Has christmas finished already?

Wow, I could say that I don't know where the last couple of weeks have gone, but that would be a lie..... I have spent hours cleaning and cooking and shopping and going to school and other functions, and most of that was done with an awful cold.

I spent most of yesterday in and out of the kitchen,with cooking and last minute cleaning. Christmas was at our house for the first time this year and the prospect of assorted family members visiting the bomb site that our house had become was a bit scary...... I don't mind a messy house, and my close family don't care anyway, but I couldn't face a houseful of people politely stepping over piles of toys and assorted scraps of paper (what is it about paper that causes it to distribute itself around the floor in random sized scraps?).

So, the food was good, family were all well and happy, and it was nice to catch up with those people we don't see very often..... I would post a pic of the lemon meringue pie that I made for dessert (standing order at any family function)..... but it was all gone within an hour of being served (don't fall over on the way to the table at our house, there will be nothing left).

My inlaws are coming to stay for a few days, and are arriving tomorrow so I am in cleanup-from-party mode today, made easier by bopping along with my christmas present from hubby (sneaky man bought me an Ipod nano)...... need to get back to it really..... Happy new year (I probably won't get back here before then).

Nine years

I could tell you about my week of washing, the harvest of giant broad beans (the ones that I just didn't get around to picking at a reasonable size), putting up our christmas tree and my daughter's school play tonight..... but I'm not.....

I'm sending my hubby some flowers because it's our anniversary this week and we're doing anniversary prezzies under $10...... I got him some chockies and a card as well, this is just a bonus! (and Forget-me-nots stand for true love in the language of flowers )

I was thinking about it last week and suggested that seeing as we really didn't NEED anything in particular, and seeing as christmas is coming up faster than ever before, excessive spending for the sake of it seems a bit crazy in light of recent financial meltdowns around the world.... besides, who could go wrong with a favourite box of chocolates?

I went into town this morning to get some christmas pressies, a couple of last minute ones that I haven't been able to find closer to home...... next year I'm starting my christmas shopping in August, because I can't bear to be doing this again next year. The shop I went to (specifically planned to go to one shop only and reduce the agony) was full of people, my son was wandering off every five minutes, and the things that I was looking at to buy had no price tags!

I haven't worked out whether it is a ploy to make people buy stuff regardless of price because they are so exhausted/annoyed/desperate, or just that they don't care that a large percentage of their stock is not priced.... and of course the one thing that I did get (that had a tag) was incorrectly priced and took a good five minutes of 'mummy I have to go to the toilet NOW' time to get sorted..... (me with mental fingers crossed that he could hold on till we got to the closest toilet)

So we're back home and vegging out..... while I knit a test swatch with some of the bamboo/cotton yarn that I acquired at the shop (on considerable discount otherwise I wouldn't have bothered), and the tired little boy on the couch next to me rests and regains his equilibrium for tonight's school play outing.

Ok now I need to finish this swatch and go get my christmas beetle from school, feed her and get her back to school for a 7pm start......

Sssssshhhhh.......

Be very very quiet...... I'm hunting raspberries (and if anyone finds out they'll all want some!)

I've been too busy with going away over the weekend and catching up on house work this week to do anything much in the garden..... although while I was hanging out the washing I thought that I would check on the progress of the raspberries....

we put the nets on last week, when we first noticed that they were reddening. I think that the cold weather and all that rain that we have had over the last couple of weeks has made them a bit later coming on than last year, and some are more watery than I would like.

At least they are going to be in time for christmas (yay!) and maybe there will be enough to share with hubby and son today.....

Now, I have to go and find my leather gloves so that I can rummage through the canes properly......