General Chat

Oh Val how I agree with you about Christmas, it seems to have become completely commercialised. this year I decided to put a limit on the money spent for each of my children and grandchildren and uit is working out very well. We need to remember that Christmas is about birth whether that be in the traditional meaning or in a new way, to live our lives as people who care about each other and looking out for them.
It gives us a few days to think about our lives and the lives of all those around us.
I recall some very happy times when we had little soare money and had to really think hard what gifts to make or buy, who to share our celbration with etc.
Now it all seems so commercialised in the UK. Back home in Spain my husband has confirmed that whilst some Christmas food is coming into the shops, the shops have yet to put out Christmas stock and we like it that way. I shall read my piece about Christams in Spain and hold onto that as the day approaches us all.

I wonder what evryone else thinks?
I must say I have missed making the Christmas cake!!

Bye for now as going to have something to eat now but may be back later.

Although bought up as a Catholic (I even went to a Convent School at one time), I no longer believe.
However, I think that Christmas is over commercialised.

Some of my siblings still believe and go to Mass every Sunday, I wonder sometimes if the commercialisation "gets there goat" more than it does mine.

Us four and my brother-in-law, have a sort of secret santa each year.

My sis and I celebrate our birthday together (we were born almost excatly two years apart). We meet up as a family and go for a meal, this year to a Chinese Buffett.
While there, we do the drawer, by picking an enveope, with someones name in.
This way, we only buy one present. This vastly cuts cost. It also gives us all more time to give special thought to what we are going to buy for our "chosen person"

I don't buy for my nieces anymore, but do get a little gift for the next generation.

I will also probably spend Christmas day alone (very much by choice). This gives me time to think about the last year and to give special thought to the family.

Christmas Dinner seems to have got out of hand in some homes.
Which causes a lot of pressure for the food preparers.
I like to relax, will have the family round shortly after Christmas. We will have a buffett type meal, probably with baked potatoes. Much less pressure. So a lot more time to enjoy each others company.

This also means that the true Christians in the family can enjo the true meaning of Christmas (i.e. celebrating the anniversary of Jesus Christ) without having to worry about buying presents, cooking loads of food oand dashing from one place to anither, making sure that they visit all rellies, who would otherwise be offended.

There - rant over!

I don't think that everyone should do as I do, they should all suit themselves. Without giving into the pressure forced on us by advertiser etc.

Tess

68 days to the 4th Feb 2011, and then my contract at work comes to an end!!

I also have 15 days holiday to deduct from that because I am going home for two weeks and flying early on the 27th December.
OH called tonight and said that the champagne will be flowing....

I am being really lazy tonight wallowed in the bath, ate ready made meal and had fresh fruit salad to follow and have done absolutely nothing else except play games on the computer.......I feel so relaxed I might fall down when I stand up and NO ihave not drunk any alcohol,

Oh yes I have now also employed one of the domestic staff from work to come in and clean the flat once a week.....I suppose that really that is an extravagance but He Ho I don't care it is so nice to not to do the deep cleaning.

All Chrstmas present ordered for direct delivery or bought and to be posted tommorrow.

I hope everyone is keeping well and look forward to reading to your messages.

Bye for now

Bridget

To evryone and especially Tess who seems to have a great Christmas.

I have just read yourlast posting again and your Christmas sounds delightful.
I do enjoy Christmas and like yourself I was brought up as a Catholic, went to Convent Schools and took first communion, and was confirmed,,,,,Do I still believe???? now that is a very deep and serious questions. I guess the answer is "I waver" Sometimes it is comforting and I do pray every day in one form or another, sometimes I call it positive thoughts, at other times i call it "My Quiet Time"
I like celebrations even if there are only two people together, such as you and your sister. I have two sisters, only brother died when just a few hours old, My younger sister was born on the same date as me but four years later and my elder sister is 9 years older and 4 days earlier than us. We send cards but not presents and we do not send presents for any nieces or nephews over the age of 18.

I put a limit on how much to spend and this year OH and I are not buying for each other, a joint decision. We will be apart as you will all know so we are going to have a special meal at Home on the 27th with plenty of Champagne, This will mean we do not have to worry about driving. Rather like yourself Tess this will not be a traditional UK meal but most likely a fish meal and we will have bought the fish fresh from the fishermen.



