Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 18 December 2016

Heather thinking of you and all the family.

Hope you have a pleasant, quiet time with your OH and dear Billie, Margo.

I'm getting the "error" messages again, so hope this posts.......  Grr.

Bonnie enjoyed her 2nd Birthday yesterday, with a new toy to play with and a raw egg on top of her dinner - bliss!  She wanted to come on and wish Everyone a Happy Christmas and Good Health for 2017:

Ahh ... Happy Christmas, Bonnie.

And a very happy and blessed Christmas to everyone here, whether it's quiet and peaceful or full of noisy family.  Having spent the last few days/weeks rushing around like headless chickens, I'm sure we are all looking forward to relaxing in our own different ways and enjoying the fruits of our preparation.  Have a wonderful time, everyone.

Special thoughts to those whose Christmas may be different from what they would prefer.  Particularly those who are facing a first Christmas without a loved one.

Now to get my final thoughts together for tomorrow morning's service ... OG, I got around the 'four candles' bit by referring to 'four red candles'!!  

Thank You, Pat.   I too, hope everyone enjoys whatever their Christmas turns out to be.

In our case, it will be a very quiet Christmas Day followed by drinks with friends on Boxing Day, then more resting.......  Then after that, a mad dash South on Tuesday to see the family en masse, where it will no doubt be a rather noisy and plastic toy filled day on Wednesday!!

I'm still not ready, here......   Friend came and stood on the doorstep, she is feeling a little better, but we managed to swap news and presents.  Then Sis-in-law came with presents, and hugs for Bonnie:  she stayed for coffee and chocolates and gossip.

Now I must get on with things again!

Had to go out this morning after all - optician phoned at 11 to say I could have my new glasses today if I came by 12:30 - advantage of living in a small town - I am wearing them now and can see how much I can't see due to cataracts!  Only got pushed off the pavement once, so not bad for Christmas Eve; people rushing about with turkeys in their arms!  Just looked up how to cook our "half-butterfly" turkey joint tomorrow evening.  Dinner today being cooked (for lunchtime) by OH - smells good!

Morning all: Quiet time right now - everyone else still asleep.

Pat0: What a lovely eloquent wish for those on the thread whose Christmas's may be difficult this year. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Margo: I will raise a glass to you, your wonderful OH and Billie for a kinder 2017. Thank you for being such a wonderful example.

Lindybird: Bonnie's headgear very fetching and her nose does have a reddish tinge. My granddaughter arrived with a Rudolph nose on the front of her car but they lost the antlers somewhere on the ride. :-) I understand about the tree. I have this ancient plug-in tabletop fibre optic one that is almost a family heirloom at this point. However, I made an effort to string lights all over the house this year because Ms. D is here and that's what you do for kiddies. I got her (among the usual educational items) Chutes and Ladders (Snakes and Ladders) - as she's now into board games. From what I gather from friends and family, kids get waaaaay more toys than we ever did. Maybe too many.

OG: Only pushed off the sidewalk once? Did you have a cane or walker (frame)?  Sounds like one time too many. I went out briefly in the pouring rain last evening and was surprised how slowly and carefully people seemed to be driving on the freeway; still I was thinking it would take just one mistake to create a real mess.

Still lovely and quiet here. Noise level will increase when grandson arrives and he and Ms. D start goofing around.  Looks like Scotland is in for yet another storm; hope all who are traveling are safe.

Your'e right, Annette - they all have an unbelievable amount of plastic toys, apart from all the other kinds. Tomasz already had things which he had not bothered to look at properly because he had a lot of toys for his recent birthday (1st Dec) and because they held a party for about 26 children then, they all came with little & large presents for him.......

We requested our Youngest to name something which both of the children would enjoy playing with in the garden next summer, as of course they don't get presents then. We have bought them a water toy which folds away and can be put in the shed when not being played with. I also give a big stack of books every Christmas & birthday, and they get small items in a Chr. stocking, too.

Quiet here now, and I have been trying to wrap things and cook dinner at the same time:  a recipe for bad temper, not helped by a seemingly plague of flies which we have had for the last three days!  I have also decided that I have cystitis, and so have started taking some anti biotics which I keep handy (I had a prescription for them for the last holiday and thankfully did not need them then)  Ho hum.  Just off to look up on the Net whether it is advised to not drink alcohol when taking them, as its not clear.

Lindybird: Another good gift idea is to pay for lessons of one sort or another, or an outing/experience that might expose them to something other than their immediate environment/culture. Re infections, I do know that alcohol depresses your immune system; hope you're able to fend of the infection and maybe enjoy a glass of bubbly or something.  

OK, well, Christmas dinner eaten and gifts given and received, so tomorrow we're going to relax and do Nothing!

Meanwhile, the very best wishes of the season to all the dear people on this thread, lurkers included.