Counting down .... 8 (well -8.1°c!!)

Today's number is sponsored by the weather...............

-8.1°c,    

-8.1°c - yes, it really said that this morning, on our little thermometer in the kitchen.

It has a outdoor sensor which tell us how cold it is out there, we know it is cold but this little thing confirms with my feet and my nose that it really is that cold!  

Have.I.made.myself.clear.that I am and it is cold today! ....... Got that little rant out of my system.

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I have always credited my chaotic journey through life as partially self-created and partially inherited...... I now have proof that it is all inherited.........courtesy of my mad family. 

I have below a slightly edited*** transcript of my Mom's last email to me, I shall let you decide for yourself.........

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All the best laid plans of mice and men get messed up by the weather.

 

1. Outlet pipe of  kitchen sink frozen.(they live on second floor of block of flats with no easy access to side of their building)
2. Fetch hose pipe - hose pipe frozen. (hosepipe lives in the shed, was last seen in active duty during the height of summer)
3. Thaw out hose pipe in bath.  Connect to bath tap and Dad spends about 10 minutes spraying pipe bend outside under kitchen window while in freezing cold.
4. Finally clear.
5. Problem caused by ice forming on  an old satellite dish (not ours) then dripping down again onto the pipe.  Ice originally forms because the gutters are neither cleaned nor repaired in spite of reporting to the landlord -   again and again.
6. Brother comes over for a completely different reason and offers to lean out of the window and cut off the old satellite dish.
7. Which he does, successfully, and lets it crash down into the ditch. (a good thirty feet below)
8. Before my eyes, the inside waste pipe under the sink, (disconnected from outlet pipe) swings from the upright position to about ten past!!
9. The falling satellite dish has hit the pipe and cut it clean in two!
10. Now have outlet pipe hanging down outside, so water just pours down wall...............
11. Phone Landlord's wife and report the above numbers 1 to 5 (leaving out numbers 6 - 9!!!..........) then No. 10.!!!

 Ahem, clearing throat noises.  The truth, the almost whole truth and nothing, well almost nothing but the truth!!

 

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So, you see your honour, my apparent lack of any intelligent behaviour 

is not of my making, 

it is, I put to you - 

as a result of my family

I rest my case

*** edited so to remove any names of parties involved to help some way in preventing total shame!

Counting down (up?) day 7

First week down and only 16 shopping days left to go.....

Hmmm.

Better go and find the car keys and shopping list.
.

Counting again - 6 and weekend round up

Into the 6th day of December, and the only one fully organised with his gifts, is Youngest. He has made or purchased as well as wrapped presents for all of those he loves. Eldest is disgusted (possibly in awe but refusing to admit it) and we are astounded at his generosity, his planning and sheer determination.

'

Today - the number 6 is brought to you by my vitamin B6 box and the book ' Now we are six' by A.A.Milne.

(To be read over the sounds from a certain puppet show from the States which had a rather large yellow bird as one of the presenters!)

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Weekend round up - I love it when the weekend starts on a Friday and this one did with the arrival of my friend from Anglesey. She blew in on a snow storm and immediately made herself at home.

Saturday promised to be fun and it was, it was extremely hectic and too much happened to report so, you will have to be content with photographs and snippets. I still have shiny glittery silver paint on my right thumbnail and despite various attempts of removing it - it stubbornly remains as a cheerful reminder of a fun time.

A selection of wreathes - hearts and circles. Some generously filled, others sparse and wild. Some were faultless while others random, there were traditional reds and golds and modern ice blues and lime greens.

There was such a flurry of foliage and a spraying of silver and sparkles. The hall was filled with a heady mix of pine scent and aerosol spray and the sound of laughter and chat. The day flew by with such surprising speed.

A weather inspired wreath and a hand tied bunch for a kitchen door.

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As ever, it was successful, we were sadly missing a few of our regular 'craftsters' but their spaces were eagerly filled with new ones. And, at the end of the workshop we all triumphantly took our festive treasures home. (Some of us used wheelbarrows because it was a safer bet than driving!)

This year, I didn't have time to finish my Yule log until Sunday. While the boys went out sledging I had the house and the fire to myself and in the gentle silence I finished off my window decoration.

The house now smells of cloves and oranges. Scented foliage and cinnamon sticks - it smells delicious.

Counting again - day 5

Sniff....sniff...cough. excuse me, feeling a bit rough and feeling a bit lazy.

The house is quiet, our weekend guests have gone and the boys are sledging. I am perfecting the art of procrastination by posting my tribute to the 5th day in December instead of clearing away the mess from our festive wreath making thingy.

I blame this silly little cold I have.

I am not responsible.

Oh and I have been crafting..................

......................and cooking - so not all that lazy then.

Counting again - 4

4th day in December - a wonderful day of sprinkles and sparkles. 

Excess of silver and gold spray paints and yards and yards of festive ribbon.

Did I mention yards and yards?  

Of ribbon?

Of the festive variety?

Oh, and glitter, glue and other things pertaining to the making of wreathes and garlands and chrimbly type decorations.

Details later...................................

Counting - 3 .... It's Friday!

Counting again - 3rd day into December.

I am so-ooo looking forward to tomorrow - it is our annual festival wreath making thingy!  We started it in 2003 (hence the plaque in the photo) as a fund raising effort for the village garden festival. Now it has become a firm part of our festive Yule rituals. We all get together and enjoy a day of crafting and creating, a day of friendship and laughter, a day of mock horror at each other's choice of music and a day of feasting and fun.

The lead up to it is usually fairly frantic - well, it is for me as I am never organised! Cutting and collecting of evergreen foliage, sorting out ribbons and glitter. Finding or buying bits, making and baking, but it is always worth it - because by the end of the day we all end up with beautiful wreathes, bowers, garlands, table decorations and it heralds the beginning of the festive season.

And the best of it? For me, it is seeing all the decorated doors and windows and knowing I saw them being created by people I know and have shared a lovely day with!

Counting - 2....snow snow snow

Counting again - 2nd day in December.

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A tap at the office window makes all three of us look up to see my boys. My two boys with smiling rosy cheeked faces. It's time to go home and they'r here to collect me. I wrap up warmly until I think can not possibly bend to put my wellies on. ......Then have to bend to put my wellies on - oof.

The squeaky crunch of frosty snow crystals intrigue me. Each footstep we make has a musical sound to it. We turn from work and instead of heading home, we set off towards town. I have three things I must do, and the boys, ever keen for adventure and spontaneous escapades are happy to join in.

1. My first on the to-do-list  - is to entertain them, so that one is already happily ticked off as they kick snow, find huge icicles and help me look for the 2nd item on my list
2. Find numbers - for my self imposed 'Counting down' initially towards the 12 days of Christmas and then the count down to the new year. We stop and photograph speed signs and light posts, we look high and low and find enough to keep me happy.  
3. And thirdly - I need to pick up a gift or two.

The village is quiet, hardly any cars despite the road being passable. There definitely more walking happening and less driving which is a good thing. We pass several other bulkily wrapped locals and mutually nod a scarf-muffled greeting. 

Mission accomplished we return accompanied by the squeaky crunch foot steps. The kettle is calling and I am ready for that cup of tea!

Snowy views through our village.