No apologies needed Mickied. Always good when someone wants to chat.  Have had today to myself (with hubby indoors) as my daughter had a friend coming round this afternoon and I have spent the morning at the local town centre and managed to get most of my Christmas shopping sorted. Such a relief that I wont have to do it after work in the coming weeks.  Spent the first hour out visiting my friend.  She has been fighting different cancers for over 20 years (she is 59 next week) but has now been told it has travelled to her  brain and unless the current chemo helps (previous treatment failed) she probably only has 3 months. Its heartbreaking but she is so positive and has already compiled her short bucket list and begun ticking things off.  She says she will only stop fighting it when they cart her off. Don't know where she finds her strength but her and her husband know where I can be reached anytime.  Life can be so cruel.

To cheerier thoughts, have just had a text from my son's other half and she wanted to know if hubby and I would like to  be guinea pigs for her latest cooking endeavours!!  She makes wonderful cakes but has now decided to try savory pastries and is planning on a quiche and sausage roll bake day and would we be up to trying them for lunch on Friday.  How could we say no!!  Just as well I have had my blood tests (awaiting results) as I am not sure the doc would be happy with that on my diet but sure a little treat wont do any permanent harm.

Nice that you can share Christmas with your Mum (sounds just like me when I do it, preparations done Christmas Eve, so that I can enjoy myself too!!!)  Am sure  your children love going there too and its the youngsters who make it all worthwhile.

Hope you hear something on the workfront soon - can't be easy at this time of year.  Take care and have a good weekend.  Jules xx

Thanks Brian, I am sure you have enough on your mind to be going on with and now you have physically cream-crackered yourself  too.  Must need to revitalise with a big bag of energy boosting NUTS!!!  Hope you can take some time to relax after the laquering is done and take time to admire your handiwork.  Did you get your results on Tuesday? Hope all is well with you and Mrs B.

Managed to get most of our Christmas present shopping completed today and like you now feel rather shattered but fingers crossed unless we have to help our daughter later (now unlikely as her hubby due home in a couple of hours) I have a quiet evening once dinner is out of the way - huge jacket potatoes so think just a topping will be enough.

Take care and chat again soon.  Kind thoughts   Jules xx

Hi Jules,

I think that plate of egg and bacon that your hubby ate spoke volumes.  Sounds like you are sorted for your Christmas arrangements,  I agree a budget is a great idea, it is so easy to overspend and that's not what Christmas is about.  It should be about family and friends getting together and it sounds like you are doing all of that.  We are going away this year, I couldn't bear to stay here.  I have spent every year with Mum and Dad and mostly at my house, I had worried how it would be when Dad died but never expected them both to be gone.  So this year I am looking at the season as being more of a holiday than Christmas celebrations.  We weren't really affected much by the storm, we were in London Sunday night as we took eldest back to Uni.  Kept expected something to be brewing so came home early just is case but it didn't get windy here until early hours of Monday and no damage done thankfully.  Take care and speak soon.  Hope x

BRIAN,  I'm so sorry to read that your Dad's operation has been cancelled.  I expect they don't want to take any unnecessary risks with elderly patients having to undergo anaesthetic, I hope they can give him something to relieve the pain though.  Take care.  Hope x

Morning Mickied

Can well imagine you looking frantically around for the 'proper' present for Santa to bring.  My eldest grandson is 5 at the end of Nov. so at the  moment when he asks for something from Santa we have the excuse that he needs to wait and see what birthday gifts he may get and then he will 'write to santa' for his special gift.  Last year it was a specific toy car (and my daughter found it for £1 so that was wonderful).  This year he asked for a new drinks bottle(having chewed the top off the current one!!) but of course all the ads on tv tend to draw their attention to other things along the way.  Baby's present this year (lets face it he wont have any idea of what is going on at just 3months) will be money in the bank and NAPPIES.

Am just awaiting the call to say that eldest grandson has gone with his aunt and uncle for their day out (visiting small annimal sanctuary and having a 'spoiling' day for being so good and helpful since baby Zack arrived).  Once the coast is clear we will nip over and take our daughter out for lunch.  Nothing fancy (she chose a Wimpy because its walkable and has easy pushchair access and baby friendly staff and they dont often get the chance to eat out!!).

