Hello 2022!

 Happy New Year to you all!

I thank you each and everyone for your support and lovely comments throughout the year. I appreciate them all and derive much pleasure from reading them. 

2022 is the start of my 7th year of blogging. I can hardly believe it myself...

The weather over Christmas had been wet, dark and so dismal but mostly quite mild. On the Wednesday before New Year's Day I was determined to go for a good long walk, having not walked for over a week. My group was walking in Woburn Sands but the forecast for the morning was rain, so I decided to walk on my own later in the day when no rain was forecast. I walked along the river to the village of Cardington (8.5 miles) stopping on the way back to stock up on bird peanuts at Wilco. It's the only shop that does small packets of bird peanuts. I've noticed the peanuts go 'off' very quickly (the birds won't eat them) so there is no point putting lots of peanuts out. When I do put the peanuts out the squirrels get more than their fair share, too!

I spotted a Grey Heron perched on a branch over the river whilst on my walk. It's not a good photo as I had to zoom in on the maximum amount - the Heron was quite far away.

I hadn't worn this skirt in over a year. It was a present from my daughter found in the 'Mind' charity shop in Camden town on my birthday a few years ago. It's by Armani; the green jumper by Jaeger and the lacy jacket by Roman Originals; both also charity shopped. These chunky boots by New Look 9-15 range (children's) - OH calls them my 'bovver boots' - were found in the Cat's Protection League just before Christmas. All jewellery charity shopped.

I was pretty tired after the walk and my hips and calves ached. It's amazing how quickly you can get out of condition after just a week. I've noticed when I swim on a Tuesday afternoon, having been at the food bank in the morning; I rarely manage to swim the 48 laps needed to swim a mile. However, when I swim on Thursday mornings I find I can usually swim more laps. I made dinner when I got back from the walk and sorted out the fire. In the evening we started a new to us 'Walter Presents' series called 'Inspector Borowski'. I also finished reading my 'Slightly Foxed' magazine; it's a quarterly magazine about books that have mostly now been forgotten. I used to have a subscription several years ago and let it lapse. However, it does tend to send me off on a voyage of discovery trying to track down some of the books that have been reviewed... I was delighted to discover that they have 36 podcasts that I can listen and look forward to. I usually read in bed before I go to sleep but I also like listening to the radio or just lately;  lots of podcasts - I've finally joined the 21st C!

I left OH in bed on Thursday morning and set off for the swimming pool. I swam 48 laps or 1 mile. After I returned home I got ready wearing this outfit. The dress had no label and the cardigan by F&F both charity shopped from Barnardo's. Green boots by River Island; same.

All jewellery charity shopped except eBay earrings.

I dropped yet another bag of donations off to the Daycare Hospice charity shop and then went to do the weekly food shop at Lidl. I had a 10.00 off voucher to spend and treated myself to some stuffed Medjool dates. I forgot to buy some at Christmas...Middle grandson came for dinner.

On Friday, OH and I went to Cambridge for a good old rummage. I had Secret Santa money to spend. We went to both Burleigh Street and Mill Road. Two of the charity shops on Mill Road were closed but all the rest were open. We both did pretty well. I found a pair of mid length red boots for 6.95; a black wool dress by Max Studio for 6.50 and a BNWT Laura Ashley animal print skirt for 5.50. I also found some beads in lovely autumnal colours; a yellow bangle and a rather pretty bangle in green and white. And I still had 5.00 left to spend! On our return journey from Cambridge we picked up the youngest grandson who was staying the night; his mum had gone away for a New Year celebration to Bournemouth.

 It was the first wear of the chunky animal print boots my daughter bought me for Christmas. Dress; charity shopped in a Co. Longford charity shop; cardigan by from Barnardo's. I've had the plaid tights for years but had to bin them as they were completely gone at the toes. It always happens with my tights. It was a strangely mild day at 15 degrees centigrade and I didn't need a coat at all.

