Walking in a Crepey Wonderland!

[MrsSchadenfreude]

I couldn't see that anyone else had started a new thread, after Stropps carelessly finished the old one without starting a new one, so here you are.

Btw QQ has kindly added me as a fb friend, so if I can work out who you all are, you may be receiving thistly requests from me

Auriga, how did it go?

Fine thanks, all dry inside. Lawn a quagmire and fence down. Flood warning still in force, more rain on way, so we can't move anything back. Neither of us got much sleep.

Still haven't wrapped those presents or made goodies for the secretaries' party. At least if I can find the wrapping paper it'll be dry

I am loving Great Aunt Irene. I had some very eccentric great aunts and uncles (I think they were great great as they were my great grandmother's siblings) who were On the Stage. One allegedly ran a brothel in Russell Square. They were very entertaining as they didn't care what they said or did ("Have you pissed up the wall, Henry, or did you spill the gin?" was one I remember from my childhood.)

Auriga - hope the flood warning amounts to nothing.

We still haven't decorated the tree. The three people (DM and the DDs) who claimed to want to do it haven't done anything, so that will be something else for me to do today, no doubt.

Went to the theatre last night with the above named, to give DH a bit of peace. Came back and the cat had pissed on duvet cover abandoned on DD2's bedroom floor. DM then promptly claimed it had pissed on the bed where she was sleeping. It hadn't, of course, but she claimed the mattress stank and that she was going to have to sleep in a stinky bed. (I can smell cat pee at 10 paces, when no-one else can, and DD2 and I sniffed the entire mattress just to make sure.) DD1 and DD2 had a huge row about not wanting to share DD1's bed, and DD1 is threatening to be ill over Christmas (this will almost certainly involve a hospital visit, if not stay, antibiotics and steroids).

Am feeling a bit Bah Humbug right now. Presents also very unbalanced - DD1 has a cello, DD2 a pile of books.

Auriga, glad to hear all is well-ish ATM
What did you see, MrsS? Fingers crossed your DD1 doesn't get ill enough to need hosp.

Have been to butchers and bakers (no candlestick makers though) and the gym. Off for a pizza and Dirty Dancing later...

DP is attempting to flog us into seasonal spirit with the Glee Christmas album. I failed spectacularly to complete morning run and feel best tactic is to eat solidly

Auriga, good luck!

Fingers crossed for the weather to calm. Pretty bonkers here too - have lost half the TV arial. As long as the satellite dish stays put so I can Watch Death in Pemberly.

DH has annoyed me by booking Eurostar tickets for me to see my parents in Feb - nice idea but he booked through the SNCF portal so they didn't ask who the passengers were and as he was paying with his card the main ticket says his name, and the second for DD just shows the family name. I hope they're going to let me travel. Next time I'm booking for myself. I'm now going to worry between now and Feb!

Auriga - what a nightmare, and dreadful timing too. Friends of ours near the River Mole had the same phone call last night, and luckily avoided being flooded but are now cut off. The bridge I drive across every day to take DD2 to school is currently underwater.

We are on the top of a hill, so no floods, but six panels of our lovely (and expensive) fence have been flattened, and our side gate was ripped out of the house wall. The timing is really irritating, as we will shortly be leaving the house unattended for a week. I thought the wind was far worse than the so-called "storm" we were all preparing for a few weeks back.

Anyway, Christmas-wise we are in fairly good shape. DDad and DSM arrived yesterday, bearing a turkey, a case of fizz and the biggest box of chocolates I have ever seen, then kindly buggered off to DSis's where they are staying until Christmas morning. Stockings are wrapped, and a quick dash to Asda (pleasingly civilised at 10.30pm) took care of my last-minute change in starter (I have decided that canapés are the way to go, rather than something sit-down). I also picked up a copy of the new Wii Just Dance, which will keep the DDS and their cousins out of our hair tomorrow.

I need to get the table extension up today as I am now fretting that I will struggle to get 14 round it (not sure what the Plan B is). I have borrowed extra cutlery from next door! I am also a bit peeved at the state of the house, considering it was cleaned from top to bottom only on Saturday. Might also boil some giblets and peel a sprout or three.....

Beachy - I love The Monument. And the little certificate they give you.

Death in Pemberley??

Crossing our fingers we will actually get home for Christmas!! Incoming flight hasn't left Gatwick yet so we will be delayed somewhat

Oooh, BD, are you on your way?

I went into the Coach shop today, with the vague notion of spending £££ on a bag. The shop assistant eyed me up and down and said "The sale shop's upstairs." Cheeky cow.

We went to see From Here to Eternity. I don't recommend it.

Fingers crossed for you BD.

Back from pizza and Dirty Dancing - DC are now upstairs after having a bickering match over DS taking too long in the loo and DD having the flicker. Oh Christmas joy.

