO slept for most of the trip home 😂

My sheets very much need washing, we only buy white expensive stuff these days so it’s very boring but very nice. Dh needs to do the changing as I can’t and he will be out from 6am to 9pm so I can’t ask him to then change sheets. I might wash the towels though, that’s a job I can do!

283

Its grey and damp here but on the plus side my tomato seedlings have just started to sprout.

DD bought me a gardening magazine for Mothers Day which I was absolutely delighted with and it came with some free courgette seeds so this year will be tomatoes, salad leaves and courgettes.

Weather here can’t make up its mind. Part grey, part sunny.

MIL has left. We usually get on really well but she spent most of this visit telling us that every decision made was wrong and what she would have done/do (and I mean everything from the way we’ve built our extension to the plants I’m planning to grow this summer to the way DH structures his work week to the colour we’re considering for the bathroom). Not sure what happened, she’s never been like that before. DH was beyond irritated so I’m leaving it with him.

Fur nice white bedding? Where do you get it from?
I would dare attempt it - even pre-LO it wouldn’t have survived as I’m too clumsy. We tend to go for lightly coloured patterns. Current one is my favourite for spring, it has yellow flowers and hares on.

Today is a pretty nice work day (so far). Some meetings but little gaps so I can stretch my legs and do a few bits around the house and a nice long stretch this afternoon so I can actually plough through the to-do list.

https://riseandfall.co/ it’s washed so well and even with the odd mishap it comes out quite easily!

Afternoon! I've been in the office today. It's such a long day and I had to work late as people won't stop badgering me for help when I'm in front of them. 😩😩 So it took me 5 hours to get one sodding job done!

I'd describe our bedding as 'nice enough'! I do like a pattern though. We also have the Sophie Allport bees bedding and curtains as we have bee wallpaper on one wall. Plain white would get scruffy with the dog.

Such a lovely day today. It's meant to be nice tomorrow too. Proper spring!

@NoCheesesForUsMeeces Oh no, that’s a shame re- MIL, hopefully she’s back to being less critical next time you see her!

I think Spring may have Sprung. I bought some more Easter decorations today - will put them up this weekend.

We had a very nice tea tonight- honey mustard chicken stew on jacket potatoes.

282

Palindromic again!

Morning. Such a lovely day today. The dog decided it was light enough to go back to our light morning walk / run today, so we turned right out of the house rather than left! We go to a park, then another little park, and then the woods. He was very excited to be back to that route!

Meeces, I wonder what's got into your MiL. At least your DH was irritated too, so it wasn't just you thinking Hopefully it's a blip!

281 Morning. Sunglasses weather here 😎

DH had it out with MIL yesterday. No real explanation but she did admit to being annoyed with her DH and is very stressed as dealing with a very ill parent, POA etc. She apologised though so I'd say it's all sorted.

Fluffy I'm with you on the office day thing. I wasted the first proper sunny day in the office yesterday and was interrupted constantly 😩

Another sunny day here. I'm WFH and will be using all breaks between projects and meetings in the garden.