Earrings by Sainsbury's; all other jewellery charity shopped.

This was the first chunky necklace I bought about 7 or 8 years ago in our local Oxfam shop. I saw the same one on Vinted recently for 8.00. We spent the evening chilling out and watching TV to see the New Year in. The fireworks in the neighbourhood went on for absolutely ages; the most I think I'd ever heard. I also did what I do every new year and counted up how many books I managed to read in 2021. I read 110 in 2021 - better than last year by 1! I have kept track of my reading since 2007. I originally recorded the books on a spread sheet but when I started blogging in November 2015 I used the blog to keep a record. If you're interested in what I've read there are a couple of pages on this blog called 'Books I have Read 2015 -  2022' and '2022'.  I had to start a new page of 'books read'; it was getting difficult to add information as the page was loading so slowly. You can click on the link at the top to take you these pages.

Saturday was another surprisingly warm day but there was a brisk breeze. The sky was blue and the sun shone but by midday it rained and went grey and miserable again. It stayed that way for most of the day. It was quite a lazy day for me. I needed some vegetables and walked into town. Iceland was open and managed to get what I needed there.There were very few people around because the shops were closed; I assumed.  I made a casserole for OH's dinner and took grandson to his Dad's house at 5 pm. I made a start on listening to the 'Slightly Foxed' pod cast. I should manage to listen to all the episodes over the next couple of weeks. 

I wear this old faithful of a skirt a few times every year. By French Connection it was charity shopped somewhere many years ago. The blouse underneath is a vintage one by Del Mod. It was on the 1.00 rail at my Barnardo's and I felt sorry for it as it had been in the shop for months. I'm afraid I do this quite often take pity on a garment and buy it. Hopefully, this will get worn a lot as it features red and blue; both colours I wear a lot. The top by F&F was also a charity find whilst the M&S boots were from a local buy and sell FB group and the tights are by Snag.

All jewellery charity shopped.

On Sunday we took the Christmas tree and all the decorations down. I went for 4.5 mile walk with my daughter then cooked a roast lamb dinner for OH and the grandsons. We started watching 'The Tourist' on BBC and watched 'The Great Pottery Throw down'.

Monday was a Bank Holiday but Barnardo's was open and I went in from 10 am to 1 pm. We had lots of donations in all morning. I find it quite overwhelming as I want to sort it all and get it off the floor, but processing the donations can take ages. I processed a huge IKEA bag of books, cleared the sorting table of bric-a brac and put it out on the shelves; then processed a large black plastic sack of men's sports wear.  This was as well as serving customers; answering customer queries, answering the phone; making tea and tidying things (toys etc) off the shop floor and replacing items on hangers on the rails. 

We did the housework in the afternoon and OH cooked dinner. He would go back to work on Tuesday having had a good break.

In the photo above you can see the difference between my phone camera in selfie mode on the left and normal view on the right. I can never position myself properly for this type of close up but I find the selfie view often gives this gauzy, opaque effect when the light is poor.

Monday was the first cold day in a while and I had to put the heating on when I first got up.

Everything I wore was charity shopped. Marilyn jeans by M&S; boots by New Look; top from Vintage Kilo sale in the summer and the jacket is a home made buy from the Red Cross; I've had it for about 5 years and it's one of my favourite items of clothing. All jewellery charity shopped.

This was Tuesday's outfit worn to the food bank. It was a very cold day and the food bank was freezing. It took about 2 hours for my fingers to thaw out. I made up the usual hygiene bags - 50 singles/couples and 20 family packs and put toiletries away.

Everything I wore was charity shopped.

Skirt and shirt by Next; jumper no label; boots by Matalan. I wore orange opaque tights underneath.

All jewellery charity shopped.