Gatwick has been having huge problems today, with power cuts and so on. Fingers crossed for you, BD!

I just sent Christmas greetings to DS's football coach, glibly writing that I hoped he was OK, and not "knee deep in water, ho ho". He texted back "not so good", together with a picture of his car, submerged to the roof. The River Mole is causing all sorts of problems; the big hotel at the bottom of Box Hill (Strops will know it) apparently had to evacuate guests by boat.

Our fence is quite frankly shagged; we have hauled it off the public footpath bordering the garden, but won't get it sorted until we get back. I now have random heads bobbing past my kitchen windows.

DH had very few things on his "must do before Christmas" list, and has, in the manner of many hopeless husbands, failed to deliver a good number of them. Phone car insurance re: driving abroad on the 27th - not done (and now office is closed). Sort out some Euro - not done. Cancel the papers for 27th onwards - not done. Paint the new bit of pipe-boxing in our bedroom - finally got onto it an hour ago and is currently wielding a paintbrush with a grumpy expression on his face.

We've had no Internet all day, which has had some unexpected benefits. DS has been forced out of his cave and has been playing on the Wii with his sisters all day. Happy family harmony.

Ha Mrs S - like Oprah!

CV - I actually had 3 lonely hours yesterday which I was very vocal about as all my children were in bedrooms with computers!

Have just got rid of the inlaws- bunch if dour faced bastids. They poked at my lovingly handcrafted mince pies and turned their noses up at the mulled wine. Bil drank all of the prosecco I had stashed at the back of the fridge for tomorrow. The idea was to exchange pressies today as we won't see them tomorrow. However sil declared that she wanted to save them til tomorrow so we all just sat there drinking tea as presents were loaded into the car. Wtf?
Complete lack of festive spirit.

Cv sorry to hear about the fence.
Bd hope you get home for Xmas.

Have a lovely day everyone. See you on the other side. Snowing here.

We are attempting to drum up festive spirit after an afternoon chez friends - rather flatteringly we thought it was a party but we were only one of few invitees (v nice lesbian mums). Am full of cava. DD1 has fewer presents than DD2 by long way; must wrap haul from beauty journalist friend which was going to go in stocking....

It's beginning to look as though we may be stranded at home tomorrow with a festive cheese sandwich for lunch. Ooops. Db and family have made it down from Surrey (with reports of the Mole flooding and Burford Bridge being majorly awash, CV!) to Dm's in the north of the county, but we are possibly not going to be able to get from the south to the north of Dorset tomorrow because of the floods. We were planning on taking a detour via Somerset, but I see there is now a flood warning out for that road too and it's started pouring again.
Auriga, fingers crossed the water stays well away from your house. BD, travel safely!

(ooh, the rain appears to have stopped again. Maybe there's still hope..)

Dd very sweetly arranged for Father Christmas to send a video message to her brother. She's feeling really manky with a bad cold, sore throat and a hideous period, so I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be too upset if we stayed home tomorrow. Dh is also going down with a cold and would be quite happy sitting on the NEW sofa all day nursing a whisky. Ds would probably not mind if we at least tried to get to Dm's on Boxing Day instead as all the rellies (specifically his cousins) will still be there plus a couple more.
I'm feeling pretty happy because everyone is currently relaxed, germs or no germs, and I have a NEW sofa. I have never had a properly NEW one before, only second-hand ones. And the council even came on time to take the old one away. It was the last soft furnishings link to my ex and I had no idea that that was bugging me until the holey stinky old thing was gone. Hoorah for Ikea. And hoorah for the fact that despite everything, our finances were in good enough shape to enable us to finally splash out on soft furnishings. Eh, who cares about turkey? And I've already eaten sprouts twice this week. And we have enough booze in to last until the end of next year.
Have a lovely time, whatever you are up to, my crepey friends.
(Do you think you can make toasted cheese sandwiches with Stilton?)

Course you can, Stropps

We are stuck in Cancun - flight cancelled until tomorrow
On the up side they have put us in a rather swank all inclusive and we are numbing the disappointment with free booze

Home Boxing Day.....

Ah BD what a shame. Feliz navidad and hope the Cuba Libres keep on coming.

Thanks Cremo - we will survive! And Merry Christmas one and all....
Ds most disappointed...

Bad luck, BD. At least it won't be a Christmas DS will forget, and I'm sure you can rustle up a unique celebration.

Strops, your Christmas on the NEW sofa with toasted Stilton sandwiches sounds rather enticing, actually!

I have just discovered the delights of Crabbies Mulled Ginger Wine. It was being flogged off cheaply in our local Budgens, and I thought "I'll have me some of that!" Pour a large glass, into the microwave for 60 seconds, most heart warming.

Happy Christmas, all.