🦞🦂 *What are we up to?*🦂🦞

On Christmas morning my son text - 'I know its short notice but...' and it turned out he'd been asked to invite me and totally forgot,

I saw their lovely new and spacious house and we had a happy Christmas Day together.

Joe prepared and cooked the traditional turkey lunch complete with "Yorkshire Pies" as my DGD calls Yorkshire Puddings.
With brandy snaps and cream as dessert.

As he was driving me home, Joesaid, 'When I was in London, cooking for the family was one of the biggest things I really missed.'
Made me a bit teary.

He's always enjoyed cooking, even when very young, as has his brother but DS2 will go to a lot of trouble with extras and presentation.

A wonderful day and amazingly, the weather did an about turn and we had hot sun the whole time.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202512/medium-97hsbw-35647a8b-8cc0-4735-815a-e1ec4ddd6943.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202512/medium-3jp721-img-2838.jpeg

Just popping in with Spud and Aoife to wish you all a peaceful Christmas and all good things.....think of you often, read daily. Mr M and I are well and still travelling, growing things, digging for genealogy and generally b***ering on 😁 x

Merry Christmas all. I’ve just returned from a lovely day with DS2 and family. Raised a glass to DH and shared some memories. Played silly games and had a lovely meal. Tired now but just wanted to pop in and say thank you all for being part of this lovely group and I hope you have a peaceful and relaxing time 💕

🌲🌲🌲Lots of love to my lovely Lobstars family. Wishing you all peace and happiness today. X

Happy Christmas to all our 🦞s, near and far.

Thinking of you all🎄 x

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.
I hope for peace and joy for each and everyone of you X

Wishing you all a happy day today.
Merry Christmas.
X

Merry Christmas Lobstars
I hope you all have a happy day.
Now to get out of bed......

Just found the second set of fairy lights!
#too-late-now!

Sending love

Oops, it was your tree I remarked upon NotSpaghetti, it is, as I said earlier, beautiful. I still love your tree though Grammaretto, I like the fact that it was cut secondered from a larger tree. I won't shame myself with the one we have this year 🤭

,..And a Merry xmas to you too Grammaretto

That is one seriously decorated tree NotSpag! Mine is a teensy bit jealous.

I delivered prezzies to the Edinburgh family this evening. I realise I'd not seen them for ages. DGD gave me a paper decoration she had made and a delicious chocolate muffin straight from the oven

I was glad I decided to give her a cookbook I had been given by DH in 1975 but hardly use now. It was one that DMIL used a lot. A Scots Bible of recipes. I gave her a couple of other things as well.

I had thought of going to Midnight Mass too Doodle but now I'm home I think I'll stay in.

My tipple tonight has got to be G&T
Nollaig Chrìdeil a huile duine.

The tree looks beautiful Grammaretto I hope you don't break any of the unbreakables 😁

😂 Doodle, I'm wishing you all "good evening on this xmas eve", don't worry I had to look up the translation myself 🤣

Here it is Grammaretto.
Not quite as laden as usual as I haven't even opened the box of "unbreakable" baubles yet.
They are going on next!

I’m sure that’s lovely Cherry thank you 🤣🤣
I’ve been to the 4pm crib service at church. Lovely but mayhem. Imagine a church packed with babes in arms and toddlers right up to teenagers. Acting out the nativity. Good attendance though and all seemed to enjoy it. I’m on my break now but back at 10pm for midnight mass ( !)
Pleased to hear your cars been fixed Grammaretto otherwise you’d have had to borrow Santa,’s sleigh.
Merry Christmas all blessings and peace. 💕

Nadolig Llawen, Kaimoana X

Sorry I missed your bora dda as you flew past me Naughtyneine I think you were on the motorway travelling at some speed so I wish you noswaith dda today.

In fact, may I wish all my other dear lobStar friends noswaith dda noswyl Nadolig yma 🧡 X

Had been hoping for a quiet evening of reflection ignoring the bank balance😲 after finally finishing the shopping.
As usual, could accommodate a visiting army, should they wish to call.

Instead, I find myself Coordinator in Chief, trying to arrange mutually compatible timings for intercontinental family FT sessions.

Think 10 hours forward and/or 8:hours back. Not forgetting, as 7year old DGS pointed out, that Santa would need to be factored in to the equation.

I shall return tomorrow with the hours that have my name on them!

