Today I shall be Mainly...

[Cathy]

Have spent the day inside escaping 37C heat by reading and doing crosswords. Nothing physical, just keeping my brain ticking over.

[Wendyf]

A drop or two of whisky with a hot lemon & honey drink should keep you going till midnight Sue.

[Whyperion]

Woke up early , sneezing, think more of an allergy to the long-haired cat even though yesterday it had not parked itself under my nose , with the wet rain outside my planned quick (!) activity to tidy the garage did not happen. After an afternoon sleep I got a call to say mum-in-law had died ( not totally unexpected but typical bad timing of her ), so after getting phone calls to a few relatives sorted out tomorrow (? today) is now a rather frantic trip with son's family to sort a few bits out ( including the cat which at present is slightly trapped a car , just some of the problems of trying to run two families ).

[Sue]

Happy new year everyone.

[PanBiker]

Happy new year to you too Sue and everyone else, good luck with your dryathalon

[Stanley]

Marvelling that I am now in my 78th year! Who'd have thowt it!
Sue, remember medicinal purposes and have a whisky. Must be within the rules....

[Nolic]

Happy New Year everyone. Nolic

[Sue]

Only if I pay £20 penalty to the cause Stanley. I feel a little better today but Bob is still streaming, he is a day behind in the dreaded lurgy. Thus will teach me to have one last wet kiss fro my little grand daughter.

[Cathy]

HAPPY 2014 EVERYONE, HOPE IT'S A GOOD ONE!! CATHY XX

[Wendyf]

Happy New Year everyone.

[Marilyn]

Just got back from spending a few days with friends at their beachside holiday home.
Had a lovely relaxing time. Watched the New Year's fireworks from their front verandah, eating home-made pizza from the wood oven and sipping red wine. No resolutions made.
Feeling very tired now that we are home and have put a couple of loads of washing through, and have searched the fridge and cupboards for clues of a simple evening meal.
Time to relax and watch the episodes of Corrie that I recorded whilst away.

Happy New Year Friends!
Cheers!

[Stanley]

Ignoring the darkness at this time of the year. Roll on the light!

[Sue]

My cold is a little better today and so us Bobs. We slept well last night. Today I am finishing a jumper for Eve before we go and see them on Saturday. We are taking the last of the Christmas presents down that they couldn't get in the car when they left.

I am thinking of starting work on my the next book in my genealogical saga. MY WIDDUP FAMILY.

[Cathy]

Amongst other things I packed up the Christmas decorations. Looks less colourful now but well dusted.

[LizG]

Will you come and do mine please?

[Cathy]

Happily Liz , I think peoples Christmas decorations say a lot about them. Why they display the same items year after year etc, It's interesting to know people's traditions and why.

[Wendyf]

I love putting my decorations up and packing them away again. Every item (including the box) seems to have memories attached, I have tree baubles that were on my Grandmas tree when Mum was a child that take me back to my childhood too. What's scary these days is that I only just seem to have packed them carefully away when it's time to get them out again!

[Cathy]

Your bauble story is wonderful Wendy. Part of my Christmas decorations is a book called "Twas the night before Christmas". I used to read this to my daughter on Christmas Eve when she was a child, it comes out every year. On Christmas Eve I always use the same 'spinning' multi server from her childhood for nibbles, it's the only time of the year it is used and each Christmas Eve she fills it with the nibbles . Only small things but tradition for us.

[Moh]

It is supposed to be unlucky to take them down before 12th night!!
A Happy & healthy New Year to all.

[PanBiker]

The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore has been a Christmas Eve ritual read for over 30 years in our house. I started reading it to our children when they were very young. When our Dan was four he got Cops and Robbers by Janet and Allan Ahlberg which was added to the Christmas Eve reading list. This is the tale of villainous Grandma Swag and her gang who like to steal Christmas presents instead of giving them out! The gang do not take into consideration upstanding Officer Pugh though, who, along with the other cops of London town sort out the gang. A couple of the members of the villainous gang are "Grabber Dan" and "Snatcher Jack" which no doubt added to the popularity of the book as they are both the names of our two boys.

Our kids are now all grown up and as most will know we no longer have our lad Dan. The other two, (Carla is 35 and Jack is 27) still come home at some point over Christmas for my renditions of the books, (complete with sound effects and suitable inflection). I also read them to our grandchildren, this year was the third time for Dan's daughter Ruby. Ruby quite likes the idea that I am reading one of her Daddy's books to her. Cops and Robbers will eventually go into Dan's memory box that we are putting together for Ruby.

[Marilyn]

I used to put the bucket of water and carrots outside for the Reindeers on Christmas Eve, plus the Milk and Biscuits for Santa on the coffee table. We would also listen out for sleigh bells ( and say we thought we heard some very faintly in the distance).
But these days I really don't enjoy Christmas. This year my decorating extended to buying a Poinsettia plant and throwing some beads around it. It is thriving still.
If I had grand kids things would be different, of course, but as things are I even hate cooking Christmas Dinner! I am always looking for ways to cut down any effort at that time of year.

[Stanley]

I get my Xmas kicks from the kids and my friends so no decorations and the dust is undisturbed.... Today I shall be getting my eyes tested for proper readers. I don't think the right one has settled yet, largely because of the strain of using the El Cheapo readers. I'll have my normal test in six months and see how things are then.... Only certainty is that I shall not have glasses for distance, I'm enjoying being without far too much!

[Cathy]

When my daughter was small we used to go for walk on Christmas Eve evening to look for Santa's skyroads, and his elves lights in the bushes. I remember that a couple of times she/we actually saw them! We would also check out the local houses that were decorated with Christmas lights. We would put out the drink and nibble for Santa and his reindeers then she would go to bed and when I thought she was just about to fall asleep I would go outside and gently ring a bell to say that Santa's sleigh was coming. When she was older I explained to her that we did all these things to keep Santa's spirit alive because originally he was a bishop in a red suit called (who became) St. Nicholas and he really did go around his own village delivering Christmas presents to the children.

Goodness knows what I will be like as a Grandparent explaining Santa to my grandchildren because Santa has suddenly become very high-tech in the way he circumnavigates the world and delivers millions of presents on Christmas Eve.

I don't ever remember telling her that he knew if she had been naughty or nice and that only nice children got presents from him. No point introducing stress at such a magical time for a child.

[David Whipp]

Doing the cinema at the Rainhall Centre today, with three films showing this afternoon, tea time and evening.

May also get forrard with taking down shop front trees... don't fancy the forecast for Sunday, the planned day for this activity.

[Stanley]

Lovely Cathy and just right. I can't remember us ever threatening the children with Xmas.
David, good lad and a wise choice if you do the trees today, you're right about the forecast!
I shall have a quiet day, no social engagements.