Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 19 December 2021

Sorry, found I couldn't get on here with my phone this morning, it wouldn't let me in <sigh> Been busy since with present wrapping, tidying and sorting of various books which I squirrel away all year to give the grandchildren.

AQ - Thank you for the gorgeous Christmas Card - what a pretty plant! Thanks also for the link, poor thing.

CC - Liked your lawn decoration, LOL! Down the road from here, someone has an ugly grinch like creature on their driveway gatepost, and they put a santa hat on it every year.

We are going out to lunch in a (well distanced table) pub and taking Sue with us. She had a long and tiring journey yesterday to visit relatives, so will be ready to relax now and enjoy Christmas with her family tomorrow. I told her gleefully that whilst she was out, yesterday, she missed a phone call from Awful Cousin in Canada, who kindly rang in the middle of our lunch to wish us well. My OH was cross because I made faces whilst he talked to her - she seemed obsessed with Ex Pres Trump, even though she is not in the USA, but near Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. No mention of her thinking of visiting us next year - fingers crossed!

Could cry - I just spent 20 minutes trying to put a card on here but it just defeats me....

Have a Good Christmas, Everyone...

Diane:  Thanks so much for those driving tips.  I didn't know about aggressively engaging the anti-lock brakes on snow, but was aware of rear-end skid tactics (same as when a rear tire blows).  I don't plan to drive early morning or late afternoon so probably won't run into ice (black or otherwise) en route as I'll be at the higher elevations only for the last hour of the trip where it currently looks to be a toasty 42F during the day and an even warmer 45F the day I head back home!  Brrrrr!  Yikes.  I'll still watch out for those shady areas though. Granddaughter will likely drive while I'm there, but there's also plenty of around-town traffic and they do keep the roads clear.

AQ:  I ended up Googling 'Tasmanian Devil growl' based on the postie's comment that it sounds like 'the gates of hell opening."  She didn't exaggerate.

Lindybird:  Enjoy lunch with Sue.  And if Canadian Cousin is anti-Trump, then she can't be that awful!  :-)

Take care everyone else and have a peaceful Christmas Eve and a Christmas Day enjoying the true spirit of the season.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a happy, healthy and peaceful 2022. I look forward to the banter, hints and tips, support and friendship on this site in the coming year.

I will be at our 'midnight communion' service this evening - which will be at 8.00pm. Partly because our minister has to do three communion services before the end of the day! It will be a hybrid service - some people in the church and some watching via Zoom. I was planning to be in the second group, but have been asked to help, so will after all be there in person. Tomorrow I will be 'home alone', which doesn't really worry me - although of course I would prefer to be with my family. But because my sister is so vulnerable - and because it's too far to get there and back in one day - we will have to hope Zoom isn't too overloaded and that we will get a chance to spend a little time together online. And it does mean I can have my favourite - duck - rather than nut roast!

Ha! Wrote the above on my desktop as couldn't get on here any other way - the site does seem to play up in the holidays.
Enjoyed our lunch,,in a quiet pub in the countryside with a big roaring log fire (I should have taken a photo of it). We shared a starter of chicken wings in sauce, then I had a yummy lasagne with salad & a slice of garlic bread. My OH and his sister both had a special looking fish pie, with side salad. Afterwards, we decided against dessert!!

Holly from our front garden last month (birdies have eaten it now) 

A HAPPY & HEALTHY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL,  MY LOVELY FRIENDS, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP. 

That's lovely Lindybird. Thank you! Great self-control with the dessert; not sure I could've turned it down. :-)

Good morning
Very best wishes to all - I hope that you will have a Christmas Day that is peaceful and happy. AQ, I trust that your Christmas Day has ,so far ,been good !

Christmas is a box of tree ornaments that have become part of the family. (Charles M Schulz)

You know you are getting old when Christmas becomes more about giving than getting.

The best gift you can give is a hug: one size fits all and no one ever minds if you return it. (Marge Piercy)