Category Archives: Christmas

Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year 2026!

I really hope that everyone has a wonderful Year in 2026!  2025 has been very much a rollercoaster of a ride in the World and personally, so I am really hoping that 2026 is going to be a little kinder to us and everyone!  

Susie’s Aims for 2026

For those that have followed me for a while know I do not do Resolutions as I seem to make them and within a week they have been forgotten, so I started a few years ago making Aims for the New Year and I know it seems crazy but I do seem to try and work towards them being done for the whole year.  So some of these you will know from previous years and I don’t see any problem with having the same things on your whatever you call it list for the year so long as you are working towards them.

1.  Do More Reading – This has been on for a few years now and I am pleased to say that I read 55 books this year.  I started up my Goodreads account again and kept track of the books there and in my Book Journal too so I think I did well with this.  As well as having our Friday Book Club here, Jayne and I also started the Cosy Girls Book Club just between the two of us and I have so enjoyed that.  So far for that we have only had one book that Jayne chose and I did not like and one which I chose and neither of us liked!  so out of ten books I think we have done really well.  This year for my Goodreads Book Challenge I am going to double this years Challenge of 50 books to 100!  Will I do it?  Wait and see.

2.  Do More Quilting – Reading and Quilting are my two most favourite of hobbies and I have tried this year to get more quilting done.  I made two baby quilts, almost finished a double bed size quilt, almost finished a king size bed quilt, started a new quilt for Little Man and have about five quilts to make for all our family animals!  I also have a quilt to re-bind for Partner.  Next year’s plans are to finish the baby quilt for the new arrival and get on with some other jobs for us that I want to do.  

3,  Save Money – I suspect that this will be on everyone’s New Year Aims!  With the state of the nation/World etc I think that saving money is definitely a must this year and cutting down on things which we know we can do without thus saving money.  I will let you know how that goes too!

4.  Continue decluttering our home – Again this is an ongoing project which began this year and we are getting through things.  DH and I did the room off our garage at the start of the year and we have been going through all the boxes of things we have kept from when the Boys were small and getting rid of some things.  We have done well as we have ended up with six boxes emptied and the others tidied so we are getting there.  We have one more row of boxes to do and then put them all back tidy so that DH can use the garage again.  We have our attic to do and then I am going to set about doing the sewing room which needs tidying and sorting.  

5.  Working on Me – This again is an ongoing project which got sidelined a bit waiting for my hip to be done.  For anyone who has been in the same boat will know that trying to exercise with a very painful hip is nigh impossible.  You have to keep moving but then anything else you are not able to do.  So at the start of 2026 I will begin walking on our treadmill again and I am hoping by the end of 2026 I will be back to doing Pilates which I so enjoyed.  

6.  Our Home Maitenance/Upkeep – Again sort of an ongoing project.  We have the whole of downstairs to paint in 2026 which is five rooms and our downstairs bathroom.  Also bits of painting outside and the garden to do.  Again this sort of got left because of my hip so this new year is the year to tackle things.  

There are one or two bits around the last two Aims which need to be added and I also have another two projects which I am quietly working on, but not yet ready to share yet hopefully I will be able to move them forward this year too.

I also want to try and change my mindset with the New Year.  I have the tendency to see it as Monday morning!  You know that feeling where you have had a great Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then Monday morning rolls round and you are slightly depressed, well New Year and January is a bit like that but I am trying very hard to not feel like that.  When I was little February always seemed to be the longest month too, to me, yet it is shorter by three or two days depending upon the year! 

I also think when I was little it was wonderful the run up to Christmas and everything happening and then, when you were at school, January, February and March were just horrible months in the school year.  All you had to look forward to was Easter and when I was really little I could not understand why we celebrated Jeasus’s birth in December and then his death in March/April time!  I supose no one explained to me that there was 33 years in between!!!!!  

Anyway that is what I am Aiming for in 2026 as well as generally working on being more organised as always.  We have the new arrival in January too which will make it a busy month and then Little Man’s Birthday in February so it will be busy start to the year and the first event is on January 11th with the Swimming Club’s Open which is full, so a lot of swimmers and a long day ahead!

I hope you had a great New Year’s Eve and here’s to a Wonderful 2026. 

Hugs & Love, 

Susie, DH, Eldest, Partner, Youngest, Fiancée, The Girls, Little Man, Bump

And

Coco, Honey, Star, Blaze, & Gordon.

Merry Christmas!

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Wishing All Our Friends & My Lovely Followers

A Very Merry Christmas

From Our Family to Yours With Our Love

Susie, DH, Eldest, Partner, Youngest, Fiancée, Little Man, Bump

Coco, Honey, Star, Blaze & Gordon

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

We hope you have a fantastic day and Santa Claus/Paws brought you some lovely gifts.

Two More Sleeps To Go!

