Crepeyistmas Time, Camel Toe and Whine...

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Pandering to the uncouth...

You've drunk who?

I want some Ron Zacapa

We're pretty much sorted for food apart from dh suddenly deciding he wanted ham and cheese croissants like his mum makes on Christmas morning. I have ham and cheese, but will have to pick up some croissants on Xmas eve. No doubt there will be some kind of flaky pastry shortage in S London. I have also been unable to find reasonably priced Xmas Eve pyjamas for ds1 - all the boys' clothes ranges seem to stop at age 14 and the men's ranges are still massive on him. Will try TK Maxx tomorrow and then give up.

In solidarity with your dd, Stropps, my dd has also developed a rash on her face. She had what looked like it could be small cold sore (although she's never had one before) in the corner of her mouth, but it could also just be bad chapping, and now she has itchy pink spots all down her chin, poor thing. I'm hoping it's just rundownitis - I have a touch myself and have been feel quite dizzy today, which is pants as I have had a bout of vertigo for ages. Trying to carve out some time to be lazy tomorrow...

Wilbur, I used to get DS Next PJ's till he grew like a weed! Now he wears long boxer-type ones, so growing is less of a problem!

Ah, so it's a fizzy wine?!

I should have known that - I have been to Guatemala and drunk rum punch and other rum cocktails!

They should have got you organising the family SS. And what was the excuse for cancelling 30mins after the arrival time?

I think I might have a Faileys

Pour yourself another glass, Rudy.

I can tick off another item on the Christmas To Do list - the mince pies have been made mainly by the DDs

Not much festive food in the fridge yet - I'm collecting the overpriced bird from the local farm shop tomorrow and have a Tesco slot booked for midday on Christmas Eve. It is rather later than I'd like, because if there are any shortages I'll have no choice but to sharpen my elbows for a last-minute supermarket scramble.

DSis has just emailed to request a pudding for Boxing Day. No mention of healthiness, thank goodness. I have a panettone glut so might construct some sort of fancy bread and butter pud. Or maybe a pavlova, because they are easy.

Bread and butter pud made with pannetone is excellent. Sadly I would have to eat it on my own as no-one else in this house likes dried fruit.

Sorry QQ meant to say well done to your DS.

Lovely evening out, DH and I dressed up (DD dressed down, unusually for her) and we got talking about the films she loved when she was little. Nothing for it after that but to come home & watch El Dorado with ice cream. Big fun.

"It's tough to be a God"... And we talk about First World problems...

QQ I said... Oh never mind, the m

Having heard a story of mates neighbor who caught his big toe in long pjs and pitched down the stairs (broken neck - lucky not dead) I'd go for boxer type things...

Rudy SS STILL not organised? Bit rubbish hey, never mind the 25 for dinner....

Crepeys are we going to post pics of said SS (pretty sure I know what mine is - a tad hard to disguise!)

Morning crepeys.

Have had a bit of a dis-ahhhhhhhh-ster on the festive food front as we had people over for lunch yesterday and, having had a rubbish night's sleep plus several large glasses of wine, I feel asleep at 7.30 after they had gone and missed my chance to amend the order. Ooops. This means I am going to have to brave a real shop to buy my food. Bum. What time do we think it will be less crowded? I have a million presents to wrap as well as I was supposed to start them yesterday too. Oops.

BD, love the Gavroche. Was Michel there? And Monica? Bad news about person tripping on pyjamas. Scary.

Glad you have arrived safely, Rose

NU, well done on getting through the appointments yesterday. How are your teeth feeling this morning? Much better, I hope.

How much should I give my lovely cleaner as a Christmas present? Will pay her for next week as holiday, but as a Christmas bonus? Any ideas gratefully received.

MC ds had a loooong chat with Michel and got a personalised menu/autograph...... :)

M&S was heaving at 8.00 this morning - I beat a hasty retreat....

Monty, bad luck! I have an order arriving this evening I hope, otherwise I will be dashing out on Christmas Eve after collecting the turkey and trimmings. I fear you should have gone out at 6am

I give my lovely cleaner a weeks pay as a Christmas bonus. She texted last night to ask if it was OK for her to come on Boxing Day (Friday is her day) which is perfect as DD and I will be out at the sales and DH and DS at the footy, and we are hosting a small party here in the evening, so all will be clean and tidy

I am planning a lazyish day with wrapping and prepping and hopefully a festive film or something this afternoon (as the DC seem to have planned to go out)

Oh, how lovely - glad he was friendly and not an arse (cf G. Ramsay).

DH made the shopping list for christmas day. In conjunction with the half finished tesco order, I can probably get most of it locally without the need for a big shop. Hurray! Not sure I can face the hell of the big tesco or even the lovely waitrose.

BTM, thank you so much. I reckoned a week is fine but one of my pals from thirsty lunch yesterday gave hers a month! Yow! As my Christmas bonus was precisely nothing, and as I feel a bit skint, this was a bit of a shock. Small party sounds fun. Are you doing food or is it just drinks and nipples?

How are the sick and poorly Crepeys and Stropps and wilburs DD? What constitutes busy in the shops down here seems really sedate to me. And no parking problems either. Did waitrose and sainsbos yesterday early evening after a most pleasing visit to a tea room with DD. We are going to have a go at making Xmas Pud Icecream today which I found in one of those annoying booklets that falls out of glossy magazines. I have bought down with me...mince pies, stollen, two boxes of chocs,a long tube of Jaffa cakes at DSs request, choc covered stollen bites, a Xmas Pud and Dorritos again requested by DS for munching whilst watching movies. Hardly need Xmas lunch do we, although the turkey is defrosting forlornly in the fridge. There is booze in abundance here already.

stropps'my DH does exactly that with the shopping and phones me about a dozen times checking irrelevant details and still gets it all wrong.

monty'it said on the news yesterday that the best time to shop for missing the crowds and freshness of the food was 6.30 this morning!! You might have missed that. You could come down here of course...it's very dignified! Or just get out your walking stick and wallop anyone who gets in your way

Good gracious me..I must get up.

Re cleaner....I pay her whatever holiday she takes at Xmas and a small gift like nice soap or something. She's indispensable to me...like one of the family. A month seems a bit excessive though!

Drinks and nibbles, Monty, hopefully no nipples on show

A month sounds a bit OTT. Unless you are loaded, I guess!

Rose, your coastal retreat sounds lovely

I don't even bother involving DH in shopping. Well, he is in charge of bringing the online delivery in and putting it away. And the occasional send out for milk, or something. Even then he needs it spelling out in triplicate

I am going to venture out locally for tr elusive cherries. DD1 has gone out "to get last-minute presents" (her dad suspect she is meeting Boys en route - he is bewailing her new Bastille poster and generally being shotgunny) and we are planning afternoon trip to The Hobbit and then drinks chez neighbours (d'you think my fellow-inmates will bail out of this last)?

Friend's new bloke nice but had Dubious Shoes.

We do two weeks pay for the cleaner, but we don't pay her when she doesn't come, so I guess it's just a week extra.

Feeling very strange as no extra food in the house as we are not hosting.... Will go out after Boxing Day and buy up all the remaining goodies and bed down for a few days then.

Had great wander round town last night, picking up all the remaining pressies. Wow, the shop assistants look knackered. Not surprised, really.

Dh has been diligently working through his 'to do' list at home. He's wrapped all the presents but couldn't find any tags, so has 'post it noted' them. I suspect there could be some confusion come Thursday!