A Crepey Advent-ure

[MontserratCaballe]

Over here, my darlings....

Herbs - that's shocking treatment of your MIL. Like her opinions no longer matter. Wishing your DP strength.

I'm currently wearing an acid peel mask that came in my M&S Advent Calendar. Tis tingly! I'm hoping I have a face left when I wash it off.

My Miller Harris samples have arrived. I feel better.

Face still intact.

Have just caused minor teenage meltdown when I noticed (and pointed out) that DD2 has just edged ahead of DD1 in height. She's 26 months younger. DD1 is in denial and was not amused.

2016 - year just keeps on giving.... Heard last night that the father of a girl ds went to primary with has been diagnosed with cancer and given 2 years.... He's 47.

Oh holy crap, BD.

I was just totting up gloomily how many of us on this thread have lost someone this year. It's staggering even for a group in this broad age group.

How sad, BD. And I have just had a card from an ex neighbour (she was wonderful to me, a first time mum with a new baby, and no support) - her 20 yo grandson was killed instantly when he was knocked off his bike..

I have just had an automated phone call from Northumbria Health Care Trust, reminding me that I have an operation next week. For goodness sake, who could forget something like that?

Bd im so dreadfully sorry.

Herbs, your dp must be exhausted. I am appalled to hear that your mils passing is not being dealt with sensitively. I cant help but imagine myself in a future similar situation and feel furious. A good death is such a basic requirement.

Am in work. Vile but not atrocious.
Divine mu with Addle & Her dsis last night. Such a tonic!

Herbs, that is shocking. No one should be shouting at anyone while someone is dying, how appalling.

BD and NU, how terribly sad.

Sorry, BL MU-ers my roaming slot got eaten into, but quite pleasantly (rare outing with dh for bit of light shopping and bowl of soup. He even encouraged me to complain about my coffee). Off to meet hungover pfb off the train.

We had a lovely time (well, I did and I hope the others did!) and I looked at these maps

Just seen that AA Gill has died. I loved his writing.

We have been shopping (again) - not a 100% successful trip. DD1 dropped and smashed her phone (coincidentally we were just outside a phone repair place - bye bye £70 ), I ordered some prints for a specific photo frame only to find out once I got home that I'd ordered the wrong size, the Christmas lights I wanted were out of stock, and we turned up at Argos to collect the item we'd ordered (the main reason for the damned trip, tbh) only to find that it had closed five minutes earlier. Gnnnn..... On the bright side, we found something nice in that emporium of pensioner chic, Bon Marche, for MIL, so that concludes the Christmas shopping (is it bad that I also found and purchased a really nice dress for myself in there? ).

Home for takeaway curry, gin and rubbish TV.

Man alive, I am bushed. Cleaning, spot of work, Christmas fair #1, Santa #1, noise and chaos, drive to Santa #2, world's grumpiest Santa, roller disco, cake, Sainsbury's, unload shopping, to neighbours for some fizz, now back and have to plan a lesson for Monday. Or eat a curry. Hmmmm....

Today with Charmless Niece was not too bad. South Bank Christmas Market was crap, so went to Covent Garden, which was heaving. We were never going to get in anywhere to eat there, so we went to Belgo on Kingsway and ate there. CN complained that the chicken tasted funny, but as no-one was taking any notice of her, ate most of it. DH and the DPIL then went to Oxford Street with her to show her the lights and the DDs and I went home. Felt a bit sorry for CN, as she was wearing school trousers - apparently she doesn't have any jeans and usually wears smocks and leggings. I think if her mother bought her adult sized clothes that fit, rather than trying to cram her into child sized (she is tall for her age and adult sized anyway) she could wear more fashionable stuff, and would look a lot better in dark jeans that fit properly rather than ill fitting polyester school trousers. She really wants jeans too! She told DD2 that she has never had a pair. Maybe she could come and stay for a weekend and we could go shopping, or DD2 could take her.

School trousers on a Saturday ? Why doesn't her mum at the very least get her some jeggings?

