The Bluestocking: Next stop, Christmas!

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Join us as we open our slightly wonky advent calendar. 🌲

(copies available behind the bar £12.50 each, no refunds)

Happy Christmas to you and yours, Sionnach!

Your convo with your mam reminds me of one I had when I entered a church which happened to have a funeral service going on.

A woman approached me:

Woman: Terrible sad, isn't it?
Me: Yes, it is.
Gone too soon.
Really? that's very sad.
Did you know her?
I'm afraid I did not, I'm not from around here..
Oh aye?.. Well she's dead, anyway...
[woman wanders off]

It happened in Co Down - either there's something in the water around those general parts, or it was your mam I was talking to, Sionnach😂

Look what DH got me for Christmas!

Sionnach, you must be my sister in law. Never mind that MIL isn't Irish, she does exactly the same thing. I'm always impressed that she can keep all these people straight in her head!

@FuzzyPuffling what a brilliant bauble!

Happy Christmas to all - I expect you're all wading into your Christmas dinners and here it is mid-morning and I am finishing off the stuff for this afternoon's Christmas buffet. Luckily nobody is coming for about another four or five hours so I have time to sit and drink a cup of tea and check what's happening here. I made a fancy cake which took a lot more work than I had anticipated, but it looks lovely. The sheet of paperin the background is my to-do list for today, but the yellow lines are things that have been crossed out so it's not that bad.

I do this to my DC.
My mother used to do it to me.

ETA, I hope they'll do it in their turn.

What a lovely cake, Britinme! And a respectable ratio of crossed off/still to do.
Hope you have a lovely day.

What do you think of your American cousin, Cake?😄

Both the list and the cake are impressive.
weve turned out day around.
walk, then home for chocolate, cheese, a mince pie and I’m doing the roast now. DH is getting his after dinner coma in beforehand, not sure what dd is doing but she did put together the telescope which is my and DH’s big present.

The Walrus has made a magnificent lunch dinner meal at 3.20pm and we have cleared up and are now watching Knives Out. Trifle has been made by me and we will have some at 7pm.

Merry Christmas one and all and to the gerbils, whose high-pitched squeaks and squeals indicate great happiness at their presents. Which were mostly cardboard toilet roll inner tubes, egg cartons and cereal boxes. They're very easily pleased.

What type of telescope? My big 40th birthday present was a 150mm Dobsonian, which I've been using far less than planned. I'm crossing my fingers for my son sleeping better next year so I'm less sleep deprived and can make better use of it. It's the perfect time of year to start using one. Hopefully you live somewhere less cloudy than me

Love my American cousin!

Christmas Dinner went well. I don't think I've poisoned anyone. Although I can't be certain until tomorrow. Just have to dismantle what's left of the turkey.

Dinner was good. If I should feel the need of a nibble later, there is a good supply of Tunnock's.

For the moment, I'm putting my feet up and reading Simon Raven, which becomes a more niche indulgence every year, but it's a fun way to spend the holidays.

Knackered here after a solid day of Family.
Bracing walk tomorrow.

My family are about to descend like the wolf on the fold (but no purple and gold corsets). However, I have managed to get in a video chat with both DS1 and DD, and watched my two UK DGDs open their presents, which went down exactly as I'd hoped, which was very gratifying. My SIL bought my DD a weekend (solo) in Chamonix to do running and yoga. He's a keeper, that one. DH and I agreed to buy each other books, and I've found a slightly unusual one that I think will really appeal to him, so fingers crossed as we aren't opening presents until DS2, DIL and the DGC arrive, along with others. There will only be twelve of us this year, which is a bit easier than last year's fourteen.

All done and dusted here. We were 10 for the big dinner and another 4 for drinks and snacks later. It was really fun and now they've all gone and we are watching Call the Midwife. A good day.

It’s some sort of refractor, but I’m not up to speed on different types. We’re in Lancashire so not exactly low cloud area much of the time but the plan is to take it on our travels in the U.K. now I’m retired.

My Christmas dinner was substituted by Sainsbury's in my Christmas Eve shop.

I ordered a Rustler essential cheeseburger. Alas they had run out so I got a double decker burger in its place. Extra pattie. Bonus!

Maud has gone round to stay at K&Ps. She's taken her carpet bag and the violin with her. I believe K&P plans on catching up over battenberg cake!

<removes cotton wool from ears>

Glad you scored on the substitution!

I was ecstatic!

Happy Christmas to the regulars and occasional visitors to the Bluestocking! I have eaten my own bodyweight in turkey, stuffing, sausage meat, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots and peas and gravy. Followed by plum duff and brandy butter. All washed down with copious amounts of claret.

I might have had a little snooze but I'm now back home and I really need my bed.

We had some excellent views in Exmoor and the Scottish borders are often good. If you don't have it already I recommend the book "turn left at Orion". Happy hunting

Child is sleeping, house is tidy and relatives have gone to bed happy. I've enjoyed today, but also glad it's over. Time for sleep and hopefully we'll get more time outside in the fresh air tomorrow. Goodnight.

it was partly because we go to the exmoor area quite often (DH has family in the southwest) and being within fairly easy reach of Dumfries&Galloway which made DH think a reasonably portable telescope would be a good idea. Thanks for the recommendation!

We’re turning in too.
Goodnight all. It’s been lovely to spend a few moments here and there with you all during many and varied christmases.

It's lovely reading all the reports of happy days and full tummies💙
And Boily - I never knew what a beetle's feet looked like so thank you for not wearing slippers while raiding your fridge😁

The Dream and Sleep Gerbils have the night off, they reckon we should all be so tired and overfed and perhaps over er..'hydrated' that we'll fall asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow

As it's Christmas...

Ta-da.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5465189-the-bluestocking-boxing-day-sale-1-gerbil-for-the-price-of-2

The capybaras are working overtime to move us over through the night.

Any stragglers still here in the morning can tidy up and fill the last 25 posts.