Panic...what was I thinking!!!

New Years Eve Party looms.....I love a good house party, lots of people, noise games (and ensuing mess!) but what was I thinking this year. Last year we had about 15 people over and the house seemed very full. This year I have formally invited 28 with an informal (the 'why don't you pop round' kind) to another 6.

What was I thinking?!!!!!

We don't live in a mansion, we have space but that much?!!!! eeeek

I have food, but that much?!!!!!! eeeeek

I have party games planned, but will it entertain 15 overtired children for a possible 6 hours?!!!! double eeeek

The worst New Years Eve I ever had was the millennium when I went and stood in the street on my own and watched the fireworks going off around and went back into the empty house and I swore I would never be miserable again on NYE. (It runs a close winner to the one spent with my current Mother-in-law : but that's a whole blog post!!!).

So every year now I make sure I have house guests, every year the numbers double and people are happy to come. I think next year I will have to hire the village hall but in the meantime - PANIC!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Who I was..

Funny old time of year this....between Christmas and New Year. The days always seem to have more hours in them.

I seem to find time to discover who I used to be and the things I used to like to do when life had time...

I have had time to put matching jewellery on, after going through those boxes I forgotten I'd got, that are tucked away through lack of time.

I have cleaned out my sewing cupboard, sorted the piles of threads and upward facing needles that attacked me every time I went in.


H and I spent a lovely hour sewing buttons onto a tote bag. She did a lovely job of it.

I have spent far too much time messing around with yet another new phone but actually I just love messing around uploading, downloading, backing up, playing with etc

We have had time to be together, a lovely few days of R&R. Back to work tomorrow and no doubt that the fore roar of New Years Eve party preparation will take over at home!

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Erik Johansson

I am intrigued by mathematical art and I have recently stumbled across Erik Johansson - his pictures are so brilliant I am embarrassed not to have known about him sooner.

If you would like a break from the turmoil of Christmas - drop into these 2 links - quite wonderful, 2 minutes away from the real world

http://impossible-world.blogspot.com/search/label/Erik%20Johansson

http://onlycreative.com.au/erik-johansson-alltelleringet/

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Christmas Eve

This, to me, is the most wonderful day of the year.

I love making mince pies in the morning. and paper decorations.

Crib Service at 5pm.

My family will arrive about 6pm and then the hustle and bustle of sorting beds and stockings.

Midnight Mass by Candle light, the stillness of the night walking home.

Sneaking around with presents and glitter footsteps and finally falling into bed. And I still have the flutters of excitement for the next day, even at my age.

Best Wishes to you all for a happy, peacefull and love filled Christmas.

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Christmas Time is Nearly Here Charlie Brown

"Of all of the Charlie Browns in the world you are the Charlie Brownest"

Who doesn't know a Charlie Brown at Christmas?! There's definitely a little bit in me!!!

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English Airline Humour?!

So did anybody else see the American complaining on the BBC news about how America manages to cope in many feet of snow whereas England comes to a grinding halt under a few inches.

The irony being he should have flown into London Heathrow and he was diverted to Glasgow. You should have started complaining after you landed man! Clearly the English airline decided to deposit you where they can deal with snow : Scotland!!!

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Decant, decant

I have a very strange habit: when I am busy, and I should be getting on with something - like getting out presents and wrapping them or packing cases (yes I think this happens mostly around case filling!) I get the desire to decant bottles.

If there happens to be 2 half full bottles of something, I MUST squeeze them into one.

We seem to have a lot of half full bottles of shampoo, shower gel, cleaning stuff. I think it's because I like to have a well stocked cupboard and then we (me or the cleaner, never 'he who must be obeyed') grab a different bottle of Flash.

So as soon as I am on a tight deadline I suddenly have the desire to clear the cupboards, decant to one bottle of like type and tidy up, whilst muttering about being to busy to have time to do this.

Am I alone on this one?

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Night Snow and Bands

The best time to play in the snow is when it is falling, so this is 10:15 last night!!!

And the Silver Band came back today.

After watching Miracle on 34th Street tonight, I don't think it could get any more Christmassy in our house!!!!

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Reving up for Christmas

Today I made my Christmas cake, a gingerbread Christmas tree!

We went to the local village hall for the "Chill day" run by the local Churches Together - food, chocolate fountain, kiddies crafts, table decoration making etc - all free - a time to sit and chatter and just enjoy instead of rushing around.

I got out my favourite Christmas thing, we light it whilst we are eating. The angels spin and the bells tinkle.

And the snow is still down, so the best way to chill the wine is very seasonal!

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Suicide Kitty

Having read what may happen to some cats, Maisie is clearly looking for alternative ways to end her existance

This is shot looking downwards from my cross trainer!

Cooking fat is becoming a fairly regular comment at the moment!

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Inch by Inch

My daughter walked into the kitchen this morning and declared "I've grown!"