I'd been reading about the projected huge fuel cost increases predicted for April. I had been thinking about it a lot and I must admit to worrying a bit. I already pay a substantial amount each month by direct debit for our gas and electric and really didn't want to pay anymore. Our house is cold; it's old and we only have double glazed windows in the kitchen and bathroom. The other windows are all the original sash windows which don't fit that well anymore;  we have wooden floors downstairs and laminate flooring upstairs so there are lots of draughts. We do what we can in the way of draught proofing the front door and letter box; we have a curtain over the front door and curtains in every room. We also have rugs down in every room. I don't mind living in a relatively cold house as I didn't grow up with central heating and we never, ever had heating in the bedrooms; iced over windows on the inside in winter were very common! Once we light our fire in the late afternoon the heating, if on, is turned off as we stay in the living room for most of the evening. 

I was therefore very pleased to receive the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) early in December. This is a payment made to most people in receipt of a state pension and/or other state benefits. I normally save the WFP to go towards the large January quarter bill. Imagine my surprise and delight to find that I was in substantial credit with my fuel payments and could put this toward any increased cost when I get the next quarter's bill in April. I'm not struggling to pay my bills as so many other people are and know how lucky I am. It remains to be seen if the government intervene in the price cap which is set by the energy companies each April. Another reason to have nationalised fuel industries and not private ones...

I went swimming as usual in the afternoon and surprising myself did 48 laps or 1 mile. I was just coming to the end when the whistle blew. We spent Tuesday evening catching up with all the episodes of 'The Tourist' on BBC i player. I've also been listening to the 'Slightly Foxed' podcasts and have got to number ten. Only twenty-six to go!

I should have been walking with  my group on Wednesday but when I went to book it was full. Damn! I had to go to Aldi in the morning for some bits and pieces including Wednesday night's dinner. I then went to the Castle Rd charity shops to spend the last of my Secret Santa money. That was what I call guilt free shopping; it wasn't my money I was spending! I got lucky buying an interesting woollen skirt; a knitted tunic; another jug to add my collection but also useful for cut flowers which I like having in the house; and a tray to hold bottles of drink on the sideboard. On Wednesday, it was also back to collecting youngest grandson from school; the first day back at school for most of the children. It was middle grandson's 17th birthday. Where the heck did that time go? We went to his house later in the evening to wish him happy birthday and have some birthday cake. I gave him money for his present which was what he requested.

Another really chilly day on Wednesday but bright and sunny for most of it. Wearing my BNWT Laura Ashley skirt found in Cambridge last Saturday; Minuet top with no label shirt underneath; woollen tights; all charity shopped. Boots; a Christmas gift from daughter.

All jewellery charity including necklace picked up in Cambridge last Saturday.

I broke my own record on Thursday morning at the swimming pool; swimming 50 laps in 60 minutes. I had just started on the 50th lap when the whistle blew. I was very proud of myself. Don't know if I'll ever manage it again but at least I've hit the big 50!

Thursday's outfit. The knitted tunic was picked up in the Castle Rd charity shops yesterday; washed and dried overnight. Underneath charity shop long sleeved t shirt and charity shop Nike leggings. Red boots; local FB buy and sell group.

All jewellery charity shopped. The necklace came from a Co. Donegal charity shop.

I went to the farm shop in Sharnbrook and bought coal and kindling. Then it was off to Lidl and Sainsbury's to do the weekly food shop. By the time that was unpacked and put away it was time to sort out the fire and put the wash that I'd put on in the morning away. I'd made a butternut squash casserole on Wednesday whilst making dinner for the grandsons and OH so I had that for dinner and OH did his own thing. We're going out for a birthday meal in Milton Keynes on Friday evening to celebrate grandson's 17th birthday -  so no cooking on Friday either, hurrah!

You might remember that just before Christmas I 'rescued' an off white garden table from a skip in the road where I park my car. I looked online for 4 secondhand matching chairs to no avail; ordering them from an online retailer in the end. On Friday morning they arrived and I'm very pleased with how they look and go with the table.  We just need the weather that allows us to sit out outside and eat at the table again...

