The blethering goes on...thread 2

[ElephantOfRisk]

Still plenty to chat about. Remember this isn't fight club. Nice chatting required.....

Oh, gosh, @WhatWouldTheDoctorDo I feel the same about my teenager. It’s difficult!

Hope everyone has a nice day

DDs have their last swimming lesson of the term this afternoon, and DH's sister & BIL are coming to visit tomorrow afternoon. We've not seen them for months.

Re the teenager thing, especially boys. Ds2 spent 2 years in his bedroom around the age if 14, i knew his friends were going out but he never did and i worried. Then about 16ish he got a new group of friends who he still pals with. I realise now, the original friends were starting to go out drinking and worse, and have sex. So in hindsight im glad ds2 kept away, although i didn't know what was happening at the time.
So try not to worry if your boys aren't out all the time, its not a bad thing.

@ElephantOfRisk, have a lovely meal out with your men. We went out altogether a few weeks ago for a meal and it was great. The place was xmassy and warm and food was lovely. And its good to get a chat.

Thanks @ssd. DS2s girlfriend coming too so will be lovely to have some female presence and also catch up with her. I guess I should go and wrap up her Christmas things in case I don't see her before Christmas again. I'm presuming she is staying over after dinner tomorrow but DS did say that she has loads of family stuff on over the holidays.

Its nice when they get girlfriends and you have someone to chat to, i found when ds1 had a girlfriend i got all the information from her ...i always say to my pals daughters, get yourself a boyfriend who only has brothers, his mum has had years of buying boys stuff and you'll be spoiled rotten

That's so true, though DS2 is pretty chatty anyway. The shopping thing though, I keep seeing wee bits to buy for her so I've had to stop and just add them to a list for her birthday etc. I've not spent a fortune but hopefully she likes the things I've bought. There was a thread over in Christmas section I think about all the horrible gifts people had been bought and most of them were by MiLs or boyfriends mums. I definitely don't want to end up on one of those threads!

Same here

Although some of the daughters in law sound hard work

Must be quite hard if you have a small tight family unit with your own routines and traditions I suppose, then you have someone new in the mix with different ways.

I favour just being friendly and open and taking it at a slow pace. Each new partner might be the one that ends up being long term, in which case you'll have plenty of time to build a decent relationship, or they'll be short term and in that case a generally friendly relationship is enough.

We went swimming this morning. It was so quiet and just lovely. I'm hoping it was quiet because people are out doing other Christmas things.

I had the outdoor pool for myself for the first 15 lengths yesterday afternoon. It was absolutely lovely with the sun shining. I felt quite aggrieved when two other people got in.

I have the exact same approach @ElephantOfRisk

Ohh, an outdoor pool sounds wonderful. I went swimming this week and it was empty, then the ild folk started getting in. I hate swimming near old men, i think they spit and pee all the time . I know I'm terrible!! I'll be an old git soon, and someone will hate swimming near me!!

@ssd 🤣 that made me laugh. Totally get it

@ssd there used to be an old bloke at the pool I went to before who insisted on swimming underwater widths when the pool was set up for lengths.

It was horrible as occasionally he'd surface near where you were swimming and in those days I was young enough to be an object of interest.

Thankfully he hasn't surfaced (literally) at the David Lloyd yet.

I notice older women get in and look for a space to start swimming lengths and older men just start swimming anywhere and expect you to move round them. Old buggers. Maybe not them all but a fair few

One old guy last week had his leg up on the steps and stretching when he was in the water. I couldn't bare it i had to get out.

What are we all up to today? I've done some cleaning, and emptying bins etc, now am about to write xmas cards and hopefully post them today. Just had some homemade lentil soup as well, lovely.

We were out for steak lunch with teen DS, it's DHs birthday mid Jan, so we thought it best to do it sooner rather than assume it will be possible then.
Shortly heading off for my booster and some groceries, but as DH and the dog are out I'm enjoying the peace too much to move.

Sounds nice @ssd. As well as lunch out I’ve wrestled with and put up some more Christmas lights, been out with dog and DD and done my old dad”s online grocery shop. Now going to make a list of what I still need for Christmas food. Not too. Much don’t think

Ive posted my cards and put the neighbourhood ones through letterboxes, though it gets less every year, as older neighbours move to smaller places and young families move in...with kids i don't even know. When mine were small i knew everyone, now the oldest ones have moved out and got married etc. Time moves on i guess. I haven't posted any abroad this year, i just haven't got that organised. The friend i have abroad who always sends me one must be sick of me.

The meals out sound nice. We were out last night, it was a chance to see if we could get a table. The one they offered us was too near others for me, so we sat outside under patio heaters and it was like ibiza under them . Thats the thing now, if people like me are still cautious, there are always ways round it. The restaurant was packed and so it should be. People should be allowed to do whats right for them now. Not close it all down and no one has any choice left.

Well said @ssd, it’s possible to accommodate different people sensibly, without hysteria.

I'm just home, restaurant was lovely and bustlely. We had to wait a wee while between courses as they were a little short staffed but they didn't want to cancel anyone. Thoroughly enjoyed it and nice to see them with lots of business, we really appreciated it.