I am also shopping for lactose free options as my son's partner has been diagnosed dairy intolerant (so pleased to find out the cause of her stomach pains!! which has taken a while to narrow down) and as I have all the family for dinner on Saturday I want her to be able to eat what I have rather than her arriving with her own meal.  Just the dessert really plus the cheese board (boys prefer this to the sweet stuff!).  Thankfully a lot more available these days than there used to be so can make a trifle using soya milk custard (even I liked this when I tried it and probably better for my cholesterol levels too!!).

Take care of yourself, sending virtual hugs. Jules xx

Morning Hope

Can understand why you  are treating Christmas as a general holiday and think its lovely that you can manage to get away.  No doubt you will have mixed emotions wherever you are but you will be in the hearts of your own family for support and will certainly be ready for some relaxation.  Do take care Hope. You are so good at offering support to others on this forum (I think like me you find this helps you in some way too) but give yourself some TLC too.

Had just been telling others that my daughter had chosen to go to a Wimpy for her lunch treat today!!  Now I have had a text to say change of plans as she has to register baby with doctors and open his bank account so could we do that first and then lunch in the town centre.  Since it saves me a 20min walk in the rain who am I to argue!!  Her eldest woke this morning with a nosebleed (has them from time to time but does not seem to bother him!!) but it soon stopped as he deals with it very well and is very eagerly awaiting his day out with his aunt and uncle (special treat for being such a good big brother).  My son also suffered with nosebleeds as a youngster so he knows what its like!!  One thing for sure life is never routine with young children.

Well my holiday will soon be over and I cant say that I am feeling eager about returning to work!!  Think I have enjoyed not having that added stress in my life for the last couple of weeks and this time of year is always so manic.  No doubt I will be 'glum' on Monday morning but once there it will be 'back to the grind'.  Normally only have 1 day off for Christmas but all being well this year I will not have to work Boxing Day and that will mean a 5 day break (as I do not work Fridays) so keeping my fingers crossed as I would have to travel in from Hertfordshire where we are spending Christmas (leaving everyone else to enjoy themselves).

Well enough of  my wittering for now.  Take care and sending virtual hugs and wishing you and the family a peaceful weekend ahead.  Jules xx

Brian - I hope this message finds you well (and thanks Jules for letting me use your thread to send it...). but I just saw your message about your father.  So sorry to hear about this setback, but try to tell yourself that as much as it will extend some of his difficulties, going ahead with the surgery might have been much more difficutl for him, so as hard as it it, this is for the best.

Hope you are keeping well yourself, as always, I try to keep up to date with your news on other threads.

All the best to you, your Father and you family,

Catherine

HI JULES,

Just thought you might like to know you can get lactose free milk these days in most of the big supermarkets. More expensive than normal milk of course.!!!!!

Annabel. xx

Hi Jules,

Lovely to keep getting the updates on your daughter and the new baby, growing very nicely indeed by the sound of it.  Hope your daughter continues to feel well both emotionally and physically, and that all the support is helping her.

Thanks for your kind words about Elizabeth - she has picked up a bit and is returning to her normal cheeky but cheerful self.  The doctor called yesterday to advise they are not going to give her more anti-bioitcs as they are only superficially helping, and have referred her to ENT which we are comfortable with as don't want to keep giving her medicines when they are only partially working.

We are off to Dad's tomorrow, and the closer it has got, the more mixed my feelings about being back in Mum and Dad's house and all the memories that go with that.

Fantastic news about your hubby and long may that continue to be the case - great to hear about the smiles from both of you afterwards, and hope you have a few months of being bale to put this further back in your minds and get on with enjoying life and all the wonderful things you have to enjoy.

With very best wishes,

Catherine x

Hi Jules

Kids can be so craft can't they.  When it was Sarah's birthday near the end of September she said she wanted a double pram for her two baby dolls.  She already has a pram and then thought on it and said maybe I will ask Santa for that instead needless to say she hasn't mentioned it again only the Play Doh Icecream Shoppe and I only noticed today there are two versions of it.

I am sure your daughter was delighted as being to get the car your grandson wanted for £1.00 - what a bargain.  You are right about the ads on every morning when they know kids are more aware of what is going on.

Hope you enjoy your lunch with your daughter.  Glad to hear she is getting out and about more.  My mum has all us for dinner on Sunday - I don't know how she does it sometimes but she always manages.  I told her the other day I was worried about work and she said well if it is going to happen there is nothing you can do about it you just have to learn how to cope because it happens to people day and daily now.  Your poor son's partner suffering with stomach cramps there is nothing as bad at least they can treat it now with the right type of foods.

Any word about your blood test results?

Have a nice day and chat soon

Mickied