Am sorry but I am really sickened by the OTT adverts for food and gluttony at Christmas. Its a day.
The waste is disgusting.

The food for our day will not be wasted. We have chicken and get a corn fed one from the butchers as a Turkey even a Turkey crown is far too much.

Some spuds, carrots, brussels, cauliflower and brocoli, stuffing, and a few pigs in blankets. make our own sauce - white, cheese and good old gravy - all done.

Pea soup - frozen pea soup - home made bread -starter

Two bottles of wine and a few beers (4) is  more than enough and lasts for Boxing day jollities as well - thats for two people and we often have stuff left. Doesn't go to waste can keep till new year!

Pavlova - home made with berries fruit etc as we don't do pudding or cake, (few home made short bread biccies/fairy cakes for weeny girl to make) Nice with a cup of tea.

Where do you have room for all the rest unless you are having a party on another day??? 


Ridiculous and wasteful if you ask me.

Never enough room for supper..... and it would be chicken sandwiches or cheese board snacks there was.

Why do I need to purchase sausage rolls, prawn rings, bottles of baileys.... Silly silly silly.

Will prob spend an extra £30 all in. Pah!   Get fed for two days with leftovers for soup, curry etc etc and pavlova lasts us at least four days puddings.


Frenzied food shopping - There is just no need. Please people - give your greedy money to charity rather than defrost your prepacked sausage rolls and end up chucking them in the bin.


Tut tut tut

Shops open again by Tuesday!


Eeek  Off to pack some more.

Stuffed again!!!

BACK BOX CAR EXHAUST - £97.50

Bloody bloody hell

Have bit bullet and purchsed cooker on interest free credit for 1yr. ( See above issue) means I get a reasonably decent cooker ( investment) Gets delivered 22nd and fitted hopefully as long as both have right gas lock thing.

Have wrapped pressies and sorted to store at Biggles place. Am attacking each room individually. And cleaning as I go and labling etc.

Glad Ebay sorted Weeny girls christmas.

Also had to pay for  Swimming lessons -  I had this set aside. Once you start you just can't stop. It would be silly and a waste of money.

Internet, phone, tv fitted 6th January! Should be able to take morning/day off work.

How will I survive!!!!

Dear Chums - an enforced hiatus!!!

I am moving.

21st December.

I have the weekend and Tuesday to organise stuff. Monday I must go in to work as we care inteviewing for a new post and I am on the panel. It is essential that I am there.

I need to procure an oven of sorts

Checked out house - I will need the following asap

Cooker - ideally want one with double oven so can use small oven to cook stuff for me and weeny.
Curtain rail things - to keep curtains up and keep heat in and stop burglars and nosey neighbours form peering in and protecting ones modestly lol ) modest I ain't)
Bedroom carpet - can wait till sales for this - floor boards okish and I have a posh persian rug lol
Shower attachment for washing
Outside storage box thing for garden tools and weeny's bike.
Wardrobes - or clothes hanging things - I can wait for these! Freecycling starts now!

House fine other than that- carpets and floor covering in other rooms.

I need to paint the living room - remove a blue colour - magnolia wash comming on!!! may be Biggles will be nice on Monday and slap a coat on before I move.... if I ask him nicely - won't take long only half the wall that is blue....  Fingers crossed eh!


Also I may have to get TV aeriel fitted - not sure if Sky have done their utmost to disconnect aeriel I will book aeriel chap for Thursday 22nd just in case.


Phone is a pain. No line into property - not sure when BT will be able to come to do cabling..... no interweb  ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Social death.....


So enforced hiatus dear chums.... as of 21st approx midday.   How long will the drout go on for????
Who knows!!!!

I will research cookers and curtain rails and garden storage boxes and check gumtree and freecycle. 

Have little storage in the house only one cuboard so do require some outdoor storage for a lawn mower, strimmer and barbecue and childs bike.

Will need a plumber to fit dishwasher and a joiner to fit cat flap as well. ASAP!!!!  Poor puss's need to stay on otherwise. I don't do litter trays- nor do they very well either.


Time for research then!!!


Any pointers to good prices, knowledge on fitting a gas cooker or shower attachments are all very very much appreciated!!!!

Update.....

yah boo sucks
1. Cracked Windscreen  £60 - could have been worse and could be more I suppose.
2. Goal for moving - potentially 21st Dec
3. Need to pay rent tomorrow 282???
4. Removal  fees £350
5. £1700 for excess/shortfall, estate agent fees and solicitor.


I am in major deficit. I need to obtain a stand alone cooker. I am hoping they have left flooring.....

oh well,  must get on with it......

Letter to Santa

We posted our letter to Santa - popped it in the post box . It is filled with pink sparkly glitter so will cheer up the posties when they get it. I our address in as well. See if Royal Mail reply.. They used to given the time. We may have left it late or they may not do it anymore.

