All I Want For Crepemas Is Youth

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Phew

X-posts Monty and MrsS. Glad to hear about your dd, Monty.

Stropps

I am running away to the British Library tomorrow. (Anyone fancy meeting for lunch?)

Stropps you said:

but I just have to let it go. I must now concentrate on building a new career

And you are so right. There is only so much one can do when faced with MH problems. Sometimes one reaches a brick wall & can do no more and then it is the time when you have to concentrate on yourself so that you are in the best place.

You have my sympathy, I've been there & it's so tough but I am glad to see that you are now concentrating on you.

I am sending you lots of love/hugs/sympathy from a total stranger on t'internet.

MI - I would just love to meet you, for lunch or but am no where near the BL.

DH has cooked tonight (well he took a coq au vin that I had made previously out of the freezer) and threw on some veg to go with it.

Stropps, as usual you have done everything you could for DD - concentrate on your new career now. Monty, glad to hear about DD.

We have discovered the delights of Vera on catch up, but spend a lot of time exclaiming about the places we recognise.

MI, potentially yes, as I seem to be in charge tomorrow, but will let you know tomorrow morning when I have seen what state my inbox is in.

I have told DP how much I dislike his new jumper. It is the colour of sludge.

Oh Strops - you have so much on your plate. Good t hear you are getting support for DS, though - so easy to focus all attention on the high-maintenance one.

Lovely sunny day today - I took myself off to Kingston for some very productive Sales shopping. I restocked my prezzie stash with lots of half-priced goodies from Boots (particularly good for teen girl gifts), exchanged my Swarovski pendant for another pendant AND a ring (both half price - yay!), and bought myself a very nice dressing gown In John Lewis for DH to give to me for my birthday in February. My current one is virtually see-through with age, and certainly pre-dates my children by some years.

Tomorrow I have a list of administrative chores to work through - I also need to decide what to cook on NYE. I have 14 people to feed. Any ideas? Something easy, not requiring last minute attention, yadda, yadda, yadda....

MI burn/lose/shrink the jumper.

Stropps - you said it.... It's now her call. You have done everything (and more)

Mince pies and wine round mine tomorrow if anyone is passing

Pile of packing done, looking forward to buggering off.

Thank you for your kind thoughts. GP says possibly wh cough but could be just virus and wouldn't offer antibiotics anyway even if wh cough. Just fluid and rest now unless gets worse, in which case come back. And carry paper bags for the sick. So all ok here. Thank you for all your kind advice

Monty - a friend of mine had whooping cough a year or so ago. She didn't realise what it was - just a persistant cough which caused her to become more and more run down. Hope your DD makes a speedy recovery.

Here we have been walking in the forest and then investigated by next door's cat which nosed round all the rooms and then ran out of the house.

Yesterday, evening we saw Star Wars with possibly the geekiest ever audience. No children - DS (13) was about the youngest there and the rest looked like the guys from Big Bang Theory - I swear you could have heard a pin drop - no rustling sweet papers or anything. Anyway, quite enjoyable but mainly when Harrison Ford was on the screen - even old he has massive charisma.

DD1 getting a bit downhearted as has had three immediate rejections for her law vacation schemes - she's finally understanding it's tough out there. Mind you, if they don't want her, I'm not sure who they're recruiting!

Have just put a turkey in the oven!!!! DH went shopping and whilst it seems a good idea to buy a half price turkey there is only so much I can eat. He tells me he will make fajitas once I have roasted it.

NU - glad to hear you are away from the floods - I always imagine you in that town beginning with H up on the roman wall (which is nice and high). You are probably not there at all but that's the image I have

I did mention to DP that I still would with the divine Mr Ford...

MI - he has definitely still got it. I have told the DD's they have to watch the original to appreciate him when he was young but have calculated I was actually 13 at the time

DH has gone off to see Star Wars alone. Nobby No Mates. DS has already seen it, and the DDs don't want to, so off he went.

Meanwhile I went to Homebase and bought some lovely mosaic tiles to do a little splashback behind the basin in the DCs' bathroom. The piece of acrylic we have there currently is getting moisture and mould behind it, so tiles it is. It should be a quick job (famous last words....).

I was 14 when I saw SW it is the only film I snogged all the way through.

I feel much better for some hours of writing in peace!

Typing from pretty bedroom in old pub, having had long bath after 10mile walk through mud,with beautiful skies and sunshine. What's more, will simply be choosing dinner from menu -no shopping, cooking or clearing.mplus some delicious local vermouth made from silver birch.

So pretty good this end, though nearly stymied by dh's declaration as we were about to leave for break that he didn't know how to register for his yearly football event (incredibly important to him) and therefore i was too late and he wouldn't bother. Hugely pointless and self destructive outburs. cue lots of shouting (me) and resentful sorting out (also me). Ds said blimey that's how I behave but I'm a teenager.

Have realised I haven't opened my Ss - sorry but lovely fr me to look frward to when get back.

For those of you who are, or have DDs who are small of back and large of nork, Debenhams in Oxford Street had a load of bras with 28 and 30 backs for half price - mostly Curvy Kate and Freya, lots of different styles. I got a Curvy Kate one for me (obv with a larger back) for £14 and a Fantasie one for £17. All red. Hussy.

Addle - sounds wonderful - pub bit that is. Love the words of wisdom from DS. DD1 has BF here - and DS is showing off in a most annoying fashion.

Had a lovely morning at beach, only spoiled by random piles of dog muck on the promenade (why, why, why?). Sunny day and quite warm.

DS and DDiL arrived with a hired van and deposited some stuff in the garage/garden (the builders start on Monday, but they're not moving in here with us until March). We were amused to hear that DDiL had answered a knock at the door in her pjs earlier today and a nice lady had asked to talk to her mother - she was very embarrassed when DDiL explained that her mum lived elsewhere and it was her house. On a sadder note the woman was knocking on doors and handing out notices about a woman who had gone missing on Boxing Day (I have only just realised that I know the missing person and, in fact, had seen her on Christmas Eve). I am afraid it doesn't look good....

I was (and am) a big fan of H Ford - we really must make an effort to go to see Star Wars (I loved Indiana Jones too).

The bras sound good, MrsS. DH gave me a purple one for Christmas (it goes well with the aprons DD and DDiL gave me).

Annual 'have neighbours round' done. Dp over catered so passed on to someone with a large family and someone having a New Years bash....
Totally dry and feel better for it....

Can't wait to go away!

Evening All
Still enjoying the break from all the usual stuff - have done a lot of lying around on the sofa reading Margery Allingham books - which I can thoroughly recommend.
Thank you v v much for the marvellous book to my SS - brilliant choice.

Whereabouts are you Addle - sounds lovely - especially the vermouth.

Whereabouts are you going BD?? Hope it's lovely... X

I have also made a bargainous bra purchase in M&S today, where Dh and I went , with the rest of the universe it seems, to spend vouchers we got for Xmas. Also half price offers abounding. Dh went a bit mad in the kitchenalia dept. I went for a few exciting cosmetics including new snake oil ( Huile Prodigieuse) and a ren night cream, after which I will be years younger looking obviously.
Also managed a new exceedingly boring suit for Dh.
You'd think it was pre-Christmas given the level of money being thrown about out there.
I am in my pjs alreadyI'd quite like to hibernate until we go to the Caribbean, but no, I'll be working flat out with a team less than a 1/4 the size it was, but doing the same work, for less money.