Cosey up, the kettle's on

[BibiBelle]

here we go, before I head to bed

ursula your party sounds good, can I come?

santa can't believe how much snow you have! You're not even that far from us! You too crispy although granted, you are a good 2 hours away. What about you star, how is Leics faring in the wintery showers?

hello everyone, esp TS who makes a welcome return.

Oooh I LOVE crispy duck star

LOL at misplaced [anger]

Cavey - she is trying to get home to my folks in Cape Town for Christmas.

mmmm - duck sound yummy too.

I am actually hoping we have more as we have said to all the neighbours, all of whom were escaping us going away that we will do Xmas dinner here for anyone stuck. Would be 12 people in all and would be really lovely and festive i think

Ctispy - I must confess I know she would be devestated but I wouldn't mind my sis being here for Christmas, I love housefulls of people - DH not so much!

Let me know if she gets stuck between you and Brum as DH may be able to help with his winch

Quick general hello and to say thank you to my lovely (not so secret) santa . Great card too. .

Sorry to my secret santa. Time escaped me and it didn't make it into the post until last Thurs. Theoretically it should be with you now, so no need for this confession, but I suspect with weather and general Royal Mail crapness it isn't. . Wanted to let the one person here who hasn't received their gift yet that you haven't been forgotten. .

Hope everyone's well. Hope your sis gets away ok BBBB. Our friends from your town made it here fine last night, escaping before it got really bad. Whether they ever get home.... not complaining though.

Hope everyone else is well. Crazy here still. Suspect it will be for quite some time. Still pursuing the self-build route and had first meeting with architects today. Feel a bit excited about it all now and not just shit scared. And yes, silky, utility room very much present and correct. In fact, marginally obsessed about having plenty of space for wet wellies and jackets. That and drainage... What have I become.

Finally got my Christmas nickname, inspired by my Secret Santa [excited]

Had a lovely party this afternoon with friends and children running riot, sadly cut short by one or two of the DC having to go home early due to feeling poorly, then DD started to get v hot and feel v poorly before tea so she's calpoled up and hopefully sleeping it off. I'm off to write my essential Christmas cards to aunties etc because all this talk of meaty goodness is making me hungry!

Only about a centimetre of snow here but sooo frosty, it looks absolutely gorgeous but is fricking freezing. Hoping the road thaws out enough for me to get to the supermarket before Friday...

BBBB I really hope your sis manages to get home if it's what she really wants

Mmmmmm liking the food porn this evening! Crisp could you arrange for BBBB's courier to deliver one of those pork rolls to East London please, I am dribbling here...

BBBB your sister is a lucky girl to have you looking out for her and as a back-up xmas hostess! Bet P would be excited to have her auntie there?

ILs are stuck in Paris (deja vu, exactly as they were this time last year...) so I have finished work a day early. Yay! Now what can I do tomorrow that will entertain DD, not rely on the iced-up tube and preferably involve large, protein-heavy meals at two-hour intervals?

Making cheese stars/trees etc pru, the DD's think it is just like playdough , or making sausage rolls?

Loving the nickname hots. I should sort mine....

Sorry, meant to say hi to poppy. How rude . Glad all is going well with G rand Designs

you can pop round here perty

hello all, one hand typing again

Cavey not a jot of snow here, just face-shatteringly cold and frosty once again. It's really weird, I can't quite believe the rest of the country is groaning under snow. My dad just phoned up to make worried noises about us travelling and I was a bit like until I remembered that not everywhere is as weatherless as Leics.

Do hope we can get down there though, we are all so looking forward to it. DS was so excited about going to 'Baba House' that he asked me to put his shoes on at 5pm. I forgot he doesn't understand the concept of 'in a few days' yet

Hello everyone else Have some of this delicious millionaire's shortbread my friend made for our Christmas present quick before I scoff it all.

we've got loads of the fecking white stuff here still

I know the time difference is confusing and you're all as anxious to know as I am but I posted at 4.52am (your time) to say appointment was tomorrow (now today i.e.TUESDAY).

Jeez ladies I thought I was supposed to be the one with the missing brain!

BBBB hope your sis has made it to the airport.

Bibi so pleased you have finished for the year.

