RootsChat.Com
General => The Stay Safe Board => Topic started by: louisa maud on Monday 01 December 25 08:59 GMT (UK)
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Morning folks
Hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend.
Weather really horrible today after a nice bright day yesterday.
Got another busy week this week meeting up with my husband's siblings tomorrow so got to get cards written, will save me a lot on stamps, after such a busy time recently I haven't had time to even think about cards, got to get my skates on today.
Can't believe Christmas will be on us so soon.
Take care
LM
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Morning all.
The weather is like chalk and cheese, glorious sunny day yesterday, wet and windy today, it couldn’t be a greater contrast.
I’m pretty well organised for Christmas, just a few card to write, most will have to make do with E-cards, except those that can be hand delivered.I shall be glad when it’s over it seems to get longer each year, the lights on houses across the road have already been on for a while
Keep warm and dry everyone.
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Me neighbour across from us has had his decorations up since 2nd November, no youngsters in the house , mine usually go up about middle of December and that goes back to when our daughter was young, we never had any problems with her going on about father Christmas, worked well for us.
At the bazaar at the church father Christmas made an appearance, one little girl aged 4 had a letter for him, no one could read it, bless her but she could tell him, was really cute to see the children, he was a popular man on the day.
Because I was so wrapped up with the bazaar lots of things didn't get done, I have a heating engineer coming later so I gave to jump to it, he might want to go into every room to test the rads, also a grandaughter coming for a meal, it's all go!
No washing out today
LM
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First Christmas card arrived this afternoon, from Canada, from an old school friend. I suppose I had better send a proper one overseas after all. I did send her one last year before I was aware of their postal strike. It’s good to keep in touch as we are all in our eighties now.
My son is visiting me at the moment so ha can take all his family things with him when he goes home. That saves posting any cards and packages to them.
The worst part of Christmas when age catches up with us is the people we don’t hear from because they have popped their clogs during the year. :'( :'(
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I started to write my cards for a family get together tomorrow, then decided to carry on through my address book I am really short this year, so many departed and some since Covid decided not to send cards anymore, sad thing is that was the only time I corresponded with them so I don't know if they are still here.
LM
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Mine done in stages.
Firstly two birthday cards to Oz for d-i-l and grand daughter- sent!
Another b card to other d-i-l sent today for this weekend.
From last years card list I made a conscious decision who was to get a posted card along with the Annual News Chronicle via Postman Pat and who was to get an email message, agian with a simple greeting and the Chronicle. So the postal cards have been written and I am working on the list for e-mail.
For the church congregations (2) and some of the local traders i.e. butcher , groceries, chemist who have given good service throughout the year I will do an A4 poster type Christmassy message. And then a few personal cards to special friends and neighbours to be handed over at an appropriate moment. rj
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My church came up with the idea of putting a Christmas notice in the magazine and perhaps make a donation to the church instead of cards, I did do it last year except still people send cards, that was not the idea at all, I did receive cards but didn't give in return, that was not the object of the exercise, it was to make a nit of money for the church, I missed this year's Christmas greeting but will send a new year one instead.
LM
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We always made money for the Church by posting cards for other members and their families along with donations for the Church on the way in to the services leading up to Christmas. One of the Elders would collect the cards and money after the services. The following Sunday the cards would be laid out in alphabetical order for the congregation to collect their own cards and those of the sick or infirm who they lived near to. It always worked well.
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Ah Christmas cards… it’s such a dilemma to know what to do for the best… our church organises a Saturday morning to pop over to the village hall..( just over the road for me) have a coffee, mince pie, a chat and leave you village cards.
These are then sorted and delivered by church members it’s a great way to save walking the entire village delivering them…
I used to send the children out on their bikes but that was a lifetime ago when we didn’t have the traffic that races through… wouldn’t even contemplate them walking it as no pavements in most parts.
I do send e cards via a charity then make a donation but I like to fund local organisations rather than the big ones.