And so she has, 1½ inches in 2 weeks. That's a huge amount of growing. Normally I don't notice the difference, just the odd "do you remember when you used to bang your head on that handle" conversation. But today she looks different. She is noticeably taller, thinner and straighter and it happened almost overnight.

That sort of growing must be tiring and at the rate she's going she'll be another inch taller by Christmas.


Hope the rate slows down soon, she's already to the top of the tree!!!

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Pillar of Strength

I always thought my husband was infallible and now he is in a hospital bed and it's a horrible feeling knowing he isn't. He has been there since last Thursday having come home from Australia with DVT and clots in both lungs.

He will get better and he doesn't feel too bad in himself, so that's the positive.

It's left a dreadful shadow hanging over the lead up to Christmas which is the part I enjoy most.

This morning the Silver Band were walking street to street around the village playing carols, normally I love listening to them and soaking up the Christmas spirit but this morning I just wanted to bury my head and make them all go away until 'he who must be obeyed' is home again.

I wrapped some presents with my daughter this evening and stuck a smile on it all. But inside, it's just not the same.

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Burton - Built on Beer

I am about to offend somebody I am sure:

Could anybody point out a reason for Burton-on-Trent? Admittedly my reasons for travelling there recently can hardly be described as pleasure, but my word, quaint it isn't.

I have experienced a fair proportion of it's bad signage, drunken casualties and teen element mixed with a fair load of industrial/housing scarscapes. They appear to have invested in an inordinate quantity of speed camera signs and had no budget left to spend on the cameras.

The only plus point I have is that parking is very easy, presumably because nobody else wants to be there. There is also that added element of excitement about whether it will be vandalised/there when I return.

Take heart dear friends, they might improve it!!!

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Heart Break Hotel

Today in the car, in my chameleon music fashion, I was listening to Elvis and it struck me there is no (well hardly any) instrumental in Heartbreak Hotel.

So much music is produced to within an inch of its life, that it can even make Beyonce sound good.

But a true and good voice stands out above it all.

Today for the first time I realised why Elvis was who he was and his song will stand forever.

The wonder of you!

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Lost in Friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiidge

"Where's the butter?"

"In the fridge, dear"

"There isn't any"

"It's on the 3rd shelf down, to the left"

"There isn't any cheese"

"It's on the 3rd shelf down, in the middle"

"Do we have any of that other stuff left over"

"3rd shelf down, on the right"

I am convinced this is the only type of fridge my man wouldn't get lost in!

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Home of the curly toed people

Where I live isn't so small maybe about 4000 people, we aren't even that far away from major civilisation. 2 miles to the next village of around 5000. 10 Miles to the next town of 80,000 people.

I mean its not like we are an little community in the Northern Territory, however we appear to have an extremely small gene pool. It's like nobody ever moved away.

Take my first house, lovely little terraced built about 1890. I had new neighbours move in, turns out his grandmother was born in my house!

A new check out girl starts at the local co-op (it is a rite of passage growing up here to work there for a while) and the conversation goes:

"Steph's started at the co-op"

"You know Steph. Steph. Jude from the top roads daughter"

"Jude, John's first wife."

"No I didn't know he'd moved to that part of the village"

"Yes, that's right John, Mary's cousin"

"No the oldest one married Tim, next door to Ella. They live in Back Close now. Steph's the youngest"

"Yes that Steph"

Sadly the War Memorial has names listed that are still the surnames here now. And even sadder some family names have 5 men on there. Husbands, sons and brothers.

My daughter's class has 6 children who are all close cousins. The school Surname list must be limited! As I said, very small gene pool!!

The funniest day was when somebody wrote "Home of the Curly Toed People" on the village welcome sign. It was written clearly and neatly. It stayed for a remarkably long time and nobody argued with it!

I have only lived here for about 20 years, I am seen as a new comer still!! Occasionally, I expect the local taxi driver or policeman to come out with "It's for the greater good"!

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Oh Fickle Woman

I realised today that I have been with my new jeans less than 2 months but already they have become my best friends and I have forgotten how wonderful the last set of favourites were.

It struck me, they are rather like men: difficult to change, but amazing how quickly you get used to the new one.

Actually, I think when it comes to so many key points (man flu, ironing skills, listening skills) they are all rather the same but like jeans, some are more uplifting than others!

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Blooper of the day

My lovely plumber next door that came to fix my sink for me:


"thank you so much, your a star, here's something for you"
"thanks too much for a small job"
"no, it's only half of what I would pay a real plumber"

bugger!

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Tom & Jerry (again)

Maisie (the kitten) was spayed yesterday so I had to keep her in and seperate from the older cat overnight.

How stupid am I, I left her in the same room as Colin (the hamster) in his rotastack.

Take note : Rotastack is not kitten proof. This morning it was in pieces with no Colin in site. I hunted high and low, where did I find him?

Fast asleep in the cupboard with his food in!!!!

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