What I did today.

I love these dark early mornings before Christmas! I always switch the tree lights and outside lights on as soon as I'm up....following a tradition started by DH many years ago who put them on early for all the children going to school on gloomy mornings to see
GNHQ have had a busy night deleting the posts of some muppet in the early hours....I hope the GN through-the-night monitors had mince pies to keep them going

notso A wistful .
What a lovely tradition your husband started, and nice to know you continue it. If I'd walked by as a kid all those years ago, I'd have loved (and longed for) it.

So, what's newsworthy in the soop camp? Ahem! Rory, the feral cat of uncertain parentage, is lying at my feet and is fast asleep. Today, possibly for the very first time in his nomadic life, he used a cat litter tray, to which I had introduced him yesterday afternoon. We heaped praise on him. He seemed awfully pleased with himself - rolled over on his back, waving his paws in the air, just like a wee kitten. He sat beside me as I did the ironing. He then helped mr soop in the garden. He now "owns" a favourite low stool from which he keeps half an eye on what's happening in the house. His companionship is a bonus. Our own black cat died just before we came to Scotland. This black cat, who first appeared in our garden on a snowy day last winter, was wild at heart, and exceedingly malnourished. It is hard to believe that he is the same cat.

Bit of a love affair between you and that cat, isnt there soop.
My day got off to a shaky start - realised my husband had gone off for 3 days with my handbag. Which i had hidden under the drivers seat yesterday.
Then tried to ring MIL to discover she has had a bad haemorrhage from her leg and is in A and E being transfused. Poor love. 2 years ago exactly she nearly died of pancreatitis. SIL is there and I have eventually managed to speak to DH on Skype - he was in a meeting in a no-signal building. So he is heading there now. I feel i ought to jump in the car but have promised to "babysit" for friends from t time.

JessM Not a good start to your day. It all sounds very much like one of my bad dreams. Hope that everything improves very soon.

Having a quiet day to-day after hectic day in Liverpool with DD,we had a girly day shopping for smellies and presents for eldest DGCs,as much as I love them and am so proud of how they have grown up I really do feel my age when I buy grooming kits and shavers for them as presents not at all reminisent of days gone by when a box of lego was on their list *soop*Rory certainly has landed on his paws finding you and mr soop does he stay indoors yet or does he go back outside after he has been spoiled by you ?
Yesterday in Town I stood for a while listening to a guitar player by Lime Street Station (no puns required please) he was with his dog and the music he was playing was all 60s xmas songs,this chap is blind and has a huge following,he collects for the dog charity and is a credit to them I hope he did well as he certainly is talented.

glamma, Rory gradually, cleverly, inched his way "indoors". He remains with us for almost all the day. At suppertime, he is coaxed into his apartment [outdoors] and sleeps there. Wouldn't mind betting that, within the next few weeks, the apartment becomes redundant!

soop . Cat rescuer extraordinaire!

That`s brilliant Soop, I didn`t realise that Rory was now coming into the house. At that rate, you shouldn`t have any problems getting him to go with you when you move.
Have been putting photos into frames and albums, took me half the morning. Then had to get himself to take some older ones from the top of the wall unit and replace them with the new ones. That bloke can`t half moan!!

Oh its good to hear about Rory again. He is clearly gradually getting attached to you. Has he been Done yet?

My news - about an hour ago I had a tooth out. A big one...I won't go into details. I am still anaesthetised to the eyebrow. Have taken some paracetamol in advance of it wearing off.
It wasn't too bad. My daughter had one out recently and gave me a tip....to think 'I'm not having a brain op, I'm just having a tooth out...' - it worked.

I couldn't think about posting earlier, I had this on my mind! when I got to the dentist's I had a text to say my neighbour - who had a lung op yesterday and whose family, staying next door, I hadn't managed to get in touch with for some reason - to say that she wasn't too bad, so that's a relief.

So nice about the cat soop I have been reading about him and it seems he has really adopted you!

Message for Soop - today we put the tree up, pride of place on the front near the top has been given to the gorgeous, hand made Bauble that you gave me at Kevingrove. Another new addition to our eclectic mix of decorations is a babushka doll that DD1 brought back from her trip to a wedding in Poland this year. Set me wondering if Baubles has her baubles up yet?

My dear friend called to see me this afternoon, her grief is such that she has been unable to return to work. She says that they spend a lot of time out of the house and can't bear Sundays, because S died on a sunday. They are going to stay in a country cottage over Christmas and distance themselves from the celebrations. She says her little GS has been a great comfort.

harrigran, your poor friend - how raw her pain must be. And how good that you can be there for her. Without our good friends we would all be lost.

So sad for them harrigran.
MIL is ok I think. A small leg ulcer haemorraged in the shower. Bit shocky with the blood loss and fear by the sounds of it. She is being kept in overnight at least. DH is up there holding her hand. She has such devoted kids.

oh dear I felt like Jess M bit shakey start OH made me doctors appt on way to work, see other threat about my mole did not go that well.
At least got anti biotics for my thumb as does not seem to be healing very well.
Then went acquacise very good!
and I was quite busy bee this afternoon, actually tidied and unpacked from hectic weekend in Norwich seein Dominic Kirwan, and I cleaned kitchen and washed floor, bit on bulletand put rubber gloves on for little while, doctor said try not to and does not help, but hey got do some cleaning!!

cooked healthy tea and went to meet husband from work with Rosie, but he could held up due to car iced up, and has been in awful mood ever since, hence i AM UP ON ON COMPUTER KEEPING OUT OF WAY!!!

I went shopping and just came back home, looking for a suitable job at the moment, not being at work was great and needed the break at first but now its getting a bit ridiculous been on quite a few interviews and either I dont like them or they don't like me, finding it hard to continue the search and loosing the will a bit now............

Just enjoyed watching my little grandsons in their first Christmas pop concert at school. Such enthusiasm and lots of funny gestures to illustrate each song, egged on by the frenetic dancing of their teacher, who deserves a gold medal. I laughed and wept the whole way through. My daughter says she was torn - should she watch her darling boys or her soft mum? Wonderful

Aw, when, it's so special, that first performance, isn't it? I never get to mine because I live too far away, but I can remember their dads' school entertainments - often unintentionally funny.

I know I have mentioned it before a long time ago but when ever I read of a first performance of little ones in school plays my mind always wanders back to my Simon's first ever claim to fame when he was a tree and by the time the play had finished he had deminished to something resembling a dandelion all weak branches and withered,such joy.

glamma my eldest is Simon, too. His first nativity was hysterical. He missed the crib and dropped baby Jesus on teacher's guitar. All his little classmates started giggling and nothing went right after that. Loved it

Lucky grans who can go to nativities! Enjoy!
Another unsettled start to my day so took camera for a walk in the frosty woods. Now i remember what is good about freezing fog. Wonderful white crystals over every twig and leaf. And just around the corner, opposite the flats, my first ever little flock of beautiful WAXWINGS - and i had the camera in my hand. Lovely plump little birds, almost the size of a thrush with a crest like a cockatoo.

Feeling a bit better today so I've been catching up on Gransnet - and now I'm going to get out of bed and do some Christmas present wrapping, fortunately I'd done most of my shopping before I got ill. The house is freezing so my first job will be to get a good fire going........brr!

Art thou a twitcher, Jess? Glad you're feeling better ga .

JessM, I get the feeling of pre-Christmas blues. To the extend of missing out on the school entertainments, I can empathise. I would love to see (hear) M playing the trombone. But I can only imagine how hard it is for you and other grans being thousands of miles from your GC and for those cut off for other reasons. My love and best wishes to all of you.