🦞🦂 *What are we up to?*🦂🦞

Last year I learned to make the paper stars that are popular in the Phillipines. They look complicated but are actually quite straightforward.

Unfortunately they are too puffy to send in a card but I made some huge white ones to hang in our window.

Here's a video if you have paper, scissors and glue!
I found it easier to glue all the loops one side and then do the other

share.google/k42HPMzYEoI8rvfBm

Grammaretto not surprised your helpers upset. Dreadful thing to happen.
I’m feeling very relieved today. I’ve finally found out address spreadsheet. DH used one for our Christmas cards and I couldn’t locate it. Got a hefty bill from the taxman today, very nice in the lead up to Christmas, not too bad though. I was expecting it so have been putting some by,
Trying to make a card for my friend. Haven’t used the sewing machine for such a long time I’ve forgotten how it works. I have some painting to do too but must do all the practical jobs first.
Love to all 💕

A good day here today.
Christmas brunch with a good friend (1982, Playgroup mum!), where we both exchanged extremely soggy presents and found ourselves discussing - as usual - the trials and tribulations of life in our 70s, unlike early chats on toddler taming and costume making for our little ones' Nativity plays.

Getting my ducks in a row for my initial out patient appointment tomorrow for lung function tests. I have this sneaking suspicion that my surgery's chosen e-platform does not talk to the hospital's. I know that my GP can't access results of investigations undertaken at the hospital and the hospital can't see my surgery test results. I think there will be a lot of duplication, time and cost implications too.

Did your helper get away safely, Grammaretto? It sounds like she will be sadly missed.

You sound busy Doodle. Are you sewing a card?

I was out for lunch again and am rather sleepy now. It may be the last time our walking group have our Christmas lunch at the golf club as the chef is leaving. Retiring I think.
He always cooks me a special vegetarian meal. I seem to be the only veggie at these things. I wish I'd asked him what it was I was eating! I could then recreate it for my Christmas Dinner.
He calls it vegetarian Wellington but it didn't resemble anything I see online or have tasted before.

Here is the sunset. About 4pm!

Why not phone the club and ask him Grammaretto?
I think he'd be pleased to know you loved it so much... and then you can tell me here

If you want to try Vegie Welly....

Vegetarian Wellington.
One of several variations.

You will need puff or flaky pastry and a selection of vegetables.
Sautee well seasoned mushrooms very slowly in butter and cream with garlic and herbs until most of the liquid is removed. Make sure you have enough creamy mushroom paste to use between several layers of cooked/roast vegetables.
Make a pastry case.

As well as pre-cooked root veg for a sturdy bite, use finely sliced (raw) cabbage, broccoli, silver beet, cauli, courgette, tomatoes, peas . aubergine, and cooked beans (butter, broad, red kidney, green, etc) mange tout and sweetcorn.

Roll out your pastry and line a deep dish.

Starting with the mushroom paste, layer the finely sliced veg, seasoning as you go and dotting with butter if you like. You can add garlic salt or powder at this stage.
Continue untill all vegetables and mushroom paste is used. Add a pastry lid.
Bake at 160 degrees for 45-55 mins.

It is vitally important to make sure red kidney beans are well cooked (I use tinned to be sure) as they contain toxins when raw.

Thanks Kaimoana that sounds tasty. 😋

Hello lobStars

Sorry I haven't been here through all the travails that my dear friends are going through, but I do care and all of you are never far from my thoughts 💕

Today is exactly one year since I broke my hip and it's not been easy going for me over the time, what with also breaking my collarbone in August, and especially over the last week or two as an anniversary of my mother's death has also come around, bringing with it the pain of other losses. I am trying to steady myself through this now.
I will get there, the promise of some sort of xmas I didn't have at all last year is a blessing.

I hope you all understand 💐

I'm sending any, and every, one of my lobStar friends who needs one a warm heartfelt cwtch X

The thought that you at least feel "the promise of some sort of xmas" is a blessing - and, as you say, a big improvement, Cherry

Lots of small steps.

We all miss people we love who are no longer with us "in the flesh" and this is especially so I think on special occasions such as birthdays Christmas, anniversaries. I was really weepy at my son's wedding last year. For some reason I kept coming back to thoughts of my "missing" parents.

