Woooooooahhhhh, we're half way there! Countdown to Christmas 2026 (thread 2)

[NoWordForFluffy]

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Phew, it's a scorcher!

Happy birthday to 70's DD. Best date for a birthday ever!

Morning!

It's gloomy here (mood and weather!), but it's meant to pick up later (weather, we'll see about the mood!). I'm just back from the dog run / walk (5.5km today). We saw a lovely Saint Bernard in the park (bloody huge lad!).

I can't be arsed either. Is there anyone who'd like to admit to having enthusiasm for today?!

Not here. LO woke 2:30-3:15 which I dealt
with then again 4-4:30 which DH sorted. Constipated I think.
We’re all shattered and a bit miserable here this morning.

Going to wave them off, get myself ready, chuck a wash on then take myself out for breakfast before doing town then food shopping. Hopefully that will cheer me up!

No enthusiasm here either, fed up of the bathroom works now just want that finished, not helped by the fact that its just cost me another £800 as they need to build a false wall as the shower tray is so shallow and the water just floods the bathroom floor when we use it. Hopefully all done and almost finished tomorrow - still have the plasterer to come in 2 weeks time and then hubby needs to paint the ceiling when thats done. I'm ready for a long break from building work, we are only a couple of weeks away from it being a year since the fire and I'm pretty much done with all the disruption and having workmen here.

We also have had to fork out £83 for the council pest guy to come out and treat the enormous wasps nest the electrician found in our attic which he claims is the biggest hes ever seen and would have contained tens of thousands of wasps - which as someone who is severely wasp phobic hasn't exactly done much for my nerves, he doesn't think its active but a nest that size you wouldn't necessarily hear any sound from eek so worth the cost to get it treated and hopefully removed.

I am clearly in the minority. I was a bit down yesterday. Today I feel much better. My singing lesson went really well. My lessons always cheer me up.
All I have done for Christmas/late Nov birthday is check a site again. I want to be first off the blocks for some tickets.

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Sorry to hear about your wasps nest Grace - I wouldn't worry about getting rid of it though as wasps don't return to old nests and as its October they are pretty much shutting the nest down now and the wasps will be dying naturally.

We have one in our garden and I have quite enjoyed seeing them being so busy but over the last week or so the activity has almost stopped. I am a big fan of bees and wasps though and I appreciate not everyones cup of tea.

I've been dicking around this morning and now I am a bit late for work but still can't shift my arse!!

Morning!

Dull and mizzly day today...95% humidity, so basically a bit damp! I had to keep wiping my glasses on the dog run / walk, when he slowed to let me, that is! He was trailing cats today; one of his favourite things to do. 🐈‍⬛

I can't be arsed. Again! It's endemic.

Morning. My brain completely let me down yesterday. I went out for breakfast then to do the food shop only to find I didn’t have a trolley pound or my shopping bags. Came home, decided to do cleaning then shopping later. Put a wash on but completely failed to press start on the machine and only realised when I went back an hour later to get it out. Tried to Hoover only to find it wasn’t charged so gave up and did the food shop. Literally got home and realised I’d forgotten 2 things that I needed for tea so ended up having to go back out for them.
And this morning DH asked where his stuff was for work (he takes squash and enough breakfasts and lunches for the week in on a monday) and I realised I’d missed his breakfast stuff altogether. Honestly, my brain is mush.

The only plus side I guess is that I finally finished the navy sky on my crochet cushion (which is harder than it seems without daylight when working on dark yarn) so I can now make a start on the snow then the house and Christmas tree.

Today - work, popping to the shop and possibly ironing on lunch, more work, shower then an appointment at 6.

Haven to say, I like your morning updates Fluffy. I miss our dog and walking him around but yet it vicariously through you

I hate brain fart days like that, Meeces. Thankfully they aren't super-common. Hurrah for HRT!

Here's a photo of FluffyDog for you. It's his birthday tomorrow!

Awww FluffyDog is very sweet I do miss having a dog of our own.

Bathroom fitters have let us down today supposed to be here to finish it off and build a wall to stop the shower flooding - I'm not happy as they've taken on a private job during the 2 week window B&Q gave for our job and its not finished... I shall be having words if they don't show up tomorrow.

He's a beautiful boy @NoWordForFluffy
and he has eyebrows

Really annoying from the bathroom fitters Grace , they've seized the chance to fit in an extra job but you;re in limbo .

Beautiful autumnal day today , lots of fallen leaves and the residue of mist over the fields .

Thanks for the pic Fluffy. He’s a handsome bugger isn’t he? Does he try and sit on laps? I love it when big dogs do that (our old boy was tiny and ‘his space’ was in the gap when I crossed my legs) 🥰

Id be very annoyed Grace. As I said before, I’m the dd of a tradesman so I understand filling dead time on one job with another, especially if self employed, but letting the ‘in between’ job make you behind on the main job is not on.

It’s actually cold today. May need to start looking at the heating as it hasn’t been on yet (it as been unseasonably warm here, I’m not just being tight).