We will have our Christmas cake though as I make one each year ready for next year as it is feed throughout the year with Brandy.

Enough about Christmas.

I have just been brave enough to peek out of mmy bedroom window and thank goodness there is not any snow on the ground. There are a few tiny flakes falling but they are melting as they his the ground. If anyone is in an area of heavy snow please be very careful, we do not want anyone to fall over etc.

I do expect that children living in snowy places will be having a great time, making snow men and thoughing snow balls etc, isn't it great to be young and have such fun.?

This evening I will be back. I think I may even try to write about one of the places I have lived or has anyone got any suggestions as to what would be an interesting or fun subject to write about.?

Bye for now everyone, enjoy your day

Bridget

Your Christmas sounds lovely Tess. As it is so hot here in December we usually have cold meat and salads, it is just too hot to cook!. My sister will be visiting over Christmas which will be nice, there will just be the two of us, my daughter and my sister so things will be quiet, but I like quiet.

Well, our Defy Automaid gave up the ghost yesterday, we were told it could be repaired for R1000 but we would have the same problem in 6 months, so we opted to rather buy a new one. This time we settled for a Samsung which I hope will last longer than the Defy which we had for 8 years, but perhaps I expect too much. I am the only one to use the machine so it is well cared for. My plan for a rain water tank will have to be put on hold for a while now.

Oh the thought of b eing able to wallow in the bath! Who knows when I will have that luxury again>

I must be off to get ready for our church Christmas Lunch, I must admit that I am not really looking forward to it, but maybe I will be pleasantly surprised.

Have a lovely day.



Val.

nudge

I love Christmas and this year am really looking forward to it as we will be at our daughters. The benefit of that is that her OH loves cooking and does most of it in their house so I will have all my meals cooked for me. Now the Grandsons are grown up there is not the excitement of stockings etc but we still buy for them all and, although they also get a cheque each they like getting their little gifts. Daughter and I give each other a carrier bag full of little gifts that have been bought throughout the eyar. great fun is had unwrapping them all. And OH and I still buy presents for each other because we are big kids.

Despite all this I was brought up a Baptist and, although I don't go to church I never lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas.

Tess, your christmas sounds delightful. My sister has chosen to spend hers on her own this year too and is looking forward to it.

sorry everyone it is a little late for me to write much tonight, so sweet dreams,

and may the angels protect you all

Bridget

Well despite my misgivings the lunch was really, really nice. Good wine, good food and good company. The hotel had pretty green tablecloths with red overlays and one of the ladies had made table decorations of little Christmas trees with beads for each lady to take home afterwards.

The new washing machine was delivered yesterday so I was able to do the washing to-day. As it is electronic I thought it would be difficult to operate but it is surprisingly easy to use and runs much quieter than the automaid, spins better too.

Our town is filling up with visitors quickly, there are long queues at the supermarket and as is usual for this time of the year parking is at a premium.

Many people here have been retrenched, for some reason I do not understand the retrenchments always take place just before Christmas. The Billabong factory has retrenched 60 staff members I am told. Quite a few other small businesses have also closed their doors due to the bad economic climate, all very sad for those involved.

On Saturday evening we will be attending a carol service at the Mall, I am looking forward to that - my favourite carol is Once in Royal David's City.

Do hope you are all having a lovely day.

Take care.


Val.

I went to work on Monday and have just come home! Now do not jump to conclusions but this is what happened.
It snowed!! I mean it really, really snowed, the worst snow falls for 17 years so of course no one was prepared.
The village where I work was completly cut off and the snow settled and settled and settled, we had so much snow that it covered the snowman that some of the staff and built and it was on the table outside on the patio.
The tables had about 2 feet of snow and they all looked like oversized wedding cakes and the trees looked magnificient, The icicles were about two feet long and looked just like Panpipes.