Need to get my skates on and start writing them ready to give to friends who may come to our Christmas Fayre on Saturday!
We’re busy making 20 wreaths on Thursday to sell… putting together raffle prizes
Our local butchers a lovely chap and he does us proud with a wonderful meat hamper..
Fridays going to be spent decorating the village hall.. husbands to the ready putting up lights and tree…
Early start on Saturday as although halls open at 9 am you can bet someone will be outside waiting at 8.30! Fortunately I’ll be able to see from my landing window so can zip across..
Sadly for the first time since we’ve been doing these biannual Fayres now our 4th it looks like it’ll be raining…
Hopefully we’ll still get plenty of people as we raise money for our counties Young carers.. so it’s 🤞🤞for a good day..
We have to leave at 4pm to drive to Ealing as youngest grandsons playing his saxophone at a concert for his Cadenza group… providing the A1 and north circular aren’t too busy we should make it in time… fortunately it’s only round the corner from where they live!
Think we’ll stay down overnight come back Sunday to face all the Fayre stuff that will have been dumped in the hall!
Hope your church raised lots last week LM all the hard work then seems worth all the effort!
Take care all and onwards towards Christmas!
Caroline
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I keep a record of cards sent and received ,if two years have gone by and no cards to me, I assume people have shortened their list , so don’t send again.
I don’t like emails instead of cards really.
My list us at least half what it used to be, it is high cost of postage really I feel. .
A bright sunny day here, bright but cold!
Well daughter is considering retiring ,a huge outlet is opening not far away, it will be hard to compete, their strengths are their friendly attitude, helpful advice,complete honesty and fully trained skilled mechanics .
They are now the only small outlet for many many miles ,all others have gone under .They can’t do all the services people want to book in now ,people are having to travel a long way too.
My son in law has had a big health problem ,so I can see them closing .
Just like the corner shops closing when the huge supermarkets open branches.
What a pity, they have been consistently the number one dealer for many years.
I won’t go down at Christmas ,they need some peace and quiet and being with the little ones is always a delight for them.
I might see them in the New Year but weather will dictate.
Not made my Christmas stuff yet! Not like me!
It will get done ,have all the ingredients .
Just the cake and mincemeat ,can’t face a Christmas pudding after last year’s “drama” —- but a really good trifle or Boodle’s Orange Fool will be nice.
We can’t face lunch and tea, so Christmas dinner is at three O’clockish
Then a light supper ,Turkey butties, mince pies , etc.
It works for us.
Look after yourselves .
Viktoria.
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I love Christmas cake, it's the only cake I do eat. Also love Christmas pudding and mince pies, all heavy in fruit but can't say I've ever made a Christmas cake or pudding. My mother used to make me a Christmas cake, best in the world! When she got too old to do it I just started buying them, I'm really not into baking. Tesco do a really nice cake, mince pies and pudding! :D
I do paint my own Christmas card though, upload it to the printer's website and receive the cards and envelopes ready to send out. Not progressing very well this year, it'll be last minute again the way I'm going.
Nice to see the sun today after a wet one yesterday, it's so low in the sky at this time of year. My bedroom faces my south facing garden and is lovely and sunny but unfortunately the kitchen that faces the same way is in shade from the house behind. I'm looking forward to when the days start getting longer.
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I do hope that all the Christmas cake lovers accompany it with cheese. :-* As a descendant of West Riding parents and grandparents it was obligatory for me to combine the two.
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My parents used to eat it with cheese, Wensleydale I think. I'm afraid I (North Riding girl)
haven't carried on the tradition although some of my friends have.
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First Christmas card arrived this afternoon, from Canada, from an old school friend. I suppose I had better send a proper one overseas after all. I did send her one last year before I was aware of their postal strike. It’s good to keep in touch as we are all in our eighties now.
My son is visiting me at the moment so ha can take all his family things with him when he goes home. That saves posting any cards and packages to them.