We need to wrap pressies and bake. Biscuits - to be given to friends, jam tart things as weeny doesn't like mince pies, choc brownies, maybe some tiffin..... All good to cut up and give as gifts. need some paper bags or plastic wrapping. Ok maybe not the jam tarts - we will scoff the lot!!!

Also need to pay for more sodding swimming lessons £68 for the term!!!! Ahhhhh   We will carry on. I need to hand the cheque over this week sniff.

No news on moving. I sign for new tennancy beginning on 19th so will have to stump up rent as well as mortgage for a while. grrr solicitors.


Santa visit may be out this year. The Alnwick Garden is charging £5 plus enterance to the garden. Sorry I only want Santa.  Not paying the extortionate entry fee or the silly hot choc prices.

Busy Weekend and other stories

Well we had swimming, a car accident, Sundays dinner on Saturday, some time together, a walk on the beach and woods to find detritus forthcoming yule festivities, the making of a wreath for the front door a lunch with friends and a goodbye at the train station.

It snowed Friday night so Saturday there was a light covering of snow.

On the way back from the pool - (Biggles came to watch a duckling) we were stationary at a junction - about to turn right when a 4x4 slid into us. Nice. Dafty behind the wheel sorry going to be sexist now was female and one of the hoi polloi chelsea tractor set who said in her defense that she had the four wheel drive on and didn't understand what went wrong..... Doh!!! That only gives you traction not grip you Bint!!! You still need to drive slowly in icy condition. She was not.  B car bumped - not massively and driveable but not the point. We were not happy. Will cost on insurance. Thankfully she is insured.

I understand icy if you are going slowly. Even I know 4x4 four wheel drive does not make you slide proof- its a heavy car and she did brake but in ice thats no help at all. If B had pulled forward she woudl have gone into rear of the car where weeny was in back.

Its a further hassle as B left for London today and he may be car less while it is fixed when he returns at the weekend/during his leave. Easy for Mrs Bint 4x4 as she has another means of transport - a second /third car.

Four wheel 4x4 drivers really can piss me off. Apart form the obvious environmental impact - They think they are inpenetrable in their wagons and yes they are but sod any other road user - we don't care what becomes of them we have four wheel drive so we are all right.


Managed a mooch to the beach and woods in the afternoon. A fed up B stayed in to listen to Football. We found some good stuff for the front door wreath.

 Scouring for shells with holes in them for deorated pressies - and our detritus wreath- Priceless lots of fun , simple and a joint effort - sticking dead flowers into the green foilage and adding pine cones!!! Weeny was very proud! Smells good too!




Took B to the station for 1pm. He returns on Friday. Sigh- this is it for the next two years approx.


had a lovely lunch with some friends and Weeny at an Italians all the way in North Shields. One of my dear ex work colleagues has terminal cancer. We don't know how long as she only has drug therapy left as an option. been justover a year since her diagnosis.  Liver, Lung and bones. Liver is the big problem.  She is doing ok given...

We have learn't a Yule Song in prep for our Yule Fire night!  Welcome to the Holly king, the holly king the holly king, welcome to the holly king its time to go to sleep, Welcome to the oak tree king the oak tree king x2 Spring will come again. We shall skip round the fire singing it!!!

Biggles  birthday was fab- we had Chilli - a hot one - made specially for his tastebuds only! and Birthday fruits of the forest and Kiwi Pavlova made by yours truly. He doesn't do birthday cake. Made cards, gave pressies etc etc Weeny enjoyed it as much as him.


Her nativity was by all accounts very good. Biggles went in my place as no time off work. She was so happy when she spotted him in the audience and waved and began to sing and do her actions alot louder and stronger. He was dead chuffed and gushing about it adn the blowing of kisses. Bless em both.
She was an angel. One day she may make Mary you never know....lol

Have much xmas cooking to do as well as the visit to Santa and some more bits to purchase- just silly stuff and a few cards to send - home made by Weeny of course!!!

Another Monday calls- only four days this week and a trip to a retirement do dar whatsit on day off!!!

Yule!!! What to do???

Thinks its about time we do Yule!!! We try to do lots of celebrations - Chinese New Year, passover ( a bit) Halloween/Samhain a wee bit etc etc etc Season table stuff etc etc  I insist on a bit of God at Christmas - we have a crib scene and do the stories. Won't celebrate owt without a referral to the reasons why people celebrate it- no thinking - even a little bit of reflection will suffice

So far I have gathered that I will need a log - should have dried one a while ago but obviously didn't- where coudl I procure one do you think???

I have a fire pit I use of camping

I need to decorate it?? Anything with candles of a specific colour???

We have a yule log fire on solstice adn drink mulled wine, cider and watch the log burn. Also something about wishes for the new year and the coming of the Oak king and good bye to the holly king???


Any info and advice most welcome. Weeny will love it!!  We can go searching for appropriate decorations next weekend. Will also be doing the baking for the season next week. Oh and Biggles birthday mid week.


XXX