What I did today No.2

GrannySomerset I have sent a PM 're Amazon prime subscription.

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It was my donkey day today, and for once the sun was shining.
With donkeys, goats, llamas and chickens as well as rabbits to care for, it is a busy but wonderful day.
Took them a sack full of carrots today and was mobbed?

Finished sewing dresses for children in a Carol Concert and pumped my car tyres up.

DH in charge of dinner, so he tried out our new air fryer. Had delicious chicken and jacket potatoes - very impressed.
Anotger busy day tomorrow,so an early night tonight?

I was booked, so I thought, to go to the light show at the Botanics this evening but looked for the confirming email and it was not there!
I had to rebook and luckily there were still tickets no wonder, they are expensive so we went with our little DGD and the other DGP. I think we were all passably impressed. The little one was missing her DP who have gone on a city break for a birthday treat.

I had just finished knitting myself a sweater so wore it for the first time having spent at least an hour sewing in all the loose threads. It is very warm.

Then I heard that the Christmas market this weekend which we have been preparing a stall for for weeks, has been called off due to the wet weather. They are worried that the car park will be a quagmire by the weekend. Hey well it isn't so important.
A bit like Glastonbury, I asked?. Hmm perhaps not quite on the same scale.

EllaKeat I'd love to spend my days with animals.

Today, I did the usual stuff of getting ready, putting the washer on, going to work at 8 am. My boss visited, talked about some new software, had a cup of tea.

I went home, vacuumed, polished and mopped (laminate flooring) all through downstairs rooms. Went to my son's, then we went to a Christmas fair thing. Collected one of his girls from school, went back to this (overpriced) fair. She went on a couple of rides, we had a few goes on the tombolas 0 I won some chocolates - then we went to the pub for dinner. Collected the other girl from school (she'd been on a school trip), got her something to eat, took the children home. Dropped my son at his house, I got home at 7.30.

God, SalsaQueen that makes me exhausted just reading it!

Went to visit a NT house about an hour away, it was really lovely, all dressed for a Victorian Christmas.Had a walk around the grounds, a mixture of sun and mist, made it all look like a painting.Had a light lunch there, then returned home.We got all our own Christmas things down from the loft ( feeling inspired) ? and now it looks lovely and glowing and festive.Wouldn’t normally do it so early, but seeing it all done so well (Basildon Park, Berkshire) I couldn’t wait.
I had bought a few new things just last week to add to my hoard of Christmas bits and bobs, decided on all traditional colours this year, mainly green and gold with a bit of red.

KatyK Did you take a photo of those swans by any chance?
I'd love to see them if you did.

EllaKeat Loved the donkey pictures and the description of your lovely day. When I lived in Cornwall, I took my sons to a donkey sanctuary and loved every minute. My younger son (7) wanted to live and work there!

cornergran Very wise to wear a mask as long as the children are warned! You can pretend you're playing hospitals.

Auntieflo what's a 'dashcam'?

Happy phone call from my son on his way back to the office after collecting the book
The author had been lovely and welcoming and very happy that her book was going to an appreciative home. Refused all payment.

Did a bit of craftwork - nothing complicated these days I'm afraid, just some little Chinese lanterns. Will post a picture when they're finished.

As I gave my Christmas tree away last year, I've been looking for a new one (had decided I was too old to decorate trees - changed my mind ) .
Cannot believe some people will pay $800 (four hundred pounds) for an artificial tree!

May just bring in a branch of Manuka from the garden.....

BradfordLass72, a dash cam is an in car camera system, that makes a video and audio recording of your journey.

BradfordLass72 you have really got me wondering about the author of that book! Could it be the wonderful Lynley Dodd, or Pamela Allen or Joy Cowley? Now I have turned into a real stickybeak I do enjoy all your posts by the way!

Here you go fatgran57 - no more wondering ....

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Beck_(writer)

Thank you, Cherrytrees. How do I access the pm?

Thanks BradfordLass72 Not an author I recognise - when I googled her for a moment I thought of Lillian Beckworth as her name is Jennifer Lillian Beck! ( Does anyone remember Lillian Beckworth books nowadays)?

Yes, I remember Lilian Beckwith books fatgran.

I'm sure there was something in one of them about a girl making porridge for her younger siblings before they set off for school.
I could be getting mixed up of course, it's years since I read them.

Jennifer Beck's book sound rather good, BradfordLass.

Ps it's her birthday next week!

We’ve been into Malaga city to see the Christmas lights with a friend who hadn’t been for years and as she was 85y today we invited her to join us.

Wonderful! A mild evening too at 19°C. People sat outside (in coats) enjoying drinks and tapas. The cathedral looked beautiful with discreet lighting too. Lots of excited children skipping around their parents on the pedestrianised walkways.

One for the memory box!