The worst part of Christmas when age catches up with us is the people we don’t hear from because they have popped their clogs during the year. :'( :'(
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My first card arrived this morning. Almost the first every year but I haven't seen him for probably 20 years! The son of very good friends. ;)
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I always made my Christmas Cakes, I did it in May so they had months to mature.. I used to make for friends as well. I have only bought a Christmas once and there was still some left at Easter, whereas I was lucky if my own lasted until New Year’s Day. I don’t bother just for myself as I can no longer cope with family gatherings and prefer to spend Christmas alone and selfishly pleasing myself.
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Well, just had a nice session with The Shadows,,they were good,whilst I tidied up .
One piece is called Geronimo ,another Apache, out of curiosity I googled Geronimo, whilst a very noble face,he bore no resemblance to Jeff Chandler!
Sitting Bull had the same broad face as Geronimo ,then the very sad photograph of the old Chief,frozen in the snow on the reservation after a U.S.Army raid.
The Indians were real ecologists ,having the buffalo ,they used every part of the buffalo,moving them along to prevent overgrazing whilst not being farmers.
Look at the Great Plains now,a giant dust bowl.
We never seem to learn.
Well, bed calls after a milky drink,electric blanket on but must be switched off as seemingly older ones can mess up pacemakers, I have a new one but must check if that needs to be unplugged too.
Night night .Viktoria.
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Haven't played any of our Shadows music in a while, we kept a few old favourite LPs when we moved but had too many unplayed for years.
Lots of effort LM and Caroline for your funrasing and hopefully profitable, I usually go for a browse for anything local like that. We had a lovely 'handmade' market last weekend and I found something that I think is suitable for neice's 60th next weekend ... and as I like it myself that is another option :P
Tend to avoid busy shopping times but Friday, which was 'Black Friday' for shopping but sales weeks before and also after, I suggested to husband that he try out the public transport to the city and beyond as in 2 years he'd not done that yet. We went local bus to the nearest main bus station, express bus to city, train to just south of city and a couple of hours there and return. It went well, lovely lunch and not too crowded shops, a couple of unintended but happy purchases for myself and granddaughters :)
Nature is throwing us some noisy thunder and hail and big dollops of water this afternoon ...
... thankfully eased again ... easy dinner prep this evening, take two of last night's roast :)
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Oh, Viktoria, your memory is remarkable! I remember quite liking the sound of "The Shadows", although I could never stand Cliff Richard.
Got as far as buying pile of cards for my favourite charities, felt I'd worked hard on Friday. Intended to write them all out and post them over weekend - got exactly five written so far!
Frightening how many people need crossing off my list. I never actually stop sending a card to anyone, unless I absolutely know they are no longer with us, it doesn't matter if I don't get one back, at all, but I hate the idea of someone not getting a card from me who normally would expect one.
By the way, has anyone found out how KGarrad of the Isle of Man, is ? Hope he's okay, a very helpful person with information.
Need to struggle with loft ladder to get down a few bits like candle bridge and main table decoration of old venetian glass tree, not looking forward to struggling with loft ladder - climbing it is okay, but getting the wretched thing down and locked in place ....... Not coping well enough to get or decorate a real Christmas tree this year, so three huge boxes up there of fragile Christmas tree glass baubles, some dating back to 1888, will stay unused this year for the first time....
Pity, because I've always loved a real tree.
TY
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A bumper Christmas shopping day for me in our nearby city today. I had waited till a fine day was forecast and it was frosty to start with, with bright sunshine. I noticed that several shops had helpfully scattered grit outside to stop people slipping. This was my second attempt to get all the presents and thankfully I now have everything I need. I always do a "Santa Grannie" stocking, well, a large gift bag, actually, for my grandchildren and found a lovely Swedish shop with lots of inexpensive bits and pieces. I missed the 12.30 return bus and had to wait till 1.50 for the next and last bus to our village, and returned home tired and hungry but satisfied about 2.30. The sun is beginning to sink down now and I'm very glad to be home. Now to put my feet up for a short break before making our evening meal - Jamie Oliver's Veggie Chilli is good and spicy, so should go down well.