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Only two more  sleeps to go!  I cannot believe it is Christmas this week it has really appeared by magic this year for me! 

Over the last few weeks I have felt, for all of you who watch “Stranger Things”, I have been in the Upside down!  The days and weeks have flown by and although I have been getting things done from my usual To Do lists and ticking things off, they have never seemed to be reducing.  

One of the Games at the Fun Gala involved inflateable Antlers and Inflateable Characters!

The Swimmers waiting for the Results!

DH finished work on Thursday last and Friday, Saturday and Sunday we were moving the final things for Youngest & Fiancée out of their rented home an dinto storage or to our home.  It is all now done and the keys handed back which is great to get it all done before Christmas.  Sunday afternoon and into the evening it was the Swimming Club Fun Christmas Gala and the swimmers had a great event and Sue and I did not have to do anyting so we got to watch all the action.  Yesterday we had to take the rubbish to the tip from our home and Youngest’s home and DH helped Eldest with the last few jobs he needed to do before he finished for Christmas.

Today DH is out at the company we work with locally their Christmas dinner and I am doing the cleaning, again!  I also have a basket of washing and iroining to do and generally get our home ready for Christmas Day, with the two dogs and the cat under my feet!  

Our Stair Lights.

We have had to change the stair lights this year because of our new lodgers!  Last year DH and I bought new artifical berries which go on wth green garland and the lights.  Well Blaze and Coco decided to eat some of them. They did not swallow them just picked them off, gave them a chew and then left the bits everywhere.  So we decided to just put the garland and lights on.  Well Gordon decided it was a good idea to chew through the wires for the lights, which fortunately were not on at the time!  The new set of lights are now on the outisde of the stairs as you can see!!!  I always say Christmas is about adapting things!

The double issue of the magazine I have every week, Country Life.  I just love the cover.

Tomorrow DH and I are out visiting family over in Nottingham and running some other errands and I will be getting everything preppred for Christmas Day where there will be eight for dinner and festivities.  Boxing Day is a quiet and chill day and then Saturday Fiancée, Partner and I are going out for lunch as a little treat for Fiancée before the new arrival in January.  DH, the Boys and Little Man are all going out and hopefully going on the steam train. Sunday is also another chill day.  Next week will be DH and I getting back to the decluttering of our home and the garage as well as some other jobs which never get done in the normal work day.

New Year we have been invived out to some very good friends for dinner and to see the New Year in with them which will be lovely.  

Little Man went with Mummy & Daddy to have breakfast with Santa all together this morning.  Here he is seeing Santa although he does look a little worried!  They said he had a lovely time though.

Here he is the other day with his cars.

I know I am behind with things, one of which was to do a review of the Year with our Book Club but I will get it done over the holidays.  I did manage to achieve and surpass my Goodreads Reading Challenge this year, which along with my Aim of 2025 to read more I set the goal at 50 books!  I managed since January to read 55!  I am going to set next year’s Challenge at 100 and it will also be another of my 2026 Aims!  Look out for the Book Review.

This is Eldest & Partners very good friend, Tractor Ben, who also helps at the garage.  He, his father and their friend, dress their tractors up for Charity Drives in the Town of Ashbourne and then they have also done charity drives around Derbyshire as well.  This picture is coutesy of Jim Bell who got a great picture of Ben’s tractor.  Have a lovely Christmas Ben and we shall see you in the New Year.

Coco had all her beeding, towel and quilt washed in time for Santa Paws arriving and she just loves a fresh quilt cover!  She was happy and snuggled in her basket next to my desk

A picture of Gordon and Coco on our stairs watching me coming up one step at a time!

I am doing well with my hip and now walking about at home without the crutch but still take it with me when I am out in case I have to walk long distances or navigate a lot of stairs.  I will be able to, after Christmas, use our treadmill again which helped so much after I had my right hip done.  

Our weather over the last few weeks has been dank.  We have had quite a bit of fog too with the days not being bright at all and not getting light much, so we have had the lights on at home.  A lot of people hate this time of year but I love it, because the lights are on and it is very cosy.  We have, of course had the shortest day of the year now, so the nights will start to get a little lighter but I still like the dark cosy nights. Of course it means that I can spend more time reading which is always a bonus. 

Anyway If I don’t get chance to post again this side of Christmas, I do hope you lovely and wonderful lot have a great Christmas and New Year.  I would like to thank Sue & Suan for always leaving me a comment on my posts and to Judy who also comments and everyone else who follows me and reads my witterings, it makes it all worthwhile  

Hugs & my Love, Susie & Coco xx

Susie’s Friday Christmas Book Club!

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Welcome to the December Friday Christmas Book Club!

Who can believe that we have completed another twelve months of Book Club?  I certainly can’t and when I looked at my Diary on Tuesday could not believe that we are only two weeks away from Christmas!