This was my outfit on Friday. I bought the skirt in Mercy in Action in Castle Rd. It's made of wool and has tweed panels but the waist had lost any elastication it may once have had. Hence the belt. Jumper by M&S and polo underneath by John Lewis. The red boots were found in a Cambridge charity shop last Saturday.

I wore my black corduroy fancy jacket when I went out (bought in the Donkey Sanctuary charity shop in Donegal) and some red suede gloves picked up in the Autism charity shop in Bedford some months ago. It was a cold day made even colder by the very chilly breeze. I did not want to go out for a walk in it. I went to Home Bargains to buy some bird supplies and popped into the Daycare Hospice shop where I found a jacket and a short sleeved red jumper on the sale rail. In the morning the chimney sweep came to sweep the chimney; a regular January occurrence. I made some mincemeat crumble slices in the afternoon and listened to several 'Slightly Foxed' podcasts. I discovered there are actually 38 episodes and I was roughly a third of the way through listening to them.

In the evening we drove to Milton Keynes for a birthday meal for grandson. He didn't even take his jacket off on the restaurant; it was air conditioned and a bit chilly. Daughter and her partner had gone out to vape when these photos were taken. Youngest grandson had his hair plaited and looks very grown up.

What a miserable day Saturday was. Grey and wet. I went for a walk in the afternoon; along the river from Biddenham - Great Denham - Queens Park; walking 5.2 miles. There was a heavy downpour for the last 5 minutes of the walk and I got drenched. It was good excuse to get out of my wet jeans and put my PJ bottoms on and sit by the fire catching up with blog land. Before I got the soaking, as I was walking I spotted this rather beautiful little bird - the smallest in the UK; smaller even than a wren; a Goldcrest - it just popped up beside me on a bush and a few paces later it, or another one, was there again.

We watched a new series to us  on Saturday evening on Netflix called 'Bordertown' set in Finland and featuring a rather intense police officer.

I took grandson to basket ball on Sunday morning. He had stayed overnight. Whilst he was at basket ball I went for 4 mile walk. I came home and made a lentil cheese bake (using vegan cheese so my daughter could eat it and making 'chia seed eggs' to replace the eggs in the recipe) for dinner as well as roast chicken. OH and I did the usual Sunday housework. Daughter's partner had come down with Covid (again) so we all tested ourselves as we'd been together on Friday evening, but thankfully all tested negative. 

This was what I wore to the charity shop on Monday. Everything was charity shopped. Skirt by East; jacket bought in Donkey Sanctuary charity shop in Co. Donegal; boots bought in Cambridge charity shop recently. I wore fleece lined leggings underneath the skirt and was warm all day.

Striped tee charity shopped; jumper by M&S;  found in the Daycare Hospice shop on Friday.

All jewellery charity shopped.

The donations didn't stop all morning. As fast as I cleared one bag; three more had come in. Despite working flat out, when I left after one o clock the floor was still covered with bags waiting to be sorted. There's very little space in the back of the shop (more donations) so it wasn't possible to put them there. Personally, I would have put a stop to the donations for the day but I don't make those decisions. I went home and put a wash on; sorted out the fire and caught up with my blog and blog land in general.

If it's Tuesday it must be the food bank. Everything I wore was charity shopped. I bought the jacket which I think is home made;  there are no maker's labels or washing care labels; from a sale rail at The Willen Hospice Shop in Newport Pagnell. Jeans by M&Co and the top was picked up from the 1.00 rail from Barnardo's.

Boots bought from the Cat's Protection League a few weeks ago.

All jewellery charity shopped.

At the food bank I made up 28 family hygiene packs and 50 individual/couple hygiene packs. I was asked if I could spare some time on Thursday to make up more. I should be able to manage a couple of hours extra in between going swimming; to the hairdressers and doing the weekly food shop.. I could go food shopping on Friday if necessary if I'm feeling too tired by then. I'm also determined to get to see the Evelyn Dunbar exhibition in Milton Keynes as it finishes in February and will book it this weekend and go next week if possible. I can say for certain that the one thing I never suffer from is boredom. There's always so much to do, see, watch, read and listen to. Long may it continue!

