its friday

[Maza]

Hope everyone's new mindees settle in well and loocyloo I hope your headache goes away.

It's my day off today and I have been dreaming about it for ages! Although I love having DD home you can't get anything done. Went to the shops today to try and get some art and craft Christmas things in the sale (everyone keeps posting stuff on fb) but there was nothing anywhere. Feel quite lost without a 'stash' ready for next year. Got a stunning Christmas flowering plant from the kids at work and it is still going strong, so I'll still have a bit of sparkle left once everything else is away.

After shopping I spent the afternoon taking down the decorations The tree is still up because DD has got her best friend over for tea and she wanted to show her the tree. Taking that down is my job for when DD is in bed. So many beautiful trees out on the pavement today waiting to be collected.

No snow here, but very frosty and beautiful every day. x

[Mouse]

Hope everyone's new mindees settle in well and loocyloo I hope your headache goes away.

It's my day off today and I have been dreaming about it for ages! Although I love having DD home you can't get anything done. Went to the shops today to try and get some art and craft Christmas things in the sale (everyone keeps posting stuff on fb) but there was nothing anywhere. Feel quite lost without a 'stash' ready for next year. Got a stunning Christmas flowering plant from the kids at work and it is still going strong, so I'll still have a bit of sparkle left once everything else is away.

After shopping I spent the afternoon taking down the decorations The tree is still up because DD has got her best friend over for tea and she wanted to show her the tree. Taking that down is my job for when DD is in bed. So many beautiful trees out on the pavement today waiting to be collected.

No snow here, but very frosty and beautiful every day. x

Have you got a Hobbycraft near you? Our local one had loads of Christmas stuff in the sale.

[Mouse]

After a year of working most Fridays (supposed to have been my day off) I have once again got them free! It might only be until September, so I'm making the most of them while I can.

I've had an easy start back into work this week. Only 2 little ones and only 3 days. It's been lovely getting back into some sort of routine, although DS hasn't gone back to uni yet so we're not quite back to normal.

[Maza]

Have you got a Hobbycraft near you? Our local one had loads of Christmas stuff in the sale.

We don't actually have one near us. The closest one is about a 40 minute drive away - and right near our closest Ikea too. Did you get any good bargains or are you being good?

[FloraDora]

Have you got a Hobbycraft near you? Our local one had loads of Christmas stuff in the sale.

I haven't thought of stocking up on Christmas things and I have a hobbycraft in our out of town shopping area. I really don't appreciate what we have locally.
On a slightly sadder and heart beat raising note...I will not be needing children's Christmas crafts this time next year as I will be fully retired and hopefully in the throes of selling our house and planning our move to the Lakes/ Northumberland. Scary!!!
But I still may pop in for my own crafts. This year I made a beaded bauble for our tree - we buy / make a new one every year - so far I have 40 items that have been added to. This year was a real effort! It did look lovely but the lacy beaded collar I made for a bauble took 15 hours because I am a novice bead worker! I would like to say I enjoyed it....but the reality is it became a chore...DH had an idea that next year I could make one each for the boys as he was really impressed with it...but all I could think of as he said it was " absolutely never again!!!" Though the thought of purchasing a kit and having all year to perfect my skills is tempting now. It's like giving birth, the day after I was never ever going through that again and a couple of years later the trauma was all forgotten.
Happy Friday night everyone...g&t and a spag Bol on the way courtesy of DH. We are off to London on Sunday until Tuesday - night time photo taking focus for our time there...though we haven't visited the War rooms ever...so that is on our agenda, plus the new Leicester square Lego shop ( DH has a gift card for the new mosaic photo booth) and the V&A museum as we haven't been for 6 years. Oldest son has sent me a text today to say underground is on strike on Monday...of all days! So tomorrow I will be ringing Ronnie Scots to put back our dinner reservation as we are now meeting up with oldest son after his work on Monday and he tells me that taxis at the time we want might be at a premium on Monday ...so we will walk ! I also am looking forward to snow......snow crafts at the ready, sledge has been found from the depths of the garage and my snow boots ( not worn since 2014 ) are at the ready........after this weekend..I don't want snow to delay our train journey to London!!!

Update: aargh!! Arranged to meet oldest for a drink in our hotel bar - Mondrian - after his work on Monday. Absently talking and planning " I think we should go for a cocktail before our Ronny Scotts night " says DH. " I'll have a whisky sour - looking forward to it" . I look on website: whisky sour and a kir Royal in our usual overnight stay bar in Birmingham - usually about £14. - Monday - £29 !! How do my fellow Colleagues in London live on these prices! I understand the lure of London but it is just so much more economical to live in the Midlands - We used to think £14 was expensive for 2 cocktails....

[Maza]

Oh Floradora, what an exciting weekend/beginning of next week. I enjoyed the cabinet war rooms. I have done the V and A but only with DD and as soon as we found the 'paddling pool' at the back that was the end of that. Fortunately it was a scorching hot day and we have happy memories and lovely photos. Don't expect you'll have a paddle next week! Does your 'abc' them come into it or have you finished those?

[FloraDora]

Oh Floradora, what an exciting weekend/beginning of next week. I enjoyed the cabinet war rooms. I have done the V and A but only with DD and as soon as we found the 'paddling pool' at the back that was the end of that. Fortunately it was a scorching hot day and we have happy memories and lovely photos. Don't expect you'll have a paddle next week! Does your 'abc' them come into it or have you finished those?

Abc all completed..ish. Was supposed to be whipsinade zoo lion lodge experience for January... But one year on..we've exchanged this plan for the 'war rooms' under w. Twycross will be our 'z' day ( we are members and they have an exclusive night at the end of Jan in honour of the OBE being awarded...) so January..a year of our abc..will be celebrated well.
Is it really a year ago we set out on our abc time together?!
Taking cosi for our hotel steam room, should I pack it for the infamous paddling pool too?

[Maza]

How impressive Floradora that you will soon have finished your abc theme! I wonder which letter was your favourite. As you know, we copied the idea but only completed about a third of it, but we are still determined to do it.

Enjoy time with your son in London.

[FloraDora]

How impressive Floradora that you will soon have finished your abc theme! I wonder which letter was your favourite. As you know, we copied the idea but only completed about a third of it, but we are still determined to do it.

Enjoy time with your son in London.

I think the best times were the lowest key ones, a picnic, a long walk, a take away, the long walk kick started us back into planning long day walks again, which we are still enjoying once a month. We did like the French farmers market in Boulogne though. After my min law died and our busy summer term ended we didn't have the same incentive as our lives were less busy and we naturally had more time together, but it was good to continue on where we could and do different things. I liked doing it in order of the alphabet initially, but we've done a few swaps at the end, we went to Yorvick centre in York in October because it was more convenient with the London trip in January.
Just read further about our hotel and it seems the roof top cocktail bar isn't open on Monday- money saved there then!
Try and carry it on Maza it feels good to be just 3 more to do. War rooms, xylophone night- we have several xylophones and can only play 3 tunes between us so we have a Saturday where we are going to learn a few more - and a duet. Then the zoo and it will be over...what shall we do this year- anybody got any ideas??