Reading for me has been a bit haphazard these past few weeks and I did not get Jayne’s and My Book Club book finished either before we have the new one for December!!!

*****

This is our Book Club Book for November and is a realy Christmas Novel.  I probably do not need to tell you about the story (it is very Hallmark Movie territory) but it is good and I have enjoyed it as it was very light. 

Neve manages the family Hotel, Stardust Lake on a very snowy island in Scotland.  However her heart is broken after the love of her life, Oakley Rey, left to go to the other side of the World chasing his dreams.  However Neve has a secret she is trying hard to keep from everyone and then Oakley arrives back on the Island for Christmas.  Should she get attached to him again if he is only going to go away after Christmas, will she ever get her happily ever after?

I am on Pag 90 and really enjoying it so this gets Five Stars!

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I listened to this book on Book Beat and it was okay but!!!!!   A girl is working late at the diner in their little town and after a very long day she walks out to her car to go home when she is grabbed from behind and that is the last thing she remembers until she wakes up im a room which is, she believes, under ground.  There follows chapters on her captivity which as she loses all sense of time, is a year, are they looking for her or have they given up, until one day the door opens and a woman appears at the bottom of the steps, is this her rescue or her captor?

It was okay but the ending was a bit blah there was a bit of a twist at the end and it was quite obvious so no I would not read or listen to this again!  It got two stars from me.

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I also listened to this whilst I was working a couple of weeks ago.  Again it was a bit blah and I worked out who the baddy was by the middle of the book, so I got to the end without any strange twists and a bit of anticlimax as I had worked out who done it!

The city they live in is getting worse for crime, all sorts of different crime but especially murder by one particular person who has been given the nickname of Abel, as in Cain and Abel!  Dan and Olivia are modern parents with modern parent problems with their children added to which they are scared about the local crimes and the strain on their already rocky marriage is making it worse.  Dan hates Olivia’s boss and who he suspects might be Abel, Olivia hates Dan’s best friend who she thinks might be Abel and then they both don’t like their postman, milkman or their neighbour; one of the three might be Abel too!  Can they survive Abel’s reign of terror and will their marriage survive?

It was another one of those hmm books it was okay but not terrifc so I gave it four stars.

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Now this is definitely a quirky book.  It is about a provincial small town in the Deep South USA and the fact that the local women’s committee do not like some of the books which are at their local Library so get them banned.  The main instigator of this plan is none other than the Chairwoman of the committee Lula Dean who was born and raised in the town and who’s family were once very prominent, they are not now!  However Lula still behaves like they are.  She decides that to counteract the disgraceful books at the Library she will open her own little Library on her property and put in some very appropriate books.  This is when one of the locals decides that it is not up to Lula Dean to decide who can read what, so swaps the very suitable book covers and puts them on some very thought provoking books!  As the locals stop by Lula Deans little library she is so pleased to know they are reading proper books, if only she knew!!!

The story goes along in that vein and ends with Lula Dean being put firmly in her place by her family but the thought provoking books help more people than can be imagined!  I sort of liked the book but I was too sure about it, I don’t think I would read it again though so I gave it Three Stars.

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*****

This is my Five Star read for December.  It is a well written book, the dialogue flows well and the characters are interesting althogh you do not get bogged down with too much detail about them, so you do not have to go back and re-read anything to remember who they are or what they are doing!

D I Walker was a cop in London who was faced almost daily with intricate cases including murder, armed robbery and many other crimes.  However his wife, Annie, wants to move back to the little Cumbrian village that she was born in, Kirkby Abbey, as it is so much safer there.  

However an early Christmas present is left on their doorstep after the move and when he opens it there is a gruesome sight and with a note which says there are twelve days left to Christmas and there are going to be twelve murders, one a night, expect the first that evening! The snow starts to fall and James Walker is told to expect the Village to be cut off, how is he going to deal with a murder or more than one with no resources and a killer loose in the Village?

Yes I really enjoyed it, no I did not know who the murderer was until the end and so this got five stars.  It is also the first book in the D I Walker series, the rest being :  The Killer in the Snow, The Winter Killer, The Night Before Christmas, The Killer in the Cold and finally Cold Blooded Killer.I am definitely going to get these other books and may even listen to one or two of them!

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*****

I did listen to this one and it is in the  Cosy Crime section on Book Beat.  Christmas has arrived in Penstown and the Penstown Players are busy rehearsing “Aladdin” for their upcoming pantomime season.  DCI Nathan Withers has avoided getting a part and so has his wife Jodie, who also used to be a detective but now runs her own catering business.  She was allowed to not have a part if she did the catering for the opening night party.  During the first performance the Mayor’s husband, Tim, who is playing Widow Twankie is waiting in the wings for his big entrance when he trips over what he thinks is a bundle of costumes but which is, in fact, a dead body!  Who would want to kill someone and who has a terrible secret?