What a gorgeous pup! We are talking about a dog.

DH has secured a job! Just has negotiated his exit and hopefully a nice pile of pay in lieu to start new role in January. We are not going to be calm until that is done. Redundancy is so much waiting.

sainsburies sent me a good money off a single shop so I’ve placed an order for this week of treats for the Christmas cupboard. It was worth it with nectar and the vouchers and nectar points.

No, he doesn't attempt the lap, just puts his head on my leg or feet. He sleeps across my feet as well!

I was musing about heating too, Meeces. We're not quite there yet though. However, the weather is certainly cooling.

I got an £11 off £110 which I'm using for treats. We're both doing Count up to Christmas, and I've just finished the Healthy Choice challenge (DH didn't get that one).

I'm waiting for the Bailey's to go on offer to spend another chunk of points. We do well with points collecting, but I try to maximise the bonus points etc which really helps.

ETA: congratulations to your DH on finding a new job. Such a relief.

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It's moving so fast now!

Is everyone else stocking up on the treat food? DS was asking about Christmas biscuits yesterday, so they're on the list to get (he specifically likes the Fox's selection in a red box. I like the Victoria(?) selection in a blue box!).

FluffyDog has tried to kill me this morning. We galloped round a local housing estate and I think he was tracking a bitch in season as we'd never normally go the way round we did. I'm exhausted! It's his birthday though, so I'll let him off. For now! 🤣

Morning. I’m at the train station waiting for my train. There were no spaces left in the car park so I’ve parked slightly in a slightly dodgy place which is a gap but not technically a parking space.
Completely pointless as I have to leave at 12:30 for a dentist appointment but at least I can say I’ve shown my face 🙄

We haven’t started stocking up yet Fluffy. We have limited storage and things just wouldn’t last until Christmas between DH and LO. Plus we’re only hosting dm and her partner for Christmas lunch - I doubt we’ll have many visitors outside that. We also try and keep things pretty routine outside of Christmas week so LO doesn’t go totally muted so we shouldn’t need much really.
Will probably start mid November.

My snowman cross stitch arrived yesterday so I’ll need to get started on that soon but aiming to finish DM’s crochet cushion first. It’s in my bag so I can do some on the train.

Happy Birthday FluffyDog

I have started the treats cupboard - so far its M&S big mix tin, extremely chocolatey biscuits, clemencello, C&C bucks fizz, tub of heroes, tub of quality street, goose fat (not a treat obvs).

So about 2kg of chocolates - how much is too much?

I've also got 2 jars of homemade mincemeat - I think they are 2 years old but it had so much booze in it I think it will be fine. Anyway if I disappear off the thread mid December you'll know it wasn't fine. Made the Christmas cake as well.

Mince meat never goes off.

I need to start shopping for stockings and our advent chimney. I’ll book a day off. I had a study day today and realised I’ve got tonnes of work to do for my post grad and it might interfere with Christmas!

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Morning!

I concur re mincemeat! The booze and sugar means it has an excellent lifespan.

I have 4 or 5 tubs of chocolate in the garage. They were £4 in Asda, so I stocked up! I'm getting the chocolate oranges, Santas and coins sorted. If I could be arsed to go to Tesco I'd pick up cheap chocolate oranges there, but I'm not sure I can. I do need to buy the cheap Baileys from Asda still though. We have lots of fizz as I buy with Nectar points when it's on the 25% off deal (plus they're already reduced before that too...total bargains!).

I don't make cake, but the pudding is done.

Oh, forgot to say...it's Booths day!

My order is placed for a Christmas Eve pick up! Very exciting!

Fluffy please send a few pics so we can drool over it and have Booths envy.

@FurForksSake what is an advent chimney?

I saw your Booths Announcement Thread
What is the Golden Ticket , is it a prize draw for a chance to win £x worth of groceries (though a 5 minute Trolley Dash would be a good prize too )

I'm off to search up online , but us Darn Sarf have to console ourselves with Waitrose and M&S, and Gails though I'm more a Greggs fan

The golden ticket is a gift voucher for a couple of hundred quid, IIRC. Though I don't actually know if they're doing it this year!

We're going out after dinner to collect our books!

I'll be getting a Booths book via SIL. It will be purely for drooling over as I'm out of catchment area.

Im trying to decide what to do about puddings. DD2 has asked me to make a couple of individual Christmas puddings for her partner's dad, so I'm happy to do those. DH is the only one who eats Christmas pudding and even then he can take it or leave it. Morrison's have a nice looking frozen chocolate pavlova in their order ahead food or I can make a chocolate chestnut torte and freeze that. I don't want to go to all the trouble of clearing space in the freezer and then filling it with stuff that won't be eaten.

I have my book! ♥️

Woolly, I'm having a dessert dilemma too...we don't have as many people this year, so I don't know what to do with the Christmas pudding. I usually do 3 puddings, but that's extravagant when there might only be 4 of us to eat them! So do I do the yummy chocolate cherry steamed pudding, or do I do a cheesecake? Choices, choices.