So when the UK sleeps, we know you other MNers are out there part II

[tadjennyp]

I was looking for thumbwitch's recipe for that cake and found the old thread has disappeared so Linzer and I thought we'd resurrect it!

Serenity - I'd keep a few warmer layers around just to be on the safe side - where are you going back to? Did you not see that there was SNOW in Melbourne?

The nights have been chilly the last week or so. It's been very breezy (I'm in NSW, 1.5h N of Sydney but we're very similar to Sydney weather) We went into Sydney yesterday and I wore jeans, socks, boots, a long sleeved top over a t-shirt and was ok. But would have needed a woolly or coat if I had been outside for much longer than we were.

It is slowly warming up again but there are no guarantees it will stay warm! So yes, unpack a few bits - but are you in the UK? You'll need a few warm bits to survive until you get on the plane anyway!

I am heading to Brisbane so I guess I should have left my wellies out!

I saw that there was snow. How mad is that?

I justr realised that I spaced bagged everything and gave the vacuum cleaner away so I will have to cope with my summer clothes and hit Target when I get back if I cant cope.

Thanks for the advice.

No worries - buy some waders though

Ha ha no I made it home! I can hardly believe it. The plane the day before was cancelled, Gatwick was shut the day after - but our plane left only one hour delayed and the drive home was fine(ish). The motorways were clear, but the roads got slowly worse and worse the closer to home we got. It got very dodgy towards the end but we made it and even managed to stop at a supermarket to get some food! The dd's were stars - they slept or quietly watched tv for the entire flight - and then slept the whole car journey.

It is SO nice to be home! We've been out in the snow today and dd2 (3) was an absolute PICTURE running in the snow, throwing it up in the air in delight. She has no memory of snow and was over the moon. Until she got a snowball in her face, poor thing. She is struggling with the cold a bit - the house is very warm luckily but when we got up this morning, the heating hadn't come on yet and she was freezing, to the point of chattering teeth....

Anyway we've given up on plans to go to my brother's for Christmas Day as it would have meant driving home in the dark and although the snow seems to have stopped for now it's still very very cold and the roads are treacherous. So a quiet Christmas at home - we went to Sainsbury's today and bought a tree (well in actual fact two as dd2 was about to have a major tantrum if we didn't buy her her own personal pink tree....it was only £2.50 as they are all on half price!). I think everyone at the supermarket must have thought we were one of those families who had been stranded by the snow, no-one could believe we were buying our tree and decorations so late!

Anyway hope you're all getting organised for Christmas. Oh, guess what? I've apparently won a MN Bisto competition, a hamper of goodies worth £100! I don't even remember entering the comp...good thing I'm back here in the UK now as I wouldn't have been able to have it delievered to St Lucia. What do you reckon it will be? £100 worth of gravy powder???

Hurrah stranded! How lucky are you?! That's great news, so glad you're back safely. And I think you're very wise to give your DB's a miss, given that apparently Gloucestershire county Council don't feel the need to grit any roads!

Love the thought of your DD2 having fun in the snow - DS has seen snow twice but probably has no memory of it either, sadly. At least we have pics though.

Oh and well done on the competition! hope it's not just gravy powder...

Woohoo!!!! So please for you stranded although you are stranded no longer!

I hope you won't abandon us cos you're nice and I like you :) And you understand how utterly shit paradise can be! But I'm very, very chuffed for you that you're home at last and even more so that the journey went smoothly.

Glad you made it back stranded. I could do with some chicken gravy granules, if you're feeling flush!

That's great news, stranded! We were hoping that you wouldn't end up stranded at an airport somewhere... It must have been lovely to see your DD's reaction to the snow; I hope you all adjust to the colder weather soon. Congratulations on the competition too!

How are your Christmas preparations getting on Linzer? I'm busy wrapping up the presents that gps have sent via Amazon etc. just to see if I need to buy any extra wrapping paper. Couldn't get mince pies when I was shopping earlier, even though I purposefully went to a shop that sells British stuff. Doesn't feel the same. Dh busy working as usual on his laptop.

They've stalled for the moment, jenny! I seem to be spending far too much time on non-Christmas-related stuff; this morning was completely taken up by DS's appointment at the lung specialist (it turns out he's allergic to cats and dust) and then the English lesson (preparing and then teaching it).