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
Tennyson

Yes NotSpaghetti 💐, that's very true. I can understand you being tearful and thinking about your parents at your DS's wedding. My nephew's wedding was especially difficult as not only were my parents, as you say, "missing" but my brother and my, then very recently deceased, sister in-law were also "missing".

When my brother died, in my sister in-law's tribute book I wrote those very words you have posted as I know In Memorium was written by Tennyson for Arthur Henry Hallam, his friend he loved like a brother. I loved my brother, not only because he was my brother but because he was my greatest friend.
Thank you for quoting them X

Evening all. Just written the last of my Christmas cards and only a few more to post now. Can’t believe the cost of stamps.
Ixion hope your lung function test is satisfactory. How nice to have a good friend of such long standing.
Grammaretto lovely photo. Pleased you enjoyed lunch with your walking group. I think my group might be planning something in the new year.
Well I might have known our dear friend Kaimoana would have an answer to the question. Sounds like a good recipe.
How are you? I wish we could all meet up and chat face to face.

Oh Cherry it’s always a pleasure to hear from you. I hope this year your Christmas is a much more comfortable one. I agree this time of year can bring sadness to those of us who’ve lost someone.

Notspaghetti how very true. I wouldn’t have missed a second with my DH even though it hurts so much now to be without him. Lovely poem.

I'd forgotten the poem was by Tennyson. Thanks for posting it NotSpag. Its sentiments are true.

I hope this Christmas is enjoyable for you Cherry and for all the Lobstars.

I was at a Carol concert this evening in the Parish church, next door to me. It's a good choir who encouraged the audience to join in some of the choruses.
There were several new to me including one in German which sounded more like a drinking song than a Carol

The collection was for the local Day centre, which was threatened with closure. It's a lifeline for lonely elderly, sufferers of Alzheimers and for Carers. My DMiL attended twice a week. She was collected, given a good meal in a warm setting, entertained by musicians, and so on, and taken home again.

It's very cold tonight and frosty.

Quick note : My son was offered both jobs he interviwed for and will start his new position as Head of ICT for an international renewable enegry company in early January.

Nice Christmas present for us all

Oh Kaimoana!, how amazing. So very very pleased for you all!
Fantastic!

That's great news Kaimoana
Where will they live?

That's wonderful news Kaimoana, 🎅 has arrived early for you all. I'm thrilled.
Fantastic indeed X

Brilliant Christmas present for you, Kaimoana. I'm thrilled for you (all)!

Lovely news Kaimoana....I hope this means that you'll get to see Gubbins much more frequently. Are they going to be 40km from you or is that his commute to work? I'm hoping it's the former 🤞.

Grammaretto...I keep forgetting to ask how your DB is.... I'll keep your friend and her daughter in my prayers too.
Ixion ...did you pass your lung function test ok?

Notspag.... How talented are you... They are just beautiful and I can understand them being kept too.

Cherry.... I'm wishing you a much happier Christmas this year and a happy healthier 2026 too.

Doodle ,did you get your card made? A picture maybe? Your comment about your sewing machine reminded me that I had a similar occurrence but with my ......iron. Oh the shame of it but as way of an excuse I had just come back from my solo trip around OZ and NZ. That was 10 years ago and we ( the iron and I) are still not close buddies more casual acquaintances.
Don't hate me Lobstars, I do throw myself into Domestic Goddess mode just not very often. Everywhere is clean and germ free but I had to ask a poster on another thread what she meant by bottoming a room!!!!!.

Mum and Babe are home...back with her partner/Daddy and 11 month old. I am very proud of them...they have not had life easy by any standards....in care, homeless, addiction and a family life that is in polite terms chaotic ( C' s Mum was in the delivery room too and stole one of the iPad chargers as they transferred to the post delivery award, C gave it back to the staff and said it had got mixed up with her bags by mistake). Can you imagine having to make excuses for your Mother's behaviour hours after giving birth. That was after one of her sisters tried to come onto the ward to use C's phone to get a heroin fix ( which she planned to inject straight into the cannula in her wrist) She ( the sister) had been blue lighted to the hospital in an effort to save her leg after she injected heroin into a vein. I could have cried hearing all that.
C and S are doing everything they can to establish a normal healthy life for them and their children and I'm just supporting their efforts and encouraging them every step of the way. The 11 month old is a little poppet and comes up on my lap for cwtchs and I sing to her...
Although my support role is only for 6 months they can apply for another 6 months which they are going to do but either way we will be part of one another's lives for a long while to come...
They need what I need to give.

for you Naughtyneine
And🙏 for the little family.
🤞

... 💃🏿💃🏿💃🏿
Just off to the post-office!
At last!

