Twas the night before Christmas and all through the
house....... er no - it's blimmin' 07:10.
Been up for 3 hours already, fed the cats twice
counted 2 fence panels down that need putting back,
kids still snoring, found £2.50 down the sofa, eaten a
mince pie and 2nd cup of tea. Enjoying the peace
/while it lasts! (Hope I can stay awake long enough
tonight to make sure that Father C puts the prezzies
out and fills the stockings!!!!!!
The Christmas preparations went well yesterday -
cakes iced, mince pies baked (just need a sprinkle of
sugary snow this morning), house relatively clean
and tidy.
The wine was for me as a reward once my little
helpers went to bed!
Off to Mummy and Daddy's again today to join in the
preparation for our Christmas Day lunch tomorrow.
Secret family recipe for Chestnut stuffing (my 2 elves
will be peeling chestnuts!), peeling veg, playing
draughts and listening to music.
Then it's back here for our Christmas Eve ritual of The
Polar Express, a carpet picnic, and hot chocolate at
the exact moment in the film when it is the law to
serve it up!
Wishing all my lovely readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Still amazes me how much life has changed since this time last year. 10 and a half stone of me has melted away, and the difference it makes to every aspect of my life, and the lives of those around me (especially C1 and C2) is nothing short of miraculous.
Thank you one and all.
14 days till The Big C! Excitement is building in this house. Something to do with a couple of wrapped presents appearing underneath our little tree, maybe?
It's been quite a busy couple of weeks, in a non-busy but time-consuming kind of way.
This has involved:
Meeting up with the gorgeous Mintola for a well-overdue catch-up in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
An appointment in a 'proper' underwear shop for a measurement and fitting. Decent boobs at last! Since last year I have gone down from an embarrassing (and extremely difficult to manage!) 46LL to a remarkably different 38GG, with a new bra to match my new figure, thanks to Santa and Mr 1957. The joy of having lady-bumps which now point in the correct direction is indescribable. The comfort and lack of movement is paying dividends in many ways. Happy!
The dentist has decided that instead of re-filling an old tooth, he will fit a metal thingy to help support a hair-line crack which we didn't realise was there - this is all happening next week.
Had an eye test to examine how my pre-glaucoma issues are developing. Back in 6 months for another look. Things not happening too fast, so can breathe a sigh of relief there.
Piano-fingers at the ready for some Christmas music today for the NHS in our town. This will be followed by a mooch around the town's many charity shops - you never know.
So, altogether a pretty good life is being lived in this house at the moment. May it continue.
It has been a while...... quite a while.
Lots has been happening at the homestead. Even more has been happening out there where the wild things are.
It's sometimes difficult to put into words how things are going, when one is at risk of appearing to be a 'whiner'.
It's not all bad though. The new 'happy pills' seem to be working now, so things are looking up.
The innards are still wonky, so the lovely consultant Mr P has given me 2 extra things to keep in the large ice-cream box along with all the other 'tummy and pain-management' stuff.
With careful thought, all seems to be OK, as long as I stick to the rules of engagement - tricky!
C1 and C2 have managed to get through Hallowe'en and Bonfire Night unscathed. Cats and rabbits also.
Christmas cakes have been baked, in anticipation of some jolly old seasonal fun.
There has been feverish activity on the 'making stuff' front' in preparation for a couple of Coffee & Cake mornings in aid of Alzheimer's, where S, H and me all present our hand-made stuff to willing folk who would like to support a worthy charity, and support local crafters too. I have to admit that I have run out of time, and energy. But am going to do my best - can do no more.
Spending a lot of time with M&D now - it is going really well, and lovely to see how a little of me can go such a long way.
Well it all looked so promising.....
Then I checked the details, did some working out, and found that it wasn't what I had hoped at all.
A lovely job in a lovely place, but once I had paid for the pre and post-school childcare for C2, encouraged C1 to become a latch-key kid, and gained 100% more stress, I would be worse off financially for certain, and mentally, on the road to ruin again.
So it's back to the drawing board. Or the yarn bin. Or something else to try to make ends meet a little better. What with Christmas coming up and all.
I also discovered that I had un-knowingly taken on a loan last year, in the false awareness that it was a kind of gift. I did check, I know I did. I would never have taken a loan for a hundred quid at a time when I cannot pay it back. Oh god. Now I feel awkward, a bit cross, and more than a little embarrassed that it has taken her a whole year to ask her husband to ask for it back. Have offered to pay it back in small amounts, which will have to be SMALL amounts due to my lack of expendable cash. Hmmmmm. Lost enough sleep over this now. Envelope for loose change.....
Visit to the lovely Bariatric Emma on Friday confirmed that I am seriously depleted in vitamin B12, so now need to have an injection of the stuff every 3 months for life. Ow. I had my first one yesterday. Feels like I have been punched on the arm by a small oaf.
Still, the weight is still coming off. And the diarrhoea (sorry folks) is still purging every day. Time for Mr Consultant to step in. (Not literally, of course, that would be very yucky!). I see him on Thursday to discuss poo, weight loss and floppy skin.
2 of our little baby bunnies are now on the way to a new home care of the RSPCA. It wasn't difficult, as the lady I handed them over to was lovely and reassuring.
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| Gone but not forgotten. |
Fur-baby 3 is on his way to pastures new on Friday too. That is going to be sadder. The trouble is that he causes fights, causes stress to the other older 2, and it's not fair. He deserves a one-cat home, with someone to love him, and he doesn't like to share, so he's off to Franny-Pan's mum.
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| Adieu, Dubster. xx |
So it's an emotional roller-coaster this week. Keeping on top of it all has been a bit of a challenge, but with C1 and C2 being particularly great about it all, it could be a whole lot worse.
And I made 3 robins while Doc Martin was on. Whoop!
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