Shame about the mince pies; we managed to pick some up at M&S in Bratislava but they're all gone now. At least we still have the crackers and Christmas pudding to look forward to!

I failed to make any mincemeat . And I haven't bought any either. Which means no mince pies, I guess. Boo.

But still have lovely Christmas puds! YAY! Must go to supermarket tomorrow and buy cream or there will be trouble...

On a good note - went to the skin cancer clinic today, was thoroughly checked over and told I had a little past sun damage, fewer moles than most people he sees and I don't need to go again for another 2 years unless anything starts to grow, bleed or change colour. Yay! I got a better report than DH (he has to go annually).

Good news thumb! That's definitely a relief. Glad you have some Christmas pudding Linzer! Got to collect dh for his green card medical now.

Thanks for the messages guys and I would love to stay Frakkin, if I am allowed! I do indeed know how shit paradise can be - and am really appreciating all the things about the UK that most people take for granted (if only I could post over some gravy granules and mince pies - the shops are bursting at the seams!).

The only problem is so much has been cancelled (eg the santa train we were meant to go on today) due to the snow that we're already going a little stir crazy - although we went out in the snow again a couple of times. The snow and ice has been making driving hazardous but I am hoping it will be better tomorrow so we can go out somewhere! We have virtually no toys in the house bar Christmas presents - am hoping to make it to Christmas day before I unwrap the new puzzles, games and books....

Thumb - that's great news about the skin clinic. I should really go here but last time I asked to be checked (after spending three years in Jamaica) I was made to feel like a complete worry wort. I don't have fair skin but I do have blue eyes - and a lot of moles!

stranded - of course you can stay! you can be our home correspondent

Not surprised you're going cabin-feverish already - there's only so much Christmas tv you can watch as well before you go nuts! Although even DH is bemoaning the tv here - he got used to all the films that they run on UK TV when we were there, and it's so rubbish here in comparison - we've had Elf a couple of nights ago, and Santa Clause 3 at the weekend, but really that's it! PRobably because we only have free tv, not cable - I bet all the good films are on cable. But still - you'd think the free channels would try a BIT harder!

Have you any coloured paper? can you set the DC to making paper chains? That used to keep us out of trouble for hours at a time when we were little and getting under Mum's feet.

Linzer - is that good re. the lung specialist results? I mean in general of course not - being allergic to dust and cats is a PITA - but it's an answer, isn't it, and sometimes just having one is a relief.

Hugendubel is a lovely book shop I head to when I'm in Germany and I'm surprised they are not in Austria too, Linzer. If I'm in France I always go to fnac. Did you say Karstadt had gone bust? I nearly fell on the floor. There was such a lovely one in Dresden when I lived there. It was one of the flagship redevelopments in the bombed out then ruined by socialism main shopping street. What department stores do they have in Vienna? Is there an equivalent of John Lewis or Harrods or KaDeWe even? (My dh is mildly allergic to cats too but it doesn't really affect him. Dust however, would give me the heebie-jeebies in terms of housework! I'm glad you've found out though).

I know what you mean about cabin fever. I used to take my two to the park pretty much every day and we've been once in the last month because of snow. I need the fresh air too!

heh heh - I've just said "hugendubel" out loud and decided it belongs on the Hoobs!

Well - good news, not only did they have mincemeat in Coles, it was reduced as well! There are stacks of Mr. Kiplings mince pies everywhere (sorry ladies!) but only one box of sprouts, which was a touch depleted when I got to it and half empty by the time I'd finished (I like sprouts, me )
I went into siege mode in the shop though - biggest shop I've done since I've been here and I'm sure I didn't really need to buy it all. Worst bit was, I got halfway through the till and realised I'd forgotten some stuff but couldn't dash off and get it because I had DS with me in the trolley; so had to go back to the car with the stuff I had already bought, with a view to dumping it and coming straight back up.
But - the parking situation was so dire, a car started hovering for my space as soon as i opened the door, so I couldn't, in all conscience, just lock it up and go back again!
Drove out and round the corner, found a space on the street and walked back in with DS to get the rest of the stuff I'd forgotten . Then got home and discovered that DH has no bread (DS and I have different bread so it didn't even cross my mind to check his) - whoops!