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Hello All
Been dry, nice and sunny here and after Breakfast porridge with blueberries and pineapple, had a shower and went out for a walk in the countryside with an apple and banana to eat, but the fields are muddy by the footpath gates on the farm, due to the horses congregating around the gates.
On the way back called in at the Coop and got a nice small Wood Fired Margherita Pizza, in the oven and eaten with a dry Red.
I can have Cheddar Cheese and Oatcakes or Cream Crackers with real butter, but can only dream of the Cake with Marzipan :P
I've just had a rash mainly limited to both arms and inflammation in one arm and hand, after a hardly anything kind of virus about 6 weeks ago, which went for the digestion system.
I've had some Ointment made in Sweden, it looks like lard and put that on my itchy skin at the first signs I want to rub it.
I'm afraid the sugar in marzipan :P would turn to glucose very quick and excite the cells and also causes awful belly pain.
The other thing I miss is a Hot Cross Bun toasted with butter and sultana scones toasted with butter, oh Chocolate Gateau, Scottish Tablet, Scottish Shortbread and fudge.
You can see I was a bad boy and now I'm repenting!
I have got so use to food without added sugar and sweeteners, that I find even a teaspoon size of that food so so sickly and cannot understand how it was normal to eat it.
Perhaps it is payback time and a life of sweet abstinence now.
I have also been wondering about KG (KGarrard) he was "last active" 29th September 2025 and the last message on this Board (also 29th) said he was going into hospital 3rd October and I also seem to think for his 3rd Operation.
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=894035.msg7684671#msg7684671
Bladder 3rd Op
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=894035.msg7683465#msg7683465
KG did say once in a Rootschat post what his family name was.
Mark
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Well how kind that so many are thinking of K.G.
This is a friendly site and people do care about one another as I know .
K.G. I add my good wishes to those already expressed.
Well card list much reduced ,need stamps now - but still ouch!-
I don’t feel a bit Christmassy ,worried about daughter and son in law,it is hard to see how ,as consistently the best outlet , they are having it so rough !
I have a little glass trumpet, a tree ornament older than I am so 88 plus.
It is broken now but survived the Manchester 1940 Christmas Blitz.
The last of the decorations at home, shared between my sister and I .
It all comes back, the baking and lovely dinner,after years of rationing .
It seemed so special, mainly because everyday life was very mundane and limited by austerity and rationing .
It took very little to thrill us , how different for today’s children who get so much even when not their Birthdays or Christmas.
I have carefully stepped down from my soapbox !
Look after yourselves folks, we mean a lot to each other.
We got each other through the isolation of Covid .
Cheerio.
Viktoria.
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I think Viktoria as we get older we see huge changes at Christmas time, gone are the days we might have got an orange, choc coins and bits and pieces, the youngsters get so much whether it be Chrismas or birthdays, we had an only child and made the decision that we were not going to spoil her, I had been at school with 2 very spoilt only children and we didn't want our daughter to grow up like that, she seldom asked for toys when shopping, the only thing was we were in a seaside town in a big shop, she was very interested in a colourful beach ball, didn't ask for it but we decided to buy it for her, she hugged it all the way home in the car and wanted to take it to bed, it hadn't been in the garden so it was still clean, so we let her take it to bed, just a memory.
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Hi Viktoria and LM and All
I hope you are both doing okay and all are keeping well.
I hope things improve for your Daughter and Son-in-Law Viktoria. It is also a pity when something you have had for so long, breaks.
LM that takes me back, all my new Matchbox cars had to go to bed with me.
My Mum was worried I'd stay up, but when she came to check before retiring, I was fast asleep and she would move the car or toy away so I didn't roll on it, or hit my face on it in my sleep.
Sounds all daft now ;D
Mark
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I have sent KG a PM and I know that others have too but the last log in dates remain the same on his profile. I do hope that his op went well and that he is OK.