Getting Ready for Christmas

 That's the Festive Season almost over. Just New Year's Eve to see out.  We usually spend it in the company of Jools Holland and then it will be 2022! Where is the time going? It whizzes by so fast that another year has gone by before you know it...

When I left you last it was Wednesday and on Wednesday's I usually walk with my group. I didn't on this occasion; instead I spent the day at an appointment in West Drayton on the outskirts of London with my friend, Ann. When we had finished we went to Uxbridge afterwards - just down the road from West Drayton; for lunch and a quick look around a few charity shops. Neither of us bought anything!

I wore this pleated skirt by M&S; yellow top by Next (Street Jumble; 1.00); cardigan by Store 21 and black knee length boots; all charity shopped.. All jewellery charity shopped except the earrings which were bought in Donegal.

Thursday was a hectic day but it usually is. I went swimming in the morning and swam 44 laps (1.4 km). The whistle blew as I was on the 44th lap so there wasn't time to do anymore. After swimming it was off to the hairdressers and then home to get ready and do the food shopping visiting Sainsbury's and Lidl. Once the shopping was packed away I went to collect yet another parcel. By then it was time to clean out and lay the fire and make dinner for the grandsons and OH.  I also finally caught up with the washing. I was very pleased to sit down and put my feet up in the evening and start a new book. We watched the start of another 'Walter Presents' series called 'Partisan'.

This was Thursday's outfit:

Everything was charity shopped. The red cross body bag was a Vinted buy. The cardigan was bought in Barnardo's in the last few weeks; the trousers are by Zara and I've had them for ages. The red, black, white and fawn tunic by Laura Brook was an Irish charity shop find in 2014.

All jewellery charity shopped.

The past week had been very mild with temperatures reaching 13 degrees centigrade most days. It couldn't last; it was December after all! When I was out and about I didn't bother with a coat.

Friday was cold and foggy. It seemed that normal winter weather had resumed. It would of course be the day I'd decided to pot up my seeds! First, I had a trip into to town to collect a parcel from Superdrug and to buy the final 2 Christmas presents including the Secret Santa present for my brother. I bought cards to send the family in Ireland and posted them off. Then I spent a chilly couple of hours in the garden putting my collection of seeds into pots and into the mini greenhouse. Sadly, some of the seeds had started to rot but I had six robust Nasturtiums; Foxgloves; Hollyhocks; Salvia; Alliums; Fritillaries, Anemones and two other woodland type plant seeds to plant up and label. I shall be so delighted if even just one plant grows as I've never grown anything from seed before...

I wore this outfit on Friday. Everything charity shopped except the grey velvet brogues bought from Primarni in a sale about 3 years ago. Cropped wide legged trousers by the White Stuff; jumper by Tu and polo underneath by M&S.

All jewellery charity shopped.

I then wrapped all the Christmas presents and put them under the tree. What a relief when it was all done! OH came home from work with another Fortnum and Mason hamper; his Christmas Box from his employers. We hadn't even used the Christmas pudding from last year's hamper but luckily both will still be in date for this year and next year. OH is going to use the hamper to store his DVD collection.

On Saturday I joined the other Rambler's Group for a 5 mile walk starting in the village of Risely. After the walk we went into Risely church for mulled wine and mince pies and some festive music. I had been looking forward to next Thursday's walk which was to be in London to see the Christmas lights but with the rise in Covid cases the walk leader decided to cancel. I planned to walk on Wednesday with my usual group.

All Saint's Church, Risely.

What a miserable day Saturday was. Cloudy, gloomy and dank. Very depressing weather but at least it wasn't too cold. I stayed in my walking gear so no outfit to show you for Saturday.

