General Chat

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Hi Bridget,
Busy times ahead for you. Weather here is really awful, after almost three months of hot sunny weather it is raining gatas y perros! and has been for about 24 hours, it is also struggling to reach 7ºC. Hopefully it will be sunny for Christmas. Nothing spectular planned, friends coming for dinner on Christmas Eve and then a quiet day, just the two of us, on Christmas Day, with any luck on the beach.
Have a happy holiday and a healthy and happy 2010.

Frances.

Hello Bridget, Frances and whoever comes along,

You are going to be rather busy by the sound of it Bridget, do enjoy. I'm sure you will have a whale of a time with Roberta. We are expecting friends from East London (SA) for a few days over Christmas. We will haave a special meal on Christmas Eve with them, and they will spend Christmas Day with their son in Port Elizabeth. On Christmas Day we will go to church in the morning and spend a quiet day at home. My daughter will be here for lunch.

The weather is still hot and water restrictions are still in place - no sign of rain.

I baked ginger nuts this morning but not sure where my mind was!! Instead of putting the sugar with the butter I put it into the flour! So there I was with a small muslin strainer sifiting the flour out of the sugar. Anyway the end result was good and the biscuits are very nice. All's well that ends well.

Have a very happy Christmas those who celebrate it and to those who don't, enjoy the holidays.

Will be remembering your greatniece Bridget.

Take care.



Val in SA.

Good afternoon all
Well we arrived back in Alicante on Thursday with our friends - unbeknown to me they too flew out of Bristol airport on the same plane. So once hubby had picked up the car off we went and had lunch in Benidorm overlooking the beach and sea. We had a lovely few days with them and enjoyed a birthday lunch on Sunday - it was hubby's birthday - also found out it was the waitresses birthday too - out came Paul's sweet with a candle on it quickly followed by a bottle of cava - a present from the restuarant - very nice indeed. But did it rain on Sunday or Monday or did it rain - just as Frances said.
Heard on Saturday that our eldest son and his wife arrive on Sunday for 8 days - so panic stations - beds to change and loads of cleaning, washing etc. but it will be worth it. So Sunday we are off to Alicante airport again.
We had a great time in UK seeing family and friends - the bride looked absolutely fabulous - not the traditional bride more like Cinderella going to the ball in a gold dress - she certainly looked stunning.
Bridget - hope the hospital visit for your great neice went ok - she is still in my prayers.
Just in case I do not get on here before Christmas may I wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.
Take care all
Love Mary xx

Bridget, sounds as if the run up to Christmas is full for you, have a lovely time with Roberta and with your daughter for your 'pre-Christmas'.
Mary Glad you had a good time in UK, bet you were pleased to get back to warmer weather, even if it is wet!
Val, ginger biscuits sound nice, not something I'd make as my OH doesn't like ginger.

Ann
Glos

Popping in to say hello.
We had some rain during the night and it has been raining softly this morning, hope there is some rain in the catchment area for the dams.
I went out to do some shopping and came back looking like a drowned rat!!!!

The town is really filling up with visitors , getting into the town centre is quite a mission as it's bumper to bumper traffic all the way down the main road.

Friends will be arriving next Thursday, am looking forward to their visit, we have been friends for a long time - about 42 years.

Take care.


Val in SA.

Enjoy your visitors Val. Our eldest son and his wife are arriving on Sunday to spend Christmas with us. So today I had to buy them both a little present for under the tree - in actual fact finished my present shopping this morning - I am so happy that has been done.
Our weather is dull today and they have promised us rain this afternoon - mind you that is better than the snow they have in England and even in France. My friend who lives in Brittainy phoned this morning singing 'I'm dreaming of a white Christmas' - they live in the middle of nowhere so are stuck in the house.
Enjoy the weekend everyone
Love Mary xx

Mary, it will be lovely for you having your son and his wife for Christmas.
I also had to get a couple of little presents for under the tree.
Although there are parts of the country which do get quite a lot of snow I have never lived there so I only see it on Christmas Cards!!

