So That Was Christmas ...

I was so pleased, and amazed, to think I had decorated the tree and dotted the cards around by Tuesday. I'd even cleared the remaining pile of stock from the sitting room floor, and loaded it into the car ready to take to Dairy House on Wednesday.

The decorations range from recent to 1950s - the little red bell (top right) is as old as me, or older, the wooden fairy at the bottom of the picture above was from Father Christmas (aka Hannah) a few years ago, and other decorations have been acquired over the last 38 years or so - a few new ones every year. The little red felt hearts and green felt trees were from Fiona a couple of years ago.

The fairy resting in the branches is the very one which used to sit atop the tree every Christmas when I was a child and the icicle is one of the 3 remaining from my childhood. The rusty robins were purchased from Tracy last year.

Can you see a very young Pauley in this photo?

Usually I'm decorating the tree at about midnight on Christmas Eve, but this year Han and Rob were coming on CE and then setting off on Christmas morning to spend the day with Rob's family. Being so ahead of myself meant I only needed to make up the spare bed and wrap prezzies. The turkey was collected - larger than usual because a family friend of very long standing was coming to stay with Mum over the Christmas break, and Gillie was coming for the day - and all the remaining food shopping was done. I'd catered for the five thousand as far as veggies were concerned, as Mum is a vegetarian and always takes home a doggy bag of loads of different vegetables, bread sauce, apple sauce and so on to last a day or two, and we are a household which loves bubble & squeak!

So off I went to Dairy House on Wednesday, and realised I wasn't feeling 100%. I staggered through the day, got home and decided I really couldn't face doing much other than running back and forth to the bathroom (nuff said!). I felt decidedly worse on Christmas Eve but got through the evening having managed to cook roast gammon, veggies, mashed potato and gravy specially requested  by Han (and she knows EXACTLY what she wants to eat at the moment ... ALERT ... watch out for exciting news at the end of May/beginning of June!!!! ... and then joined in all the present opening.

Next morning it was obvious that I wasn't going to be cooking turkey and all the trimmings and Gillie phoned to say she was poorly again with a straming cold which she had no intention of passing on to Mum (or anyone else for that matter). So we postponed Christmas Day. I made a batch of bread sauce (for Mum) and some sausages wrapped in bacon (for Anne) and Pauley took them next door. This is how I spent the rest of the day

in my new cosy dressing gown and slippers from Han and Rob!

Gloriously blue sky on a peaceful Christmas Day!

We had our Christmas Day on Saturday - I felt rested, having sat crocheting or sleeping for most of Christmas Day proper. Mum and Anne joined us and we had a lovely day. Gillie has just arrived, so we'll have another Christmas Day now!!

Hope yours ran smoothly and you all had a jolly time. Despite not feeling on top form I thoroughly enjoyed the few days - and the rest has been sublime!!!!