I’m not going to lie, the last six weeks have been a bit of a struggle. I think Covid has really got to me and knowing we were going back into a lockdown and then doing so practically finished me off along with a sinus infection that was quite painful and I think laid me lower than I realised. But within that there has been some good stuff. So I’m just going to give you and me some much needed edited highlights.

First of the brussels.

I’ve nearly finished the Christmas cards, apart from the odd stragglers. You know the one’s, they come to you in the middle of the night and you suddenly scream a name, whilst at the same time shamefully wondering how you could have forgotten them. To be honest I’d been thinning out my Christmas card writing over the last few years as it all became a bit too much and then popping some money into the charity of my choice to compensate. But this year after losing Mum and Auntie B, it doesn’t seem right and reaching out to people, through text and telephone and Christmas cards seems a much more natural way of doing things. The importance of family and friends has never felt so necessary to me. This comes from the voice of a hermit who is more than happy not to see anyone for weeks on end and is quite happy entertaining herself, so its a bit of a turn around. But the joy I’ve had is beautiful, I reached out to an old college friend that I hadn’t seen for over ten years today, and she literally screamed with delight. That was a great hour long conversation.

Dad’s and my eldest brother’s Christmas Day dinner has been prepared and is carefully packed up in the freezer. Turkey with all the trimmings and I do mean all, turkey both light meat and dark, sausages wrapped in bacon, extra bacon, roast parnips, roast home grown pumpkin, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, home grown brussel sprouts, carrot and swede mash and lots of lovely gravy all packed up in large foil containers which they just have to pop in the oven and then help themselves from. That should keep the wolf from their door and there is enough to easily last for two days. It took us hours to prepare, for some reason we are quite out of practise, but it was very nice to have a turkey sandwich for supper!

Of course the plan was to have Dad over for Christmas dinner, but what with Covid and hubby’s health we just cannot take the risk. So we, in as much as we are able, took Christmas to them.

We have nearly finished the wrapping of presents, so apart from decorating the Christmas cake along with the making of the pudding and finding more decorations to put up we are pretty much there, btw, lighting the Christmas tree mid November was inspirational and is a habit I intend to pursue every year. We love its sparkling prettiness in the deep dark days of winter, I very much want to keep it up until March, but I’m not sure if hubby will let me get away with that.

Until next time, stay safe and well everybody.