Blogmas Day Nine - Fish, Wine ... and Stocking Fillers

 

 

My shopping from Saturday, we went to Booths as Alan fancied a cooked breakfast for a change, it's usually just a bacon bun.  I just had a toasted teacake, well half of one actually I just wasn't in the mood. I think I have reached saturation point for eating out, although I did enjoy my coffee.

My total was a £39.05, which seems quite steep for me, but then there are two bottles of wine for Christmas, two boxes of fish to consume during December, two packs of batteries as we have run out completely ... and four items for Alan's Christmas stocking.  We set ourselves a little fun challenge, buy one or more small items from the middle aisles.  We don't go mad for presents for each other, just one main one, a couple of things that we need and some surprises in our Christmas stockings.

The eagle eyed among you will notice that there are no bananas on the receipt, that's because Alan bought four and gave me two.  There are two packs of batteries one for him and one for me which I paid for.

To balance costs out Alan paid for the biscuits and a book off the charity book table in Booths café ... yes we have an upstairs and a downstairs version of the charity book table now.  They are currently raising money for our local Foodbank to restock them after the Christmas holidays, so I had to support them didn't I.  😁

The biscuits are to be used as a crumble topping for a couple of little 'Oddly Good dessert pots that I have, one for each of us in lemon and caramel flavours.  It's a much cheaper alternative to buying ready made cheesecakes.  Just one biscuit crumbled on each little pot.

It might be Christmas, but I can still watch the pennies.  🎄

Sue xx

Blogmas Day Eight - Know Yourself

Art by Lisa Aisato

Know yourself they say

and don’t be led astray

but how can I know who I am

when I’m different every day?

Some days I’m the smart one

with the answers people need

and some days I’m the strong one

standing up to take the lead.

On other days I’m sure

that if the wind blew me too hard

I would shatter like a glass

into a million tiny shards.

And on those days I cower

and I hide out from the world

waiting on my inner child

to blossom and unfurl.

And each day I’m surprised

by the newness that I see

the things I’m finding out

the complexity of me.

So how to know yourself

when you’re all things rolled in one?

you simply must decide

to love whatever you become.

Donna Ashworth

From ‘I Wish I Knew’

Sue xx

Day Seven - Sneezing at the Big Boys

 

My version of the booky Christmas tree on THIS post.  😄

I went to Sainsbury's for a few things that I needed for Alan, and noticed that my usual tissues were reduced to just £2.50 for a twin pack instead of the usual £4.  It just had to be done, so I bought four double packs, and for some reason instead of £6 being deducted at the till £7 came off.

I'm happy, and safe from a tissue famine until well into next year.  😁

I'm doing my very best to do this from now on, not just for Christmas but beyond and all though next year.  I've even cancelled Amazon Prime.

Sue xx

Blogmas Day Six - Victorian Festival

 

Virtually every year for the last forty years our town has held an annual Victorian Christmas Festival.  It is always two nights of fun, festivities and very expensive food being sold by a myriad of stall holders.  But it's something that we have supported since we have been in the area.

It's wonderful to see the children enjoying themselves, from the minute the procession starts they follow along the High Street, and when Father Christmas gets off his float and makes his way down Thomas' Weind they follow him to his grotto and then stay for the shows and the fair.

There's something for everyone, and things to suit most tastes be it foody or gifty.

Mulled wine.

Potatoes or parched peas.

Grasmere Gingerbread

Morecambe Bay Chowder

 Pickles, chutneys and cheese of every description.

The High Street is filled with people enjoying themselves and the buzz that this creates.  Virtually everyone is in a good mood and strangers talk to strangers, as is the way in most Northern towns.  The shops stay open late and trade their wares to regulars and visitors alike.

It's a good night and enjoyed by all ages.

We both really enjoyed the atmosphere of the evening, and while we didn't buy much we did support some of our local eating places and charity shops.

Alan partook of a couple of 'pigs in blankets' skewers while we both drank coffee in Cobblers to warm our hands.  I bought a lovely handknitted scarf from the Hospice shop, and a little glass jug from Age UK.  Then we finished the evening with a plate of chips each while we warmed up in our eat-in chippy.

It was a very good start to the Christmas celebrations.

Sue xx

Blogmas Day Five - Decorations Up and Mince Pies Eaten

Traditionally I have always put my decorations up on our anniversary, but this year I was one day ahead of the game, and my little tree was adorned with all it's usual little memory gems on the third.  

Alan also had his strange tree up but it was undecorated on the third, so he finished it off on our anniversary and now it suddenly looks almost normal.  It's one of those that collapses down on itself and fits in a flat square box once Christmas is over, he loves it ... me not so much.  It will be interesting to see what happens next year if we are in our bungalow by then!!

 

I tried to get some photos of the rest of my little array of decorations, but the light was terrible ... anyway you can get the gist.  Each decoration holds dear memories of various stages of our lives.  

The two ceramic angels were bought for my first Christmas in my own little rented house when I was separated from my first husband, so they pre-date Alan by quite a while.

The American pick-up truck and the 'bauble plate' were bought from a charity shop when we lived in the rented flat in our current town, after selling our smallholding in Wales, and just before we bought the house we are in now.

The tiny caravan was bought when I lived in the caravan, and the 'bear in the forest' light-up dome when we moved to this house.  

Memories that come out each and every Christmas.

We still stop at the services on the way home from visiting Mum each time we go, and it's now become almost traditional to get a sausage roll each ... meat for Alan, vegan for me ... but added to the Christmas mix have been a doughnut for Alan and a mince pie for me.  They had no single pies for sale on Wednesday this week, so what was a girl to do ... yes, I bought a pack of six.  

Which was a bit of a bargain when one costs £1 and six costs just £3.25. 😄

I brought five of them home and shared nicely with Alan.

Sue xx