I have a few Lillian Beckwith books. They were so funny. A Rope In Case comes to mind.
After getting very confused yesterday with the talk on dead wasps in figs and thinking I was on this thread, I will now tell you what I did yesterday.
We have a neighbour who is moving soon so us other neighbours have decided to have a little goodbye party for her. At the last minute we remembered we hadn't got a cake. As she eats gluten free it was my task to see if I could get one.
At such short notice the answer is No for a special cake. So I ended up getting 2 small ones.
Then I saw some leggings the exact colour to go with a tunic. Bought the wrong length. So back to the shop this morning.
We have a load of logs being delivered this afternoon, and as heavy rain is forecast they will have to be put in the log store. And then it is the party. Roll on Saturday when we put the tree up

I used to love Lillian Beckwith's book - The Hills is Lonely was a good one.

BBbevan mea culpa - the fig story was mine; fairly shocking isn't it? I don't wonder you were confused.

A happy day for me.

Got a good, long swim in this morning, then home to do a little more on the Chinese Lanterns.
Not sure they are really good enough and certainly not to flaunt them here.
When I think of the gorgeous things I used to make<sigh> oh well, at least I did have that chance

Homecare lady came and we did some essential shopping as my son is coming for brunch tomorrow.

Scrambled eggs probably; croissants and a strawberry-bananas mix; might make a fresh strawberry preserve, it's very quick and will be lovely with the croissants.

My grandson will be here for the day on Monday Yippee and that's something I'm really looking foreward to.

Think I'll teach him how to make his favourite Melting Moments.

He'll be fascinated by the fig story

I see day is dawning in the UK - have a lovely day everyone

Very quick strawberry preserve Bradford Lass? Please share!

I like fig preserve too!

DH and I travelled to Harrogate on Wednesday to stay for three nights. Yesterday we went to the Country Living Christmas Fair. It was as good as usual, but nothing very much for children. We had hoped to find something different for our DGC for Christmas. We bought mostly foodstuffs.
Tried to use DH's love to shop card to have a pizza, but they wouldn't accept it, apparently they only accept the paper vouchers.
We ended up going to a little Italian restaurant just round the corner from where we are staying.
Tonight we are going to the theatre to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

We were in M&S this morning and it was still dark.
Usually I buy figs there but none there or in Tesco. Perhaps the news has got out Bradfordlass and they have taken them off the shelves ?

Yesterday - I am all behind! - I interviewed for a new staff member at school, came back for some lunch, then estate agent came round to do some measuring up.

Then to see OH in NH. Still paranoid, but not too distressingly so. It is a grim feature of this dreadful illness.

And today I am skating around getting things ready for a Christmas celebration that the choir I run is hosting in a lovely Knight's Templar village church. The primary school choir is going to join us; and there will be a comic skit too. And lots of mince pies etc and above all bells!!!! It is always a lovely fun evening, but takes a bit of organising! Christingle is incorporated into it and my main concern is children setting light to each others' hair - it is slightly chaotic, but lots of adults around to supervise.

That sounds like a day well spent, Luckygirl; hope no fire extinguishers are needed. When DH was church treasurer he asked Ecclesiastical Insurance whether many church fires had been caused by candles and was told it had never happened. Not sure they had factored in excited primary school children. though!

DD managed to singe her own hair, Luckygirl

I do love the Christingle service with real candles, it's one of the loveliest parts of Christmas.
When the lights go out, just the candles lighting the church and then the children sing; it's always so emotional.

Would you like to see my finished crocheted angels?

My day didn't go as I thought it would. Midday, there was a knock at the door, and on the doorstep stood an ex neighbour who left here 16 years ago. One of her daughters and a friend in tow. It turned out that today is her birthday, and she had celebrated it, yesterday, in London, with a posh afternoon tea.
Lovely to catch up for an hour.
Then we were off to get our dash cams fitted. We got booked in and went off to a nearby cafe, to wait in the warm and the dry. Then we had a phone call, there will be a delay as the cloudburst was not good for the chap working outside.
Another call to say there was a problem, they couldn't find the handbook for the car. ( It was at home, on the coffee table!)
Nobody told us they might need the handbook.
Usually the technician can download a wiring diagram, showing which fuse he can use. But not our car, as it is so new.
So, we have to go back with it next week. Ah well, such is life.
The sausage casserole I left cooking while we were out, was good.
Feet up now and watch a bit of TV. If there's nothing much on, I'll finish my book.

Those angels are really beautiful! One day I really must get around to learning to crochet.

I tidied, dusted and hoovered (downstairs only) to make it look presentable for brother and Sil coming - not that they'd have been bothered if it was a tip.

Went out for lunch to a place by the river. Brother and SiL pleased to use their bus passes since they don't often have the opportunity.
Came back late, collapsed on sofa with book and fell asleep.

After waking up decided to do something with some leftover cold lamb, so the bone is now simmering away with pearl barley, onion, etc. for a lamb stew for tomorrow.

Just egg on toast later, we're both still full after a 3 course lunch.