The snow kept falling and settling and unless one had a 4 x 4 cars, vans etc were skidding everywhere. Some of the staff walked a good mile and a half to work from the centre of the village and my deputy walked about six or seven miles to get to work....dedication, I certainly think so.
as for where I live....it was impossible to get out off or into. I live on a Road known as The Ridge so rather self explanetary but having reached the top of the ridge there is a sudden and deep decline and than a sharp left before one can park the car etc. The change is so bad that most people could not get Up the slope to get out of the ridge so they were stuck and so was I but at work.!!
Even today when a 4 x 4 car brought me home it would not go down the slope so I walked down carrying one handbag, one over night bag and one case of paper work,. I did any have any boots with me, the snow went it my shoes and up to my knees and I felt the pain that comes from severe cold! It took me 15 minutes and then I fell and hurt just above my ankle......for a moment I could have said some thing rude but when I realised that my ankle was intact I breathed a sigh of relief... and I have to go back on a couple of hours to do the night duty!!!

Hope every one is keeping well and I will be back on here this evening

A quick visit for me this evening.

Bridget, at least you were warm and snug while you were in your place of work. I hope that you had somewhere decent to sleep.

It has been snowing here again this evening (Friday), and is still quite cold outside. I have turned the heating up - initially was waiting for it to be "proper winter" i.e. later in the year! but then decided to let common sense rule, rather going by the date.
I don't usually have the heating this high till around Christmas or the new year.
I am now nice and warm + + +

Bridget, I hope that your journey back to work was ok, or that you changed your mind and stayed home instead. I reckon that your leg may have stiffened up during the day. Please take care of yourself and don't try to be brave. A night in your own bed sounds like a good idea. Then (weather permitting) you can think about having a couple of sleep-ins at the home. (or even a couple of nights on duty, if you are able to sleep in during the day.

Received some more death certs today. I find that one of my ancestors died of Cholera in 1849. There was an outbreak 1848-49 in Wales.
So I am still learning about Social Histort as well as family history.

My son and I went to a Choir Concert last Saturday night. We listened to The Warley Male Choir, plus a Jazz Trio (whose name escapes me at the moment). My bro-in-law usually sings with the Warley lot, but he has been a little under the weather recently, so was downgraded to being in the audience, with my sister, a friend and my son and I.

Have also been to Ik-a (flat-pack furniture), with my son, spent ages there, literally hours... it drove me mad. But did get a couple of rugs for the kitchen floor as well as two narrow cupboards for my bathroom (have had the airing-cupboard removed.) So things are looking a little better.

On tuesday went out shopping with the Ring & Ride as usual. However, probably because of the weather, we were rather late getting there.
We had only fifty minutes to get a trolley, rush round the supermarket, queue at tthe check-out, get served, than a quick dash back to the carpark to be ready for the Ring & Ride bus to pick us up.
I managed to make it on time but forgot to get some extra milk. However, one of the other ladies was left behind, as she was over ten minutes late. This is one of the drawbacks of the Ring & Ride system.

The garden at The Home sounds beautiful, I hope that someone managed to take some photos.

Try to get back tomorrow.

Hope that you are all well,

Tess

Tessyou have been busy, I miss all the excitement of preparing for Christmas, I know that we have a big party on the 8th for the residents and their family friends but it iis not the same as being at home and getting everything out of store and putting up the tree and then hanging the trinkets and each one holding a memory... it will seem very strange not having any family around and i sm not sure what I shall do in the afternoon, maybe some decent wine an old film, or read a book or simply sleeeeep because i feel so tired.

It is the Night out tonight and I have been told that I MUST be there but to be honest this is not my idea of heaven, I will go as I know that the newly appointed Manager is also going to be there , He called me and we had a great conversation and discovered that we both knew we had even worked with the same people over the years . Apparently he is supposed to be the star guest tonight so perhaps I will learn which date |I am leaving,hoooraaah.

I tried today to think what or it is that has caused me to dislike my work this time,
1. Mrs "you cant do that"

Has anyone else met someone whi=o constantly makes this comment??