Have a lovely weekend.


Val in SA.

Hi everyone, just read all the messages, great to see everyone is still posting.

Roberta and parents arrived safely and she is delightful. My mother would have called her "a Bonny Baby" and so content.... She has big blue eyes, a shock of black hair and lovely rosy cheeks, She smiles and isn't shy and we had a great time.
It snowed hard yeaterday and today and we have more snow this evening, some of the roads are quite treachorous and we are giong to Suffolk tomorrow so hope conditions improve.

Have almost finished shopping but cannot think what to get Peter and when I ask he tells me " I have everything I need or want"
Does anyone else have this problem??/

HAPPY CHRISTMAS WHEREVER YOU ARE

Bridget

Hello everyone from a sweltering JBay.

Oh Bridget, Roberta sounds really cute. Hope your greatniece is doing well.

The town in packed with holiday-makers and the traffic everywhere is a nightmare! As I've men tioned before we have quite strict water restrictions in place, to-day when coming home from the Mall what do I see but some holiday-makers hosing down their boat, we are not even allowed to water our gardens much less wash cars and boats!! Amazing how thoughtless or perhaps its selfish people can be. .

I arrived home to find Jimmy very busy vacuuming the lounge carpet . While we were both out the hose on the washing machine had broken and the laundry, kitchen and about a third of the lounge/dining room were under water!! Oh well, these things happen , just fortunate that we were not away longer I guess or it might have been worse.

All the presents are wrapped and waiting.

My daughter's puppy is growing so quickly, he seems to be all paws at this stage. He is very good and already knows that he isn't allowed in the kitchen.

That's it for now.

Take care and have a very Happy Christmas.

Just came on this thread to wish everyone on here a happy Christmas. Bridget Roberta sounds adorable. I wonder what Peter would say if you took him at his word and bought him nothing!!!!

Merry Christmas everyone and a happy and healthy 2010.

Enjoy,
Frances.

PS My OH and I haven't bought each other presents for years...he'd be more surprised if I bought him something!!

Good morning everyone
i hope that you are all hale and hearty and have had a wonderful Christmas Day.
Our Christmas day was very differentf from the previous years yet we enjoyed ourselves immensley and it became very special.

I had to work from 10.00 to 15.00, now this is something I haven't done for years, but off I went.
Of the 22 people we care for 6 went out for christmas 4 were going to be away for a couple of days and two just for the day. All the staff turned up a little earlier than usual and made sure that all those going out were dressed in their finnery and had the presents they needed all wrapped and in a Christmas bag. Then all the other residents were similarly helped,so.
there was a constant flow of visitors and the gifts grew under the ChristmasTree the until the hall was beginning to look as if we going to drown under the volume of them. Some went off to Church and the others either watched a service on TV or simply rested. Visitors started to arrive from 10.00hrs onwards and tea coffee.was constantly served

At midday the champagne came out and the white wine, all remaining residents, their visistors and the staff had a glass of champagne and toasted Christmas and opened their presents. It really does not matter how old you are everyone enjoys receiving gifts. The age range of the residents is from 84 to 103 and all were excited. Then we went into the dining room. The Kitchen staff had worked very hard and the dining room looked wonderful. Special white linen tableclothes were out all set beutifully and one resident had made special napkin holders, the crackers were out and the whole area was very festive. once all the residents and their guests had been served the 8 staff on duty and I and my husband also sat at a table and enjoyed a superb Traditional Lunch and everything was home made.
The cheff was complimented by the visitors and one gentleman who lives in France stood and toasted the chef and her staff for an "outstanding quality of food" and told her that it equalled any restaurant he had ever been in" she was so embarrassed but also pleased.