No snow here

Merlion pictures please! Make sure the scanner does them properly so we can see all the bits and bobs.

(((((HUGS))))) to Captain. Feels good to be back!

not so secret santa...

All the talk of party and festive fun makes me want a nice home so I can throw something grand. I made note yesterday that our chinese take out was keeping normal hours during christmas eve and christmas day. If I am festive I should go to the grocery store and not be double checking those hours huh?

morning

ok the snow escaped us last time and i was gutted now i just want it to go away ..

dad phoned last night to say dublin had 3 inches.. he is due here fri so fingers and toes crossed he makes it or he will be spending xmas day on his own ..

vg we are in dub 30/31st if u are around for a cuppa??,, oh i made a huge beef stew for boxing day last year and served it with bread, quick easy one pot

cannot wait to find out merlion

i received my ss yest

dd2 up at the lark and grumpy to boot, dd1 wants to have a sharing day today and weather too rubbish to do anything so am going to attempt my vanilla cake today

hope your scan is revealing merlion

morning santa

hi TS

i did a big food shop on sunday, we've even got stollen. no idea if i like stollen. no idea if dh likes stollen but it looked pretty
i was planning on going nowhere this week but dh has forgotten to get his mum a present and none of dh's presents have arrived. so, i'm off to the shops. really hope everyone else sticks with my original plan and that the shopping centre isn't going to be hell!

jeez, to think i used to always do all my shopping on christmas eve

MOrning all

Weare off to see FC this mornign but have not told DD1 - I can't wait to see her face. Dsis has a lift into town to meet taxi and is on her way in half an hour or so, her flight still says it's going so we'll see!

BAck later hav warm snuggy days all except Merlion, have a cool one and a great scan with an open legged baby!

DS and I will be braving the supermarket this morning to lay in supplies in case we don't make it down to family for Christmas Day. Another freezing 20 minute car warm up then. I resolve to wear gloves before handling the antifreeze can this time. Yesterday was very painful.

Have a great scan Merlion! I found out at the weekend that one of my NCT buddies is also expecting her second, so very pleased for each other.

morning bbbbb, i just noticed this morning that dd1 designed your cards! its gorgeous and sorry i didn't notice until now

and good morning to you too star
good luck with your food shopping

Thank you star what a lovely surprise!

PS has anyone received a secret santa gift delivered by a beautiful amazonian?

Hi all, hope you are all doing well and not hit too badly by the snow!

Am ok here, but very fed upof the run of illness we're having. Iswear labour was starting last week and then I got this vicious lurgy and hey presto all signs of labour stopped! (can getting ill hold off imminent labour)

Anyway, so baby is still in utero and I am still ill. Poor DP spent the whole weekend looking after S as I was just too ill to do anything

Hello Queenie, sorry to hear you've been so poorly, hope you are fully recovered very soon and DC2 doesn't keep you waiting as long as S did

salta yay for the safe arrival of your Secret Santa! Father Christmas must be really feeling the strain this year judging by the delivery method

Have just been crying on this thread at one family hopefully reunited against the odds for Christmas; I sincerely hope all those who want to get away manage it, and those who quite fancy being snowed in manage that too

Did anyone see the eclipse this morning? I actually set my alarm for 7.30am (rather pointlessly as DD feeling much better today and has been full of beans since 6.30 ) anyway it was very pretty hanging low over the frosty cemetery.

Just sent DH to the shop for more coal as the coal merchant is too busy to come. Anyone would think it was a bit cold out or summat...

Brrr, missed the eclipse as was too busy trying to stop DS from getting up at 6am He seems so much less sensitive to cold than us oldies.

salta very glad it arrived and that it pleases you...sorry about the lack of secrecy though.

I have also received my SS I think - a lovely Scrabble tile necklace Awesome! And anonymous, so thank you secret santa whoever you are.

QoD sorry to hear of illness and ongoing pregnancy, iyswim. Have you got much snow down there? I'm guessing yes as just been on the phone to my dad in SE London and he has basically ordered us to stay away for Christmas :( Apparently everywhere is icy and horrible and he's too worried about us driving in bad conditions.

Never mind, we'll do it later. Am a bit gutted though. Also worried about best mate who is due to travel back on the Eurostar this week.