Thanks for the pahutakawa Kaimoana We had a big one in our garden in Wellington when I was a child. We also had a Macracarpa (sp?) A giant of a tree.

My NZ family were going to camp in Hawkes Bay but the weather forecast is so bad they may stay home.

Something on the news tonight about a lot of very old shoes washed up on a Welsh Beach. I thought of NN 😅
It's thought they might have come from a historic ship wreck.

I managed to ruin my chestnuts and a pan tonight. I was trying to peel the nuts but left them on the hob.

Good news my car has been fixed.

How is your Christmas tree NotSpaghetti?

Nice to see the very handsome Theo, Jan

Chai again for me. What's everyone else having?

Been to have my haircut today now just baking brownies for our grandson and one more card to pop through a letterbox and I’m finished I think.

Love your pine tree Grammaretto very pretty.
Notspaghetti you’ll need lots of decorations for a six foot tree.
Kaimoana i admit I was another imagining picnics on the beach and a BBQ. Weather sounds dreadful

'You can spend your Christmas Day on the beach, you lucky thing.' said a UK friend.

I could if I wanted to be soaked to the skin prior to being blown to Antarctica by galeforce winds.

Gone are the days when our weather was predicably lovely from early September. Dec 1st, the official start of summer ushered in guaranteed warmth and sunshine every day, usually until June.

February used to be our hottest month but a few years ago, hundreds of camping holidays (very popular here in summer) were totally ruined by a month-long storm which blew tents, equipment and campers away.
It hasn't been much different since.
Wretched global ‘warming’.

Happy Christmas, we can still enjoy the pretence

My daughter has bought me a tree from a local farm. I'd pretty much accepted that this year I would just have tiny one.
This is sux feet so I need to get all my stuff down

we will have to do it today.
I'm out tomorrow

Never do it early as we have just before Christmas birthdays
better shake a leg...
😬
I do always love it once I'm working on it though...

Sorry I am thoroughly confused and placed ixion on a Welsh beach, when I meant Naughtyneine

Df turned up bearing a dear little Christmas tree which she'd managed to "find" on a neighbouring estate. It was part of a larger tree. We decorated it this evening.

Kaimoana merry Christmas to you too. Hope things are looking up now your son has a job.
Your pantomime sounds fun Grammaretto . Glad you made it to the Carol service despite the blackout. Hope your friend arrives, your car is ready and you tennant wants the flat.
NN what a lovely way to spend Christmas. Sounds romantic and peaceful. Despite your sadness I hope you enjoy this quiet time together.
Jan Theo looks amazing. Like a model as he always does. I’m sorry you don’t feel you’re improving. You’re right these dark evenings are depressing and so long.
I’ve finally finished wrapping presents and have them all bagged up and ready to take when I visit family. I’m still feeling a bit odd. My tinnitus is rehearsing an orchestral piece most of the time and my ears ache if that’s possible. Other than that no sneezes or coughs so far so I’m hoping that nothing is wrong.
Off to bed again soon for another early night.
Sleep well all

Ixion is in Wales for Christmas. It sounds lovely. I hope the weather is calm and better behaved than you 😃

I have been waiting in most of the day. For my new tenant who called off mid afternoon, for the garage to phone about my car --they haven't--and now for my lovely friend who says she's coming but is notoriously unreliable. I know that but it still surprises me. I've Cooked supper for us and lit the fire but haven't been able to relax all day.

Hello again Everyone. Thanks so much for the warm welcome. Must admit I haven’t got much gossip to tell you All. As with everyone else life jogs on with good days and bad days doesn’t it? Will be so glad when the nights arent so long - really is so depressing when its dark at 330!
NotSpagetti so sorry to hear about your mother in law. She sounded such a fiesty lady bless her.
Yes Naughtyneine I remember you lowering the tone - sorry its a joke! - you make me laugh with your posts! Hope its not too cold in beautiful Wales. Are you there for Christmas?
Hope Doodle has a better day today. Know how it feels to be wonky on your pins! Im still shuffling around with my walking stick really don’t improve. So annoying and to be honest depressing.
And Cherry Really hope you are keeping well and feeling much better than you were last time we spoke.
As for Theo Ixion he is just the same! Very spoilt very lazy and very gorgeous!
Hope everything is going well for Kaimoana2 and Ixion and anyone else Ive forgotten. A very Happy Christmas and Happy and Healthy New Year to you All.