I love book shops, especially independents but Hugendubel is really nice usually! I spent a fortune today too. Got a brand new car seat for the new one, then went to world market to get the mince pies and couldn't walk out without curry sauces, branston pickle etc. Then had to buy secret santa presents too. Was pleased to be home and hoping that dh hasn't spent too much money on stuff for work and emptied the account!

gosh, i keep losing this thread. glad to report that we have a wealth of mince pies - i made 6 lbs of mincemeat. mmmmm. in fact, have just had a couple with cream right now.

sorry if that makes you jealous (NOT!)

i never thought ot look in world market for mince pies - i'm fairly certain they don't have them, though, as i have made mince pies for other british families here, who've lived here for years, so they would know.

there is a local store that has a british section in the freezer unit - somehow it just looks wrong to have mr kipling cherry bakewell frozen

Right - next year I am making mincepies. Perhaps the Christmas after that I will try and make mincemeat too!

I have also been spending a fortune - had to rush out to do a whole load more Christmas shopping today as we have decided that we are going to try and go to my brother and SIL's for Christmas day after all. There has been no more snow and most of the roads around them are apparently farily clear so as long as we set off in time and leave before it starts getting dark we should be ok. So I needed to get presents for my parents, Brother and SIL and their two dc's - from Next and Sainsburies as the only two shops it was easy to drive to.....So my parents have some limoncella, tea towels and body cream and my DB and SIL have a bundle of nice fluffy towels from Next!

Otherwise we tried a bit of sledging today which was fun but cold (I am sure you people in cold climes will know what I mean!)

Sorry been interputed - need to read Mr Grumpy, but thumb I loved your hoobs comment, it made me laugh!

Ash, but those of us in colder climes buy expensive snow suits for the dcs so they can make the most of the snow! Hopefully we are going snow-shoeing next week, as long as I can do up my snow jacket over my bump. Your presents sounds lovely stranded - who cares where they are from?

Found more mince pies in World Market kickass - both Mr Kipling and Walkers. Bought the Mr Kipling this time and think the Walkers were better!

Off to put said dcs into said snow suits and deliver Christmas cards!

thumb Yes, it's definitely a relief to know what's wrong with DS - I'd suspected a dust allergy at the weekend when we were at my ILs (it's very dusty there) and DS started to react in exactly the same way as I do. We're going to buy new bedding for him for when we stay there; the doctor has also prescribed some tablets, which I hope will help.

I've never seen Hugendubel here, jenny - or in Germany for that matter. Vienna's most famous department store is probably Steffl, but I'm embarrassed to admit I've never been there; I've never really been shopping in Vienna, in fact. We tend to go to the Shopping City Süd, which is between where we live and Vienna, if we have any major shopping to do - it has Ikea, Toys R Us, H&M, Kika, Leiner etc. but is a bit of a nightmare on a Saturday as it's so busy and not somewhere I actually enjoy shopping. Yes, Karstadt went bankrupt a year or so ago although I'm not sure whether any stores have actually closed - the last I heard (a while ago) was that they were looking for a buyer.

stranded - i used to buy mince meat, then add some more apple & brandy to it as otherwise it's too sweet. then i like shortcrust pastry underneath, (i make it) with puff pastry topper, which i buy.

i shall go back to world market sometime, but i have about 30 mince pies of my own.

mmm, mince pies, carols on the radio (podcast here) wrapping presents, sounds like a lovely Christmas Eve...

mmmm. mince pies indeed. I had one today - that I made this morning - with Robertson's mincemeat. It was luvverly. I am wheat intolerant so have to make pastry with spelt flour, which is not hugely different to use; and I used 7oz flour to 1 oz icing sugar instead of 8oz flour - yum! (the tiny bit of wheatflour in the suet in the mincemeat isn't too problematic, thankfully)

MIL had made a pavlova for lunch - it was a meringue shell with a heap of whipped cream and a few bits of fruit on top - waaaaaayy too much cream! Needed the mince pie to use it up!

Yum, sounds lovely thumb. It's only just turned Christmas Eve here. You must be on the final stretch? Dh is up playing on the computer as he doesn't have to get up and go to work tomorrow (Christmas Eve is a bank holiday here). Can't complain as he wrapped the rest of the dcs presents tonight! He is so much better than me at it. Hope you have a wonderful evening!