Many are family/local (thank goodness) so will be dropped off/collected - or I'd need a second mortgage!

Kaimoana what wonderful news and to have it before Christmas is so good. Will your son and family still be moving and if so how far. You must be so pleased for him he’s tried so hard to look after his family,
Grammaretto glad you enjoyed the concert. Our church raised money for Alzheimer’s this Christmas.
I read your message on the bereavement group. I’ve come to realise that the passing of time doesn’t stop the tears coming when something triggers a memory.
NN what an amazing thing you’re doing supporting a family like that. My sister in law does the same. It’s not something that just anyone can take on. How much you have helped that little family. I do hope they make it ok and aren’t brought down by the actions of other family members.
Notspaghetti i bought 4 books of stamps and was horrified at the cost. Not sure I’ll do cards next year or maybe I’ll write them all in January and as I see people throughout the year I’ll give them their cards for the following Christmas. Just call me Scrooge 🤣

That's a precious rapport you have with your little family, NN. Congratulations to your lass, her partner and their little family - but what an uphill struggle it must be for everyone surrounding such a dysfunctional family.
My prayers for them all.

The majority of my card sending is, sadly, for friends and family over the hills and far away hence the exorbitant postage costs.
In days of yore, did anyone have a local card delivery system run by the scouts and guides at Christmas? They used to charge a nominal rate and drop off cards with proceeds going to charity. Win-win.

A quiet day at home today, which was pleasant.
The annual catch up with my close friend from first University days. We were both in the common room waiting for the initial meeting with our Head of Department and I plucked up the courage to ask her back afterwards for coffee. We both appeared to be lost souls.

But how she copes with no internet or smart phone - and no desire for either - I have no idea.
I am guessing it is a cost issue, so don't ' push' it.

Our bedding is being collected tomorrow for laundering.
How grand this sounds but how liberating a decision it has proved!
A huge disappointment 'upgrading' from a elephant trunk tumble drier to a heat pump model. A minimum of 3 hours to get the stuff even passably - but unacceptably- dry and no reverse action, so everything rotates in a tight damp screwed up bundle with the struggle of ironing king sized duvet covers.
It is collected (by the husband), washed, and ironed to perfection by his wife - a gem who can tame and flatten everything including the mystique of the fitted bottom sheet.

Happy here to clean by myself instead!

Using a laundry service can be liberating ixion
For a season during covid DD was managing a holiday cottage. Having discovered that her predecessor would take the dirty linen home to her own cottage and wash and iron them, DD quickly found a laundry service who did the lot. She's her DM's child 😂🤣 After a year DD passed the job onto a friend.

The Scouts used to deliver cards locally here too. Now people go about in cars and push a card through the letterbox silently.
I haven't done my tree yet but I have posted all I'm sending.

I've been up late sewing up the sweater I've knitted for DGD. I want it to be finished by the weekend. It isn't.

NN that is such a moving story about the baby's family. I hope they make it. With your help I feel sure they will.

Doodle I read your message on the Bereavement thread. It was so helpful and thoughtful.

I have asked Jeeves for sleepytime tea. I hope it works...zzzzz

NN I will be thinking of you and the family you are helping this Christmas and beyond, especially as I know how emotionally and physically draining it can be.

Don’t underestimate your value to families in need or crisis, it is often your efforts which replace despair with hope.
British people are often self- effacing but we can be justifiably proud if we can enable people to be strong for themselves.
That alone lessens their worries. Learning how to cope, and where to get help when needed is beyond value and lasts forever.
Knowledge is power.

You are changing lives.

Much love to you and the families.

My lovely mother-in-law died last night - very quickly after a restless night and weary/sleepy day. No more struggles.
🙏
Thanks for caring about her and sharing her stroke recovery