What I did today No.2

Our local park hosted a Winter Wonderland.
It takes so much effort and organising and if the weather is bad it is so disappointing.
It turned out to be not a bad day and I hope they did well.
I used to go to the carol singing to the local brass band but am no longer able to walk there or stand.
I went to an appt with an Orthopaedic surgeon today and am booked in for a hip replacement in February, perhaps I will make the festivities next year.

Our town was very noisy (think pipe bands and ghetto blasters) and festive all day with indoor and outdoor fairs. My stall was indoors, thankfully, and I had a sociable time with friends old and new.
How those children can keep going on the fairground rides when it is pouring with rain, defeats me. Even Santa came inside for a cup of tea!

Winding down with hot chocolate now.

Lovely party sat evening. Just the 'girls' so lots of laughs and hug. Bit shattered aswe had to stack a huge pile of logs before I went out.
DH and I put the Christmas tree up and decorated it. Sitting now by a lovely log Fire and watching Ken Burns Country Music.

Yesterday was the first day of the Christmas tree festival. I went to unlock the church and do a bit of final sorting out. DH up a ladder to replace the vestry light bulb which has just gone. All the (very excited) primary school children came to see the trees, and other friends I haven't seen for a while. WI carol service in the afternoon which concluded with sausage rolls and mince pies, very sociable.

Friday... I did the usual stuff of getting ready, then went to work. It's a lovely job, involves calling round to elderly people to see how they are. I chatted with a few of them.

Went to Asda, bough a couple of cardigans for myself, plus pyjamas for a friend, jumpers for each of my 2 sons. Went home, had some lunch, wrapped the last of the Christmas presents, tidied up.

I made a couple of 'phone calls, texts, and emails. Went out with my husband, met his cousin and his wife (we hadn't seen them for 4 years), had a few drinks (I always drive so have cordial) and a meal, chatted then gave them a lift home, went in for coffee. Got home half an hour ago. It's been a long but enjoyable day.

I hope you found your inbox Grannysomerset?
I get an email when I receive a PM and it links in.
Your crocheted angels are so sweet Auntyflo

I have been trying to get organised for the Christmas craft stall tomorrow. It was going to be on Sunday but that one was cancelled.
So far I have baked 2 cakes and made a list.

I saw my DGD for lunch at their other granny's where they've been staying all week.
I also went to yoga, which was hard or am I getting past it?

Sorry Grannysomerset I have only just spotted that are asking how to access PMs.
On my phone and tablet there is a yellow inbox on the top right hand corner of the page.
It is just a matter of clicking on it and you should see the PM.

Those angels are really beautiful! One day I really must get around to learning to crochet.

I tidied, dusted and hoovered (downstairs only) to make it look presentable for brother and Sil coming - not that they'd have been bothered if it was a tip.

Went out for lunch to a place by the river. Brother and SiL pleased to use their bus passes since they don't often have the opportunity.
Came back late, collapsed on sofa with book and fell asleep.

After waking up decided to do something with some leftover cold lamb, so the bone is now simmering away with pearl barley, onion, etc. for a lamb stew for tomorrow.

Just egg on toast later, we're both still full after a 3 course lunch.

Would you like to see my finished crocheted angels?

My day didn't go as I thought it would. Midday, there was a knock at the door, and on the doorstep stood an ex neighbour who left here 16 years ago. One of her daughters and a friend in tow. It turned out that today is her birthday, and she had celebrated it, yesterday, in London, with a posh afternoon tea.
Lovely to catch up for an hour.
Then we were off to get our dash cams fitted. We got booked in and went off to a nearby cafe, to wait in the warm and the dry. Then we had a phone call, there will be a delay as the cloudburst was not good for the chap working outside.
Another call to say there was a problem, they couldn't find the handbook for the car. ( It was at home, on the coffee table!)
Nobody told us they might need the handbook.
Usually the technician can download a wiring diagram, showing which fuse he can use. But not our car, as it is so new.
So, we have to go back with it next week. Ah well, such is life.
The sausage casserole I left cooking while we were out, was good.
Feet up now and watch a bit of TV. If there's nothing much on, I'll finish my book.

DD managed to singe her own hair, Luckygirl

I do love the Christingle service with real candles, it's one of the loveliest parts of Christmas.
When the lights go out, just the candles lighting the church and then the children sing; it's always so emotional.

