What I did today.

It's a very frosty morning, but bright and clear; I am collecting for Shelterbox later this morning at a Christmas market so am looking for fleeces, some of which must still be packed somewhere, or been put away somewhere...Still, a shopping opportunity!

My thoughts will be with you today Gally.
Thinking of you on this day.

Gally xxxx

Happy anniversary Gally. As you say, another hurdle to be got over (pedant alert?) Tonight will be good fun though - wrap up warm! xx

Make the most of your anniversary day Gally . These milestones can be made more manageable in the company of good friends who empathise and help you through them. My BIL faced their Ruby Weddng a couple of weeks after my sister died. We kept him fairly busy, but had time to reminisce and laugh about some of the antics she had got up to over the years.

Yes thanks, Butty, six months pack in! The neighbours were all up to get to their market stalls so it was OK. A cockerel escaped in the indoor market while we were there, but plenty of people knew how to catch it!

Sending warm wishes to you Gally for a day of happy memories

Lovely picture by email from DS2 of youngest GS on his 5th birthday, enjoying my Star Wars presents. Looks as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. DS now in throes of making a Star Wars themed birthday cake in time for this afternoon's party.

anno; are yours into Star Wars at the moment then? My two grandsons are obsessed. I don't know what presents to get them as that's all they want. Gally .

crimson, this one is obsessed too, not so the others. I got Lego Star Wars models from Amazon and one of these zip-up containers to put them in. The Lego models come in a bewildering range of prices and I have bought him one for birthday and another for Christmas, not the most expensive, I hasten to add.

Thinking of you today Gally
May your happy memories help you through the day.

Gally

Gally A day of memories, I'm sure. I hope you have an enjoyable evening with your friends.

I have just had my first bath for about two years. Normally, I just hop into the shower, wash my hair, scrub the bod and hop out again after a few minutes. Saturday is the day when I do all those things that I kid myself will make me look good – exfoliate the face, shave the legs, deep condition the hair, paint the toenails – and today I thought I just fancy a bath. I had forgotten how luxurious it feels to relax in warm scented water. I know life is busy, but I think I shall be very silly if I do not to allow myself the occasional bathtime indulgence in the future.

It will be good to share your memories with good friends, Gally
Bitterly cold. Bright blue sky. Frost glistening on the pavements in the village.
Rory snug in his apartment. New photo of Wee Man uploaded in my album. He adores tunnels. Mummy made a big one from a cardboard box.

Now I'm a bath person; phone anyone up in my family in the evening and you can guarantee they'll be in the bath. I sometimes fall asleep in the bath, or have music playing very loud downstairs but leave the doors open and listen to it. I then save the water for the loo or, if it hasn't been a hair wash bath, for the garden. It annoys me having to clean the shower because I very rarely use it and those that do don't clean it. In fact, these days the only thing that stops me feeling cold [even wearing thermals and hats doesn't work] is a hot bath. When my heating packed in last winter and the heating at work was almost too low to work in [it's a long story] I thawed out in the bath each day. I love me bath, me .

I love a good old soak as well crimson but the trouble is, once I'm in there I can't make myself get out. So I have to ration myself very strictly
It's been easier since we had a new bathroom fitted and I no longer have the very old, large, cast iron bath. I do miss it, although my feet didn't reach the end when I was lying down so I would sometimes drop off and wake up on the point of drowning.

Gally and warm thoughts

Wonder if there's a link between being a night or day person, nightowl?

Mmm not sure crimson, but I like to have these long soaks during the day despite being a night person. I have sometimes got in late Sunday morning and it's been dark when I've got out When do you like yours?

Oh sorry crimson you said you like them in the evening!

No; anytime of day, me. But the few family members I have are always in the bath if I phone them at night. In fact, my bath calls to me all the time. If I had a telly in the bathroom I'd probably live in it. I grew up in a house with an outside loo and no bathroom so I think that, after years of then sharing houses and bathrooms in student accommodation and such like, my own bathroom was very special. It was years before my ex got round to fitting a shower here as well, and I never got used to using it. A shower, to me is something to wake me up if I haven't had enough sleep. I redecorated my bathroom many years ago in a timeless sort of way and I'm quite chuffed that when my children have renovated houses they've always followed the same style. It's the one room in the house that I'm really happy with!

What I did today: got up, ate breakfast, had several cups of tea, now thinking about late lunch. Spent ages on laptop, finished my library book, looked at sunshine through window. Thinking about having a bath but that would be the end of any pretence of doing anything else. So I will get up from the sofa and get myself moving, honest

After hibernating for four days, I had to go out to post a 21st Birthday card to one of my grand-daughters. It took me an hour to dig out my car but it certainly made me warm! I drove very slowly down to the village post office - the road had been gritted but there are some very sharp bends with big drops at the side, so I wasn't going to risk a skid. Snow is forecast for every day next week, so I stocked up with even more food and I needn't go out again for several days. My road does not get much traffic until the ski season starts but once it does it will be very busy and the roads will be much easier.
My second great-grand-daughter is four today - she had a party at a children's play centre for about 20 friends from play school. I have all my family's birthdays listed in my diary as there are so many of them. As well as a card in the post, I sent one online which had a jolly tune and a little story.
I agree about baths - they are a luxury, not just for hygiene. Scented candles, glass of wine or cup of tea, relaxing classical music, fluffy towels - a real treat.

Gally - I hope you are able to enjoy this bitter-sweet day and your meeting with your friends.

I went to the gym today only to find that they were installing new equipment and the only things I could use were the treadmills (sorry, quilting, couldn't think of any other way of putting it) and the gym balls. Bought the ingredients for my very alcoholic rum & ginger cake which are now marinading nicely. In the course of preparing this I created mayhem when a large storage jar slipped out of my hand onto a large glass worktop protector which shattered into innumerable tiny pieces. Time for a , methinks.

Nasty anno Enjoy the cake when it's done.

Up to now today I have been to the village to buy flowers and pay the papers, made the normal pre-match fry-up for DH and DS1, put out more bird food, picked up 'after' the dog, made red cabbage with sultanas and done the ironing!

After this I am going to make tartiflette for supper and the stuffing for the turkey. Then off to the village Christmas light switch-on with mulled wine Then I shall eat the tartiflette, watch Strictly with and go to bed!! Perhaps too much there but I should sleep well.