I spent most of Sunday morning in the kitchen making this butternut squash and chickpea tagine. The recipe said to cook it on the stove top which was lucky as I don't have a tagine; although I do have casserole dishes. Very tasty it was, too. We did the usual Sunday house cleaning and I made dinner for the grandsons and OH. I also got a lot of fiddly little jobs done such as descaling the kettle, cleaning out under the sink where the cleaning stuff is kept and I foraged some ivy from the clinic next door for my mantelpiece. Not a day for walking though; cold, very damp and foggy...

Monday was a long and busy day. I went to Barnardo's and worked hard putting the Christmas cards on sale and sorting, tagging and hanging clothes and other donated items. My daughter's partner came to put shelves in the wardrobes when I got home. I'd been thinking the space above the hanging rail in the wardrobes was a waste of space; by putting a shelf in each of the 3 wardrobes it would give us extra storage. It did, but not as much as I thought!  It was a good time to have a cull of clothing items I no longer liked, or didn't fit as I'd like. When OH came in from work he did the same. Between us we filled 2 black plastic sacks and we already had 1 sack waiting to go to the charity shop!

Everything charity shopped. Jeans by East, top by Oasis and striped polo underneath by M&S. Red boots online retail. All jewellery charity shopped. It was another miserable day as you can probably tell by the awful light. It was cold at 6 degrees all day.

It took me until 9 pm to sort the two wardrobes out. Taking everything out and putting it all back; hoovering up and deciding what went where. I took most of the shirts off hangers and folded them and put them on the new shelf. I don't wear shirts that often in the winter so I probably won't need them until Spring. I culled some (short) cardigans and put the remaining ones on the new shelf; I don't wear short cardigans that much and could probably get rid of more but I do like them! I also put lighter weight trousers that I'm unlikely to wear until Spring on the new shelf; by which time the shelf was full. In the spare bedroom wardrobe it was making room for my son's old stuff by utilising the new shelf which then freed up more hanging space for my dresses, jackets and long cardigans.

It was full on at the food bank on Tuesday. I stayed on for an extra hour as one of the afternoon volunteers was unwell. I went swimming in the afternoon and did 44 laps (1.4 km). I noticed in the big sort out yesterday I was missing a swimming costume so enquired at the pool if I had left it there but no luck. I can only think it blew off the washing line into another garden...or maybe it will turn up in an unexpected place.

(I put the flash on the phone camera as the light was very poor but it makes eyes look demonic)!

 

I started out wearing black and white plaid trousers but they were too big on me and went into (yet another) charity shop bag. The last minute substitute was these Prince of Wales checked leggings. Cardigan by Next; leggings by New Look and tunic by Glamorous; all charity shopped and boots bought in Sainsbury's sale. All jewellery charity shopped.

After the swim I did a wash, sorted out the fire and made dinner. My next door neighbour had Covid so I took her some of my Butternut Squash and Chickpea Tagine. I rang her first and left it on the doorstep. She was self isolating in her bedroom as she has a lodger. I offered to walk her dog but the lodger had taken that task on. 

I had a brainwave when I was sorting out the fire. When I buy kindling from the farm shop in Sharnbrook it often comes in small plastic crates. These are sometimes utilised for other things; to hold my bird food supplies or spare plant pots for example; often they are disposed of. I thought I could use the 2 spare ones I had to put my piles of folded clothing in on my new wardrobe shelf. I managed to squeeze one in but the other one was slightly bigger and wouldn't fit. I asked OH to saw the corners off for me and he did as he had a day off on Wednesday. We finished watching 'Partisan' a Walter Presents crime drama set in Sweden. Slightly strange but very gripping...

It was a relief to see some sunshine on Wednesday even though it didn't last that long. I had planned to go walking in Maulden Woods with my group but woke up too late. It was just as well as I had plenty to do on Wednesday.