Finally everyone was either in the sitting room or their own rooms, and I decided it was time to go soo said goodbye to all and came home. OH yes forgot to mention that Peter also came to the home at midday and really joined in, chatting away to the ladies and gentlemen, opening the door to visitors and I think the highlight for him was sitting wat the taff table for lunch surrounded by some very pretty staff and enjoying a very good meal.

We arrived Home just after 15.00hrs and then all the children called and we both felt that we had a wonderful Christmas day.
We also had the great memory of the previous Sunday when we went to my daughters; and had a terriffic time with her two children some friends we have known for a long time and Soldier son and his girlfriend were there as a surprise.
Finally we slumped on the sette, ate chocolate, and later in the evening had a light supper and so the day passed.
I hope you all enjoyed you Christmas Day and just want to say that in my much shorter than usual "quiet time" I prayed that you all had a peaceful day/
Bye for now
Bridget

Bridget,
Your Christmas Day sounds wonderful and I'm sure the residents had a very special time. I'm pleased for you that the day went well, if different, but it was lovely to be able to have your early family Christmas too.
We had a family day yesterday at our daughter's house, - nothing grand, just good food, great company and some happy memories.

I always think of you if we are near The Ridge. Perhaps we will be able to meet before you move again.

Gwyn

Gwyn
Thanks for you message, I hope you received mine.
I have a day off today, fingers crossed.
Our boiler which provides all the hot water and the central heating system has broken down so for the last days and nights it has been cold. In the sitting room we have a small electric fire which is at least keeping that room warm. We are having to boil water in the kettle and take it to the bath room...so now not only can we not shower, because the ceiling is so low that we cannot stand up in the bath to shower BUt now cannot even have a bath!!! Takes me back to when I was a child living just off the Mile End Road in east London. very night we had strip washes in the kitchen before we went to bed and then on Friday night the old tin bath was brought in from the garden and because I was the eldest I was able to have a bath first. My sister hated me for it!!
Maybe I should go and buy a Tin Bath, except there is nowhere to put it.
The owners of the property live in France so I know have to send them a message...
It is very cold today but the sun is shining at the moment but not sure what the forecast is, but I think we shall be staying in today.
Was up earlier on and sat and had a coffee whilst I looked back on the last yar. I had, like many people some very troubled times, and a lot of support from people on one of these boards. If it wasn't for their wonderful help, suggestions and opinions I am not sure that OH and I would be here now. Life was certainly going in the wrong direction and sometimes outsiders views are so much clearer. I know, also, that a few of those very kind people were concerned when they heard that I was coming back to work. To them I say your advice has stayed with me..OH and I are here together and whilst I still enjoy my work it is no longer my main priority.
We are happy and relaxed and it could have been so different.
So if you felt today that someone was thinking of you, it just may have been me

Bridget

Just caught up with this thread again. So pleased that you had a good Christmas Bridget, what a lovely home that sounds, a far reach from many of them. Lucky are the people who live there. Is it private or council run?

I am also pleased that you feel you have made the right choice in going back to work and that you are finding time to enjoy life together in UK also.

Can anyone give me a vague idea of what weather we could reasonably expect to have from 26th March for a week in Andalucia please?

nudging in case anyone can answer my question.

Oh Ann
I am sorry but I have no idea what the weather would be like in late March. I will try to find out for you.
Andalucia is rather north so i wouldn't expect it to be particularly warm
The Home I am working is a Private Home not Health Authority or social services. I am aware that there are vast differences in both type of home and really if one is looking for somewhere it is all about asking the right questions and visiting more tha once. I am always available to give some tips

Will be back soon, someone at the door

bridget

Andalucia should be fairly warm in March/April, as it is so far south and Sevilla often has the hottest temperatures in Spain. Perhaps take a light jacket for the evenings....but then again I could be totally wrong....today on the Costa Blanca it is 23ºC!!!!

Whatever the weather enjoy a beautiful part of Spain.

Regards
Frances

I have always wanted to go there so am looking forward to it.
Thanks for the info on the home Bridget, I thought it didn't sound like council/social services.