New Year's Eve

sisters sharing make up tips

Some good news this afternoon.  My friend’s daughter, Sally, has awoken from her coma and is breathing unaided. She will have a long journey of recovery ahead but is making small steps of progress every day.

We will be celebrating New Year’s Eve at home.  Paul is cooking pizza and we have plenty of booze and films to watch (Sarah and Kat are making serious inroads into our stash of French wine).  I suspect I may be asleep on the sofa by midnight.  I’m hoping there won’t be too many fireworks going off in the neighbourhood, Rick was spooked by one a few nights ago and ran hell for leather all the way home with Paul hanging grimly on to the other end of his leash.

I shan’t be sorry to say goodbye to 2017 although it’s been fairly kind to Paul and me.  Highlights of the year were our trip to Spain, adopting Rick and having the girls stay with us in France during the summer.  Next year is going to be a challenge, our search for a new home in the UK will be both exciting and daunting.  I’m sure we will have some problems and big decisions to make along the way.

On a lighter note I have been awarded a commendation by Yorkshire Pudding’s Laughing Horse Awards – such fun!

May I take this opportunity to thank all my readers for following my blog and wish you all a very Happy New Year!

Buddy has already seen in the New Year

Happy Birthday Kat!

Today is Kat’s birthday.  Katherine Louise entered the world thirty one years ago.  She is beautiful, clever, unpredictable and slightly crazy.  Sometimes she makes me cry, sometimes she makes me shout, but more often she makes me laugh.

Last night we went out for a meal at the local Italian restaurant in Calne.  Sarah and Kat dressed up and looked very glamorous.  When we got home Kat grabbed a couple of satsumas, stuck a pair of tights over her head and did a pretty good impersonation of a bug.

Kat posing in the dress she made

Paul is taking them both to London tonight to see Phantom of the Opera.  I shall stay at home and look after Rick.  I adore this musical but I’ve already seen it three times so I don’t mind being dog sitter.

Happy birthday Kat!

Emotions

It snowed overnight but nothing has settled on the ground.  The wind was icy this morning when I took Rick out.

I had high expectations for Christmas Day but emotions were raw and there were probably more tears than laughter. Boxing Day was more relaxed and we had fun playing games, walking Rick and watching films on the television.   I guess sometimes we just try too hard to be happy.

I felt very blessed though to be home with my family, safe and sound and enjoying good food and wine.  This is such a rare opportunity for us all to be together.  I couldn’t help but think about my friend who lives in Essex, we started our nurse training together and she has two daughters much the same age as Sarah and Kat.  Two days before Christmas her youngest was crossing the road in Chelmsford when she was hit by a bus and suffered a severe head injury.  My friend will have spent Christmas at her bedside wondering if her daughter will ever wake up again.

So my Christmas has been full of joy but tinged with just a little sadness.

Christmas Games

Yesterday afternoon I took Rick for a walk while Paul did the washing up.  I think I got the better end of the deal.  When I got back we settled down to watch some television, Peter Pan Gone Wrong and then the Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  Sarah slept through the film; she is still fighting the jet lag. I’m not sure what my excuse was, probably too much turkey.

Today we had another feast at lunch time, cold meats and salad, mince pies and a selection of cheeses.  Why do we eat so much food at Christmas time?  To ensure no-one fell asleep this afternoon we decided to play a game of Scrawl.  This seems to be a combination of Pictionary and Chinese Whispers, best played after a drink or two.

You select a card that gives you an obscure phrase or word and then you have to draw it. The drawing is passed to the next person to describe it.  The next person draws that person’s description etc. until you end up with the final description.  Confused?  Yes, so was I.  Here is an example of Paul’s “Stealing Someone’s Thunder”.

Paul's drawing of Stealing Someone's Thunder

My guess....

Sarah's interpretation of my guess

Kat's guess of Sarah's drawing

 No prizes this time.  Rick wasn't playing. Anyone for charades?

It's Christmas!

Sarah and Kat are ensconced on the sofa drinking mulled wine and watching Goggle Box.  Rick is asleep under the table.  I am attempting to boil a ham that is too big for the pan. Our Christmas has begun.

Sarah arrived safe and sound complete with luggage yesterday evening.  There was probably less congestion on the motorway than any other day, partly thanks to the temporary removal of all road works.  She was awake in the early hours so she accompanied Paul to the supermarket to do the Christmas shopping.  I made them a list but they mainly ignored it. 

I escaped the shopping hell and took Rick for his morning walk.  It was still dark and the Christmas lights in the neighbourhood were magical.  They seem very tasteful this year, white lights twinkling in the trees and bushes, not a plastic inflated Santa in sight.  We had the roads and park to ourselves so Rick was perfectly behaved.  We crossed the park and were about to cross the road when a posse of joggers suddenly appeared in their psychedelic lycra pounding along pavement towards us.  Panic!  I held Rick’s lead tightly waiting for him to go berserk but miraculously he was more interested in sniffing a bush and completely ignored the joggers.  As we walked away I noticed a cat on the other side of the bush.  Rick loves puss cats.

Rick has now come out from underneath the table and is stretched out on Sarah’s lap.  Sarah’s eyes are closing; she’s fighting the jet lag.