Wednesday, 31 December 2008
Happy Hogmanay!
Time to think about the things you wanted to do in 2008 but never quite got round to doing - like tidying out all the drawers in the house. Yes, sad as I am, that was one of the things I thought I'd do in 2008 and, yes, I didn't do it! I wonder if I should put it on the list of things to do in 2009? Naw, maybe not. Sometimes you just have to learn not to put pressure on yourself. :oD
I was reading so-called celebs' New Year's resolutions for 2009 and one of them said his was the same as it had been since 1985 - to learn to speak French. 1985?? That's been your resolution for 24 years? For peep's sake! If you haven't done it yet, I doubt you're going to manage it in 2009. What a numpty!
Happy New Year to one and all! :o)
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
smile please!
After all the years of holding in my stomach, pulling my shoulders back, pushing my chest out and throwing my head back so far I almost put my neck out all in the name of trying to look good in photos, this photo proves that none of that is necessary. I mean, we look F-A-B in this! LOL
Sunday, 28 December 2008
not much going on
We walked to the paper shop and bought the Sunday paper as a Sunday without doing/attempting the crossword would just not be right. We got it all except for about 8 clues without looking things up - not too shabby!
We went along to mum's in the afternoon for afternoon tea. She force-fed us more chocolate - yeah, that's a lie. She put the chocolate biscuits on the table and, weakling that I am, I ate one. But I only ate one - that's good - isn't it? :oD
Saturday, 27 December 2008
visiting
Whilst we were still drinking our after-lunch coffees, Jim arrived with Vicky and Gillian and Vicky's dog Ruby. Rosie does not like Ruby. Actually, that's not fair. Rosie doesn't like any other dogs - it's not a personal thing about Ruby at all!
We admired Vicky's engagement ring - very different with 14 diamonds on the top and one ruby - for Ruby - on the underside. Very nice! Good luck to Vicky and Stevie! I hope they'll be very happy!
The day flew by and it was soon time to have afternoon tea - more food! - and then time to come home. Thankfully the traffic home was much quieter than the traffic on the way there. Apparently the people in Glasgow do go shopping on the Saturday between Christmas and New Year! Nutcases, the lot of them! :oD
Friday, 26 December 2008
tablet
TABLET
½ cup milk
1lb sugar
2 tbsp syrup
knob of butter - about the size of a walnut
Put in pan and melt SLOWLY until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil and boil until it reaches “soft ball” on a sugar thermometer. Remove from heat and beat with an electric beater for about 2 - 2½ mins. Put into a greased baking tray. Cut while still warm.
This is kind of a hit and a miss recipe. I’ve been making it for years and it still sometimes won’t set. I just scrape it all back into the pan and reheat it to the right temperature and do it all again.
If it sets before it even gets out of the pan - no worries. It still tastes good even if it looks ugly! LOL
Wednesday, 24 December 2008
Christmas Eve
Joanna did the sprouts but told me she'd never done them before as it had always been Debbie's job. How amazing is that? That, through all the years since they've been old enough to help with the veg preparation, Debbie always did the sprouts! I don't know why it surprises me but it does!
And now all the veg are in the kitchen ready to be cooked tomorrow. The turkey is in the utility defrosting and the meringues for the "maybe pudding" - ie we'll have them if we have room for pudding (which I doubt very much) - are in the oven drying out. I MUST remember to take them out before I fire up the oven for the turkey!!
So, we're all ready - or as ready as we'll ever be. Now we just have to wait for Santa. We've been following him on the Norad site - so cool!
And, finally, just for laughs, I saw this Irn Bru ad on telly today and it made me giggle - as usual. It shows the Scots sense of humour perfectly!
I don't know if I'll blog tomorrow so to anyone reading this - have a very Merry Christmas.
Tuesday, 23 December 2008
coming to terms
I suggested to Debs that she should wait and come home in February for her dad's birthday and I think she might go for that. She even went as far as pricing the flights and it's about 1/4 of the cost in February. So we'd get her home, more presents, more food, another Christmas and it won't cost as much! My kind of plan!
In the meantime, we'll chat to her on the iChat - she looked much better today after a l-o-n-g sleep than she did yesterday - and we'll eat her share of the turkey and trimmings and try to get through all that Coke. I don't think I'll step on the scales for a very long time!
not coming home :o(
She asked us to tell her what to do. How do you tell your child - she will always be my child no matter how old she is - that she should go back to her place in Halifax and stay there for Christmas? We want her here. She wants to be here. But oh, she was so upset and so distraught that we had to tell her to go to back to her room and sleep.
I know the friends she has made in Halifax won't let her be alone on Christmas Day. In fact, I suspect they'll be fighting to see who gets her at their house. That makes it slightly easier to bear - but only slightly!
Part of me is still hoping that she'll be here but the sensible part of me - no matter how small that is - is telling me she won't be here. It's going to be so hard for all of us.
LJ - I don't have your e-mail address so I hope you read this!
Monday, 22 December 2008
cancelled - but maybe not!
We're still really hopeful that she'll make it home but there is always the possibility that she won't. Who's going to drink all that coke if she doesn't get here?
Come on weather - play the game! Come on Air Canada - get your act together! Come on home, Debs! :o)
she's delayed!
After she gets to Heathrow, we have no idea what's going to happen. Her flight up to Edinburgh will have left Heathrow before she even leaves Halifax so let's hope there's room for her on another flight!
Friday, 19 December 2008
it's all sorted - nearly!
To be able to move without pain is amazing and, if doing 3 sets of exercises 10 times each once a day is the way to keep that happening, then I'll be lying on my right side lifting my legs at every opportunity. Okay, maybe not, but you know what I mean. If being pain-free is up to me, then I will do it!
As I was leaving the chiro's office, the receptionist called out some words of wisdom - "get someone else to take the turkey out of the oven on Christmas Day". Good plan!
Friday, 12 December 2008
I can move!
I can fasten my bra without wishing I was flat-chested and didn't need to wear a bra! I can tie my pinny strings behind my back without wondering if I could manage to cook the tea without making a mess of my clothes.
And I can reach the top shelf in the kitchen where the chocolate biscuits are kept.
Yay! :o)
Monday, 8 December 2008
going back!
I hate worrying everyone about me being in pain but I can't keep it to myself when they see me hardly being able to stand up if I've been sitting for a while. I'm also stubborn - really?? me?? surely not!! :oP - and won't ask for help and so end up hurting myself even more. Taking stuff out of the oven or reaching up to a high shelf are my biggest stubbornnesses (!!) when I end up regretting not asking Douglas or Joanna to help.
So, to stop the Christmas turkey ending up on the floor, I'm off to see the chiro on Wednesday. Fingers crossed that she can sort me out - again! :o)
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Bath
Bath Abbey - outside and inside.
The Assembly Rooms where the members of the ton gathered in Georgian Times for entertainments.
And this is the Guildhall which was also a popular place for entertainment in the Georgian era.
These next photos are of the Roman Baths. Aqua Sulis, as Bath was known to the Romans, was very popular because of the waters. Yes, that's steam - the water was 40ºC when it flowed into this pool! If you see any bubbles in the water, it's not heat, it's gases. I thought we'd be able to smell sulphur, but we couldn't - thankfully! :oD
Pulteney Bridge
Royal Crescent
Royal Circus
Some doors.
And finally - a couple of strange ones. This is not a statue. It's a real person dressed up like a statue. The pigeons kept landing on him so he had them fooled!
And Joanna wanted to try on a corset - who knows why? And the funny face? Again, who knows why? Good for a laugh!