That is v nice of you btw.

That's her Christmas present sorted then, Mrs S.....

Here, ds embraced Brian all night.... and I mean, all last night! He's slept all day, so he'll probably be pacing around upstairs tonight, wide awake!

Other than that, quite a dull weekend. Lovely long walk first thing, but just pottered about the rest of the day.

Hope Herbs dp ok tonight.

MI - probably for the same reason that she thinks chips, nuggets and Coke are perfectly good foods for a child to eat.

Poor kid. That is very nice of you, MrsS.

Oh dear, Beachy, you don't need that.

Got dd back, we'd only been on the bus about five minutes and she had spilled all sorts of interesting beans, 'twas not ever thus those of you with uncommunicative teens. And ds has two uni offers and says he won't be taking his X box.

Very tired but scared to go to bed after exhausting dream last night in which I did some adventurous, not to say acrobatic, DIY in addle's house, with terrible results .

Herbs, hope dp is OK.

Those maps look fab, MI.

Hello crepeys. DP is going to send hi way back to London at lunchtime, possibly to meet up with me and DS at long-arranged lunch do with old friends. I think it will do him good, but he's afraid of being a 'buzz killington' (for fans of Family Guy).

MiL seems stable, and he needs a break. And is dying to see DS. The feeling is mutual - yesterday he said how much he misses daddy, and that when he comes home he's going to throw a party for him with music, drinks and 'leftover food in bowls'.

I think the lunch is a really good idea, Herbs. He will need a break and there is only so much he can do. And I love the party idea of leftover food in bowls. My DDad managed to die in what was the only five minutes in the entire day that he was left alone, without me, my mother or my Gran being with him. I think he was waiting for some peace and quiet. So if your DP isn't there when it happens, he shouldn't beat himself up over it. The lovely doctor who came to certify the death said that people often just slipped away when they were on their own.

That's exactly what my friend said. She sat faithfully by her father's bedside for a week, left him for a few hours and that's when he died. Almost like he'd been given permission to go.

I have had very little sleep and feel spectacularly crap.

How true. Lovely to try and have a relaxed lunch with DP Herbs. And DS is being very sweet.

What a lovely MU with tilly rudy and MI yesterday at the BL. Great meeting place. We put the world to rights and exchanged much needed mutual support. Perhaps we can all get strength from out resilience, Crepeys.

beachy how is DS this morning?
mrsS can't help feeling sorry for your niece. Poor kid.

CV how was that peel in the end? I have it ready on my dressing table to try along with this liquid gold everyone's taking about....

Am going walking with BFF this morning. I need it...my back has seized up a bit over night.

Sorry for not keeping up with everything. It's all been rather busy lately and my Internet action has been limited to a few desultory likes on Fb and work stuff. Have had end of term and am now looking at 4 weeks off (no pay, obvs) and a mountain of academic reading to get through before Jan 7th.
Have lovely new car (metallic white, Cocoa!) and dd has bought my old one off me with Dm's help (Christmas and phew-you-stuck-out-your-first-term present). Just as well I had the car on Fri, as I had to do an unexpected 3-hour round trip to Salisbury to pick up dd and an extraordinary amount of luggage. She had cocked up on the train front again (been a bit of a theme this term).

I'm taking the family to Cote today, seeing as the Christmas menu there was so good. Will have to drag them all out of bed, though, as last night dd invited old schoolfriends round to drink the champagne she got for her 18th B-day back in the summer. Like it was the same 2 bottles. I mean, she left them in my wine rack... Anyway, at 12.30am they were still waiting for another friend on the last train from London. When she (and someone else) eventually arrive, they all wait very loudly for a taxi for a further 45 mins and then go off clubbing in a nearby seaside town. So dh and I did not get to sleep until about 2. Dd returned at 6am. And then I was woken by the chickens at 8. Now feeling distinctly unfestive and quite fancy going for steak and chips by myself.
Pass the matchsticks when you're done propping your eyes open, MI.