That sounds like a day well spent, Luckygirl; hope no fire extinguishers are needed. When DH was church treasurer he asked Ecclesiastical Insurance whether many church fires had been caused by candles and was told it had never happened. Not sure they had factored in excited primary school children. though!

Yesterday - I am all behind! - I interviewed for a new staff member at school, came back for some lunch, then estate agent came round to do some measuring up.

Then to see OH in NH. Still paranoid, but not too distressingly so. It is a grim feature of this dreadful illness.

And today I am skating around getting things ready for a Christmas celebration that the choir I run is hosting in a lovely Knight's Templar village church. The primary school choir is going to join us; and there will be a comic skit too. And lots of mince pies etc and above all bells!!!! It is always a lovely fun evening, but takes a bit of organising! Christingle is incorporated into it and my main concern is children setting light to each others' hair - it is slightly chaotic, but lots of adults around to supervise.

We were in M&S this morning and it was still dark.
Usually I buy figs there but none there or in Tesco. Perhaps the news has got out Bradfordlass and they have taken them off the shelves ?

DH and I travelled to Harrogate on Wednesday to stay for three nights. Yesterday we went to the Country Living Christmas Fair. It was as good as usual, but nothing very much for children. We had hoped to find something different for our DGC for Christmas. We bought mostly foodstuffs.
Tried to use DH's love to shop card to have a pizza, but they wouldn't accept it, apparently they only accept the paper vouchers.
We ended up going to a little Italian restaurant just round the corner from where we are staying.
Tonight we are going to the theatre to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Very quick strawberry preserve Bradford Lass? Please share!

I like fig preserve too!

I used to love Lillian Beckwith's book - The Hills is Lonely was a good one.

BBbevan mea culpa - the fig story was mine; fairly shocking isn't it? I don't wonder you were confused.

A happy day for me.

Got a good, long swim in this morning, then home to do a little more on the Chinese Lanterns.
Not sure they are really good enough and certainly not to flaunt them here.
When I think of the gorgeous things I used to make<sigh> oh well, at least I did have that chance

Homecare lady came and we did some essential shopping as my son is coming for brunch tomorrow.

Scrambled eggs probably; croissants and a strawberry-bananas mix; might make a fresh strawberry preserve, it's very quick and will be lovely with the croissants.

My grandson will be here for the day on Monday Yippee and that's something I'm really looking foreward to.

Think I'll teach him how to make his favourite Melting Moments.

He'll be fascinated by the fig story

I see day is dawning in the UK - have a lovely day everyone

I have a few Lillian Beckwith books. They were so funny. A Rope In Case comes to mind.
After getting very confused yesterday with the talk on dead wasps in figs and thinking I was on this thread, I will now tell you what I did yesterday.
We have a neighbour who is moving soon so us other neighbours have decided to have a little goodbye party for her. At the last minute we remembered we hadn't got a cake. As she eats gluten free it was my task to see if I could get one.
At such short notice the answer is No for a special cake. So I ended up getting 2 small ones.
Then I saw some leggings the exact colour to go with a tunic. Bought the wrong length. So back to the shop this morning.
We have a load of logs being delivered this afternoon, and as heavy rain is forecast they will have to be put in the log store. And then it is the party. Roll on Saturday when we put the tree up

We’ve been into Malaga city to see the Christmas lights with a friend who hadn’t been for years and as she was 85y today we invited her to join us.

Wonderful! A mild evening too at 19°C. People sat outside (in coats) enjoying drinks and tapas. The cathedral looked beautiful with discreet lighting too. Lots of excited children skipping around their parents on the pedestrianised walkways.

One for the memory box!

Jennifer Beck's book sound rather good, BradfordLass.

Ps it's her birthday next week!

Yes, I remember Lilian Beckwith books fatgran.

I'm sure there was something in one of them about a girl making porridge for her younger siblings before they set off for school.
I could be getting mixed up of course, it's years since I read them.

Thanks BradfordLass72 Not an author I recognise - when I googled her for a moment I thought of Lillian Beckworth as her name is Jennifer Lillian Beck! ( Does anyone remember Lillian Beckworth books nowadays)?

Thank you, Cherrytrees. How do I access the pm?

Here you go fatgran57 - no more wondering ....

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Beck_(writer)

BradfordLass72 you have really got me wondering about the author of that book! Could it be the wonderful Lynley Dodd, or Pamela Allen or Joy Cowley? Now I have turned into a real stickybeak I do enjoy all your posts by the way!

BradfordLass72, a dash cam is an in car camera system, that makes a video and audio recording of your journey.