I’m definitely going bonkers - or pre-senile?!

No you are not going crazy - we all have so much on our minds this time of year and then there's all the extra worry about the new virus!
Don't give it another thought. I am very impressed that you make your own Christmas Pudding and Mincemeat

I have done similar, forgot to put eggs in a cake once. Usually it is because you have too much going on at the same time I think.

I wouldn't worry about it if I were you Witzend it happens to us all as DanniRae said, at this time of year plus the virus to contend with. I've done daft things myself

I wouldn’t worry Witzend I remembered to buy a couple of large oranges to zest and add to my mince pie pastry, the pies came out lovely except the zest was still in the container despite me having it right beside the pastry board as I was making the pastry. We’ve all done it.

I went to put dirty plates and mugs into the fridge yesterday and stared at the milk, wondering why it was in the dishwasher
?

I forgot to put the eggs in the Christmas cake one year and didn't realise until it was far too late.

To be honest, you couldn't tell and it tasted fine.

My SiL makes the most wonderful moussaka. She buys the very best ingredients and takes over the kitchen and most of the morning room preparing it. The most fiddly bit is slicing the aubergines and sprinkling them with salt, then when they have sweated all the bad stuff out slowly frying them. As she makes huge amounts of the stuff, lots gets frozen for later. The finest lamb is minced, the freshest usually organic vegetables are used, the sauces are to die for. You get the picture. Usually she and her mother try out a portion each, the day before the Dinner Party or whatever it is being made for. This one time sister-in-law was tucking into her portion and MiL took one mouthful and spat it out, saying it tasted so bitter and just wrong. She queried what SiL had used and the answer was, same as always. MiL said the aubergines were plain nasty, had she not salted them? Yes came the answer I used the salt from under the sink. What salt? asked MiL. The salt was fetched from under the sink. It was Harpic! SiL suffered no ill effects from eating her portion btw

But this is typical teenage behaviour, not 'pre-senile' at all.?

Lol I can barely string a sentence together at the moment. Said to my DH I’ve a Christmas shed head.

OMG notgran, your poor SiL! All that effort!

?to all who’ve done things as daft as I have. (That’s a nice mulled wine BTW, cheers!)

I often forget what I've just done (or failed to do) and I used to really worry that it might be short-term memory problems.

Having been checked by the GP (a few years back) though, I now know it's a problem with attention. My mind wanders, so sometimes I'm just not focussed on the matter to hand, that's all.

(I'll never forget the look on the kids' faces - when I forgot to put any sugar in the custard.)

Your tale made me chuckle Witzend it was comparable to the late Phoenix’s cooking of the gammon!
?

I’ll join you! Four times I went upstairs to get a book from beside the bed, four times I came down with something different.
At lunchtime we sat down to eat, DH asked where were the roast potatoes - still sitting on the side uncooked in the baking tray.
Very little hope here!

I once made bread and butter pudding and forgot the eggs. When I took it out of the oven I had some bread in hot milk.

Also forgot the mushrooms for the mushroom omelette. When I cleared up I found them sitting waiting and realised why the omelette tasted so bland.

As DH had cooked, deciding to to be take over the hospitality reins, I asked our visitors what they would like to drink.
Children wanted Appletiser.
All adults bar one wanted tea
Other adult (DH) requested coffee.
Drinks duly made.
Thought well no point putting coffee maker on for one, I will just make instant.

Using instant coffee granules of course, Not instant gravy granules!!!

Calistemon

I went to put dirty plates and mugs into the fridge yesterday and stared at the milk, wondering why it was in the dishwasher
?

? Love this!

Callistemon ??

My friend and her DH were coming to Sunday lunch. He is a fussy eater, she on the other hand will eat almost anything I put in front of them. DH however must have gravy.

I carefully strained the meat juices and skimmed the fat from the top. Poured the fat back into the roasting tin and stirred in the flour, added the meat juices, some of the vegetable water and stock, stirring and stirring so it wouldn't go lumpy. It was at that point that I noticed some scraps of green veg in the gravy. I took a fine strainer and poured the gravy through, forgetting to put anything underneath to catch the gravy.

I screamed as the gravy disappeared down the drain. I didn't have any granules either, but I do now!

Ginny42 I've made stock before now and strained it down the sink.

That was years ago, before I was losing it!

Bad day yesterday ! I made mince pies but didn’t use the right flour / butter proportions to make the pastry short and crumbly . Made the stuffing and found the onions sitting on the chopping board after it was nearly fully cooked in the oven, and finally the sausage rolls all split as I forgot to put the “seam” at the bottom . All remade today and the mistakes are in the freezer for me to “enjoy”
at my leisure !! Can’t bring myself to throw all that food away ?

DGS 2 is coming tomorrow to make gingerbread men and construct a gingerbread house kit . I have just spent half an hour looking for the kit which I put somewhere safe so that he wouldn’t see it beforehand. Finally found it behind the blind in my craft room and where DH and must have looked at least half a dozen times. ! Hidden in sun sight.

You have too much on your brain

I have those days and at the second failed attempt, I reprioritize my day and lighten my load

I started to make a pavlova and realised I did not have any caster sugar. Went off especially to buy some and proceeded to make said pav only to discover I had bought ordinary sugar.

I used it and the pav was fine.