It was very cold. Starting out at 1 degree in the morning it peaked at 3 degrees later in the day and then dropped again. I wore these black Marilyn jeans by M&S;  polo by Oasis; tunic by Masai; jacket by New Look - all charity shopped and boots were donated by my daughter. Underneath I had a vest and thick tights on and when I went out I wore a knitted wool 'Donkey Sanctuary' coatigan; scarf and gloves.

All jewellery charity shopped except the earrings which were a present.

I went to M&S to buy some Christmas food items; stuffings of various kinds including a vegan one for my daughter and I picked up a vegan Christmas pudding for her, too. I then went to Sainsbury's to buy mixers, soft drinks, mince pies and the turkey. My friend Ann goes to Tesco on Christmas Eve at about 3 pm and picks her turkey up at a greatly reduced price. I'm not that brave. Knowing my luck if I tried it; Tesco wouldn't have any turkeys left! I then had to go to into town to buy one more present - there's always one I forget. The days leading up to Christmas Day always entail me going into town every day for one or thing or another. I came across this thought today in a blog I follow (HERE) and it summed up this phenomenon perfectly!

I have no idea how it is, but every single year, no matter what you might plan, it seems that you end up spending sundry and irregular amounts, day after day. I have given up resisting this and now simply accept it. 

I dropped some books off at the library; collected a parcel from the sorting office and on my way back from M&S which is at the retail park; the town centre branch closed down a couple of years ago, I dropped off the charity shop donations to the Cat's Protection League. I had a wander round and bought a pair of black patent lace up boots for 5.00. Whilst I was doing all this OH went out and did his Christmas shopping. He's always late as he only usually has the weekends free. This year he was determined to take his due holiday before 31st December and not lose the days as he has in the past. After I wrapped the last of the presents I made some soda bread having picked up buttermilk in Sainsbury's. It was very easy to make but it was very dense and not as I like it.  I wasn't sure I had used the right flour as I bought it from the Polish grocery asking for wholemeal flour. (This was during lock down when there were shortages of some grocery items). Not vegan because of the buttermilk, but I have a recipe for oat bread which is vegan so when I make that I can share it with my daughter. We started watching 'Witch Hunt' on Walter Presents in the evening; set in Norway.

I went for a swim on Thursday morning swimming 46 laps (1.5 km). It was a dreary, dank day but it wasn't cold; the temperature reaching double figures of 10 degrees. After I got back from the pool I got ready and went to Lidl to do the food shopping. Once the shopping was packed away I ventured into town (again) for forgotten bits. That was it. All finished. If I'd forgotten it we would just have to go without! I was hoping to be able not to go anywhere at all on Friday as I had a lot to sort; ready for Christmas Day.

This was the town bridge lit up for the NSPCC at Christmas...

I didn't bother with a coat; I just wore the Donkey Sanctuary coatigan over the pinafore dress and shirt by Kaleidoscope. Boots as before.

Earrings bought from Sainsbury's ages ago; back when they had a good range of earrings...

I did venture out on Friday; just to Sainsbury's at about 4 pm to see what reductions they had. They didn't close until 9 pm so I timed my visit wrong. Middle grandson's mum went to Tesco's in the morning and bought most of her Christmas dinner at greatly reduced prices!

Everything I'm wearing was charity shopped except the boots. All the jewellery was charity shopped.

I spent most of the day preparing for Christmas Day and our visitors. I changed 3 sets of bedding and brought our fold down bed out of the loft. I washed the dining room seat pads and ironed a tablecloth for the garden table we brought indoors to accommodate the 10 of us around the table. I set the table ready for Christmas dinner. I prepared all the vegetables and potatoes for Christmas dinner. My daughter was making a vegan wellington, a beef wellington for the (red) meat eaters and a small salmon wellington for her partner who doesn't eat red meat. I just had to cook the turkey on the day...