I am becoming grumpy so off to walk around and check everyone is OK
Bye bye for now

Great News

Last night was the company Christam Party and I must say it was very very good indeed.Excellent food, great wines and champagne, dancing all night AND BEST OF ALL the person who has accepted the offer to be the new Manager where I live came along as well.!!!
Now I know it is really happening. The final date for working is to be agreed BUT i will NOT be there after the end of February and I may leave on or near to the date I put in writing all those months ago!!!!
Mrs "You can't do that" could not contain her glee that I am defineltly leaving and it simply didn't matter to me. I feel so happy that I wonder if I am over re acting???

I do hope that there is someone out there who reads this soon.!!!


Bridget

I have no idea what I am doing, but I have written twice and both times I have lost the post, I will try again to-morrow perhaps i will have better luck!!
However, I will say I can almost feel your excitement Bridget, I am really happy that things are finally falling into place for you to stop work and go home. You can definitely start marking off the days on the calendar now.


Val.

Bridget, you must be Mrs "Oh, yes I can!"

It really is countdown time. Christmas is nearly here, and once Christmas and New Year are over, it will be very nearly tome to leave.

As Val says, we can feel your excitement bouncing off the page!!!

I am in a good mood as my football team won today.
The Christmas Party sounds great, so it is a geed job that you went.


Just think, next Christmas you will be a lady of leisure, able to do what you want, when you want.

Watch out Spain, Bridget is coming .....

Tess

Tess and Val

Thanks and yes I am very excited. I know that it is silly but I feel so happy and on other occassions when I have said I was retiring I did not feel this same emotion. I felt sad and concerned that maybe I owed it to society to work as long as I could. Now i just want to be at home, relax, spend quality tme with a very generous husband, to be there when friends come to visit, to be able to wake up in my own bed and even to have the odd disagreement with OH.

hello everyone,

I hope that you are all well and having a great day, I am totally confused each time I wake up. !!!
ybe at home all day and then to go to work at around 7pm. I was woken by the sound of the telephone wringing and was asked to go back to work as there were some irate reletives demanding to see me. So by 14.00hours I was back at work. UI had the meeting with the family and took the deputy with me. sufficient to say that two hoirs later the family were thanking us fot=r looking after their relative and we were being hugged by them, Result of this is that then I stayed at work as I would have had to be back at 19.00hrs anyway,!!
The night went smoothly and home I came. BUT to day is our big Chriistmas Party for the residents and their families and friends, so ariound 100 people will be having a very good time this afternoon from 4pm so guess who has been tild she MUST be back by 15.00hrs and then stay until 7am tomorrow morning!!

I thib=nk that I shall sleep for twenty four hours when this little stint finishes....the good thing though is that each day is nearer to my retirement and I will soon be home.

Have just been informed that I have to vacate my flat on the 4th of February as the owner has a person who wishes to move in on the following day. Now I shall have to start going through each room and see what I want /need to take home and what to throw /give away.

Well enough of my ramblings, I hope that I have not bored you all but as you can see this lady is not getting about a great deal....

I am looking forward to reading you news and also wondering if anyone is making amy pledges for next year????

My word Bridget, you sound sleep-deprived!! I do hope that you all have a good time at the Christmas party.

Life for us is very quiet for us at the moment so I don't really have any news but thought I would just write a few words anyway.

Hopefully our tree will be put up soon, as it is a fibre-optic one(a gift from friends) we cannot decorate it, I must say that I do miss the decorating.

On Saturday evening we attended the Carols by Candlelight - I enjoyed most of it, some of the items were too charismatic for me, I am a traditionalist I'm afraid. The choir from one of the local Afrikaans churches was just too beautiful.

Have a nice evening.

Val.

Good day everyone, just woken by the flat next door slaming the from=nt door,,so will try to go back to sleep now.I hope that everyone is feeling well and in the festive mood

will be back later

Bridget

It has been drizzling softly this afternoon, it's a pity we don't have our water tanks installed yet. It would be really good to have a wet Christmas.
At last our tree has been put up, so will be admiring it to-night once it is dark and the pretty lights are flickering. There is a couple who live fasirly close by who decorate their home every year with thousands of lights outside, it always looks lovely, they have a box for donations at the front door aqnd anyone wishing to make a donation is welcome to do so, the proceeds are divided between Hospice and a Children's Home in the district - I think that is a really nice gesture.


Oh well, time to think about what to make for supper.



Val.