New Year's Eve

I've always hated New Year's Eve, almost as much as birthdays. I can still remember at school how the other girls kept going on about what they were going to have as New Year Resolutions. I don't think I ever made one, and I'm not going to start now!



We are celebrating the New Year by putting our new sheets from IKEA on the bed - or rather John is. My share of this enterprise consisted of shifting some of the huge piles of stuff that have been on the bed since I began wrapping the Christmas prezzies. These piles have been growing ever since, and last night I kept waking up because I couldn't stretch my legs out. Plus I was so thirsty I had to go downstairs around 2am to get a bottle of Tesco's Spring Water (our tap water seems to be over-chlorinated a lot of the time, most unpalatable!). By which time I was so wide awake I logged on and picked up email and did a spot of web browsing. Nicely tired after that, so got some more sleep, though disturbed by J snoring (as usual!).

Super breakfast - lambs kidneys with bacon, fried up leftover mashed potato, and half a tomato... Tomato flavourless as usual -what do the supermarkets do to tomatoes to make them so tasteless? I'm hoping that'll count as at least half a portion of fruit, but seeing as it tasted of nothing maybe not.

We're having gales and very heavy showers today. Our side windows are leaking - shows up how they really need washing as they have clean streaks down them now. At least the strong wind means the showers are blowing over quickly, but I worry about the trees across the side road blowing onto our roof. And it's getting noisier too - guess the wind strength is still rising.

John's heading out to Otterspool Prom to get some (very) fresh air and see the waves on the Mersey. Rather him than me! He's declined the use of the camcorder to video the river - reckons it's too damp. Might spend my Xmas cash on a waterproof cover for it, if they're still available.

A quiet evening is planned, a bottle of Champagne (though not as nice as the Mumm de Cramant Sarah brought from France for Christmas) will go in the fridge in a while, and I think we'll be watching Jools Holland's Hootenanny later on. Be nice to see Lily Allen and The Zutons but I could do without the rest, especially First Battalian of the Scots Guards at midnight. We usually go out and dance* around the tree on the pavement then (so missing the bagpipes) but it may be too wild and windy for that this year.

Happy New Year!

* I stagger rather than dance - vestibular dysfunction don't lead to good enuff co-ordination for decent dancing!

Saturday

Odd kind of day. Sarah left this morning, John went to get new glasses but couldn't (next week) so came home earlier than I expected. He went back to town later to take Sarah's bags down for her to get the train. Then did the shopping on the way home, now he's out swimming.

We seem to have lost the current Radio Times, both of us have searched all the likely (and unlikely!) places we can think of, but no show. Will prob turn up in three or four weeks time when it's out of date and useless.

Must try and make a few New Year cards for people I didn't manage to send Christmas cards to - practically everybody this year unfortunately. But already too late to post. I wish I could be more organized, but the way Life keeps happening it's just not possible.

Here's one of our cheerful Christmas Gnomes. We have two of these sitting on our mantelpiece, painted by the girls in a Guide away weekend, once upon a time and a long time ago. I feel like Christmas has arrived when I get these out of the box in the loft and put them out each December.

Christmas Day 2006

Sarah left about 10.30 to fetch Mum and Dad over from West Kirby. Meanwhile Helen arrived and dysoned the hall and living room, and she and David carried piles of boxes of books up to Sarah's room so that the living room was relatively free of clutter. John slaved over a hot stove, and finally the turkey was ready.



The Girls did a grand job with the table, and rushed around dishing up while John carved. Sarah acted as Wine Waiter, a bottle of Mumm Champagne that she bought when she went champagne-tasting in Paris in the summer. It proved to be a bit on the lively side, but the only casualty was a soggy paper serviette. And the champagne was delicious.



We had all the trimmings with the bird - sprouts, carrots, parsnips, roasties, cranberry jelly, bread sauce (with a clove-studded onion in of course!), chipolatas, sausagemeat stuffing and herb stuffing. This was made according to Mum's recipe, Sarah was curious where it came from. "The Radiation Cookbook" was Mum's reply. Conjures up strange ideas now, but her first cooker was a gas cooker, and I think the book came with the cooker.



There was some talk of Christmas Pudding when we'd cleared our plates, but everyone was too full.



So we headed to the living room to open some parcels. Lots of chocolates! Dad was feeling pretty tired I think, seemed to be falling asleep all the time. Of course they both have a snooze in the afternoon usually, so I guess habit caught up. They left quite early - about half three I think. I had a feeling that there was a parcel missing, so checked under the tree. And there was one last present for Mum and Dad - Jacobs cheese footballs too, so it would have been sad if they'd missed it! But I hammered on the window, and John came in and fetched it. At least it meant they had another parcel to open when they got home.



Tree finally went up on Christmas Eve - it's not enormously tall, but it's sure WIDE! We couldn't find the tinsel, or the crib. Think there must be another box lurking in the loft still. Let's hope we find it next year!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Folks!

I've spent the last two days mostly in bed, wrapping parcels. I wish I'd taken photos of the ones I did for John's Mum, one totally over the top with feathers, the other very small and tasteful, decorated with a tiny red braid with blue and white hearts on it. That one was finished off with a miniature gold luggage label as a gift tag. We gave her the parcels yesterday when she visited with Helen and David.

Meanwhile, the Christmas Rats were investigating some of the parcels.....



... before snuggling up for a final snooze with their friends the Christmas Cuddlies before they get wrapped up. You'll be relieved to hear that the kittens are staying with mother cat. Bagpuss seems to have fallen asleep again and toppled backwards. Maybe he's been at the brandy for the Christmas pudding!



If you look hard in the top left of the picture you can just see Rescue Kitten* peering round my pillow to see what all the fuss is.

*He was a gift last Christmas. You donate in someone's name to the Cat Protection League, and you get a kitten cuddly to give to that person.

Charon Way

If you are here to read my post on the NICE guidelines for ME/CFS it's here.

Yesterday John took his final day of leave this year. We headed for Charon Way. Up the M62, turn off for Gemini Retail Park... It always seems a good choice of name for that road! The road to retail hell.

In other words we made the trip to IKEA in Warrington to pick up the Christmas candles (Jubla - they don't drip as badly as most candles tend to do). We also managed to spend a huge (for me/us) amount of money. The bedding I had wanted to buy in the Spring (King size, then out of stock) was in store so I thought better strike while the iron's hot...

Then there were the truly eye shattering Christmas coloured cushions that we just couldn't live without. Very Op Art or Bridget Riley maybe. Complementary colours really do things to your eyes! We may put them away after Christmas, bring 'em out again next year. Not sure my eyeballs could live with them year round.



We both very tired after! John pushed me in wheelchair around, hard for him. I in wheelchair, pushing self for detailed browsing. But it was worth it for me to take a look at what's on offer.

So tonight we are having a candlelit evening to celebrate. But not quite like Hyacinth's candlelit supper I suspect!