I used 2  pieces of metallic African cloth for the main tablecloth and the white table cloth which came from Mauritius. A present from my lovely ex-next door neighbour who stopped by on Friday to say hello. All the glasses, napkin rings and food warmer came from charity shops. All the plates and bowls we used on Christmas day were charity shopped as were all the vegetables dishes and the platter for the turkey. The Christmas place mats came from Chicago in the 1970s; a present from my Aunty Mary who lived there for 50 years before she retired to live back in Ireland. I also received a Christmas table runner with the mats but that disappeared some years ago.

I got all the drinks and glasses ready and prepared a tray with cocktail making equipment. Eldest grandson loves to make cocktails for everyone...apart from the drink, everything on the sideboard came from charity shops or car boot sales - including the side board.

Grandson's cocktail making kit. He also brings various bottles of his own...

This was my Christmas Day outfit. The same one I wore to the family reunion in Norwich. Dress by First Avenue; from the 1980s I think;  bought in the 3:16 charity shop. Grey boots by Manteray charity shopped from Barnardo's.

Scarf and all jewellery charity shopped except earrings bought online.

My Uncle Paddy (my dad's brother) lived with us for a while when I was about 12 or 13;  around 1967.. He bought me a very similar necklace to the one above as a Christmas present one year. It was far too old for me and more suitable to someone my mum's age but I was thrilled with it. I don't know what happened to it and when I saw this in a charity shop a few years ago was instantly transported back to that Christmas.

We had a really lovely day on Christmas day. The preparation was such a good idea as it made cooking the dinner much easier. It was a struggle though to get all 10 of us around the table and still get in and out of the room; I ended sitting on the edge of the sofa arm to eat my dinner! The food was lovely and we all enjoyed our dinner; desserts and turkey sandwiches later in the evening. In between eating and drinking we played games; Charades and Articulate and had great fun and laughs. I went to bed at midnight absolutely knackered! I received some lovely presents; perfumes, scented soaps, scented candles, a subscription to 'Slightly Foxed'; walking socks, a pair of animal print chunky boots; a flask for hot drinks when I'm out walking; chocolate and some Amazon vouchers; which I spent on books and music.

Boxing Day was busy.  I took my brothers back to Kettering in the morning. When I got home there was a lot of clearing up and putting things back where they belonged. There was admiration of the presents - and putting them in their respective places.  I made soup with some of the leftover turkey. We did several washes of towels and bedding. Grandson and girlfriend wanted to go to Milton Keynes so I dropped them off to the shopping centre. They had a good day; bowling and eating out coming back in a taxi after midnight. My daughter and the grandsons came round and we played more games; cards and more Articulate.

This was what I wore to the charity shop on Monday. Yes, we were open even though it was a bank holiday in the UK. We had about 5 customers who looked around but bought nothing! In fact, I was the first paying customer picking my self up a bag; and a trinket dish each for my stud earrings. I now have a dish for hoop, post and stud earrings and as they're made of glass I can see them and therefore wear them more frequently. Everything I'm wearing was charity shopped, top by Next with John Lewis polo underneath; Kettlewell skirt and long suede boots no label. All jewellery charity shopped.

I went to Sainsbury's to buy next years crackers at half price and a few bits and pieces. OH made a turkey curry for dinner and we watched the rest of 'Witch Hunt'. It was a very gripping programme - who knew financial irregularity could make such an interesting story line?

 Tuesday was still a bank holiday day but more shops were open. In need of bird supplies I made a trip to Home Bargains. I had checked out whether the swimming pool would be open on Tuesday and was surprised that it would; I booked a swim for 3.30 pm. I usually swim between 2 -3 pm on Tuesdays but was just grateful the pool was open on a bank holiday. There was no food bank this week and I felt a bit discombobulated!

I wore this dress by Next and my new to me black patent chunky boots bought at the Cat's Protection League last week. The cardigan was an online purchase.

All jewellery charity shopped.

That's it folks! I wish you all a very Happy New Year and hope that 2022 sees us all in good health and spirits. And wouldn't it be marvellous if Covid was no longer in the news on a daily basis?