I loved it!  I actually listened to it on Book Beat and the narator, Zara Ramm, was so good!  It is very much a tongue in cheek book but the writing is light, enjoyable and very funny in places and they do get their man or woman at the end.  It is another series of books and I will be looking out for more of them.  

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So that is December done and dusted and another year gone by.  I will do a review of all the books this year next week and my thoughts on my reading year, which I can honestly say I have achieved that Aim this year with reading more!

I hope you lovely lot have a wonderful weekend and get some time to read in this very hectic period of the calendar.

Hugs & Love, Susie, Coco and now Gordon & Blaze

 

Christmas!

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Well I had a look at the calendar at the weekend and suddenly realised that there are just two weeks left before Christmas!  I do not know how it has managed to sneak up on me, but I suppose having had six weeks out recuperating from my Op has not helped!Jayne and I were out yesterday for our Christmas Ladies who Lunch and we had a great time.  We always go to The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow, Derbyshire which is owned by Chatsworth House and is, in fact, on the Estate.  The drive to it is also lovely as you get to see some of our wonderful Derbyshire countryside, although it was pouring with rain and was quite dark so the lights were on all day.  The food was lovely as always, we both had Christmas dinner, and a little drink.  We had drinks in the lounge afterwards where there was a roaring fire and it was so lovely to spend a few hours doing nothing really!

The Garden Room where we had Lunch.

So we have moved back in Youngest, Fiancée, Blaze and Gordon with their clothes, books etc and the rest of their home is going into storage over this weekend and next.  They have done well to get their old room sorted at home and at the weekend we took their family picture for their Christmas cards.

It is very cosy in there.

They went to Youngest’s Dinner and he came Third in the  L2 Technician of the Year 2025 Jaguar Land Rover UK Awards and was presented with a Trophy, Certificate and some other goodies.  We are so proud of him.

It really has been a very busy few weeks, so much so that decorating our home for Christmas had been done over quite a few days rather than being able to get it done all at once.  However we finally got there.  Here are a few pictures that I have taken so far.

Our tree this year and although it does not look big all our decorations have gone on really well.  We also bought some new lights for it and they have made it look great.

The lights on the bookcase.  I love the lights at Christmas when all the other lights are off.

My little village.  I got three of the houses last year on sale and bought the Church, the Christmas trees, the reindeer and the two larger houses this year when they were on sale.

These are our Christmas Cards this year and I always get them from the “Help For Heroes” Charity.  I managed to get them all written, addressed and stamped on Sunday and posted them off yesterday!

I also managed to get all the presents wrapped and put into their various Sacks!

We got the trees from the Garden Centre in our village and they always have a great choice.  This is the display as you go in and then you walk through the Christmas area and they always go a great job with the displays and they also have quite a few different decorations.We got there as they opened and we got the trees and wreath, paid for them and DH loaded it all in the truck and then we went for Breakfast.  By the time we came out the car park was full and you have never seen so many people.  We were very glad we got there early, there was only about ten customers in then!

Here is Eldest, Youngest Sisters and Little Man in front of their tree.  They managed to get theirs decorated and up the weekend we got them!

On Sunday it was the Village Christmas light switch on and there was quite a good turn out despite heavy rain!  One year it snowed and that made it quite magical but most years it is raining!  DH did not get back until 9.00pm having left our home at 2.00pm!  I did not go down, I usually do but decided I did not want to get cold and wet!!!!!

Friday evening The Girls were involved in the Lantern Parade in their home town of Ashbourne.  Little Man and Eldest walked along the side of the parade and they walked from the Church into the Market Square where Carols were sung to kick off the Christmas period.

Saturday evening we were at Great Central Steam Railway to see Santa and Mrs Claus!  Fortunately the rain had stopped for our visit and we had a great time.We got on the tran at 3.30pm and so as we set off it got dark and all the lights came on and it really was a magical trip. We start the journey in Loughborough at the Station which opened in 1899.  It has been restored to reflect the 1940’s and 1950’s.

The Fireplace and open fire in the Platform Buffet which has two doors so it can be accessed from both platforms!

Mrs Claus was on the Platform and having her photograph taken with the young guests in front of the large Christmas tree.Eldest Sister.

Mrs Claus and Youngest Sister.

DH, Little Man, Youngest Sister and Mrs Claus by the steam engine “Witherslack Hall”

 The three of them with hot chocolates and snacks.

The steam engine waiting to pull out.

Little Man and DH inspecting the Engine.

Walking back to the Train after Inspecting the Engine

Little Man getting his gift from Santa Claus on the train.

The Christmas Tree at the Station between the Platforms.

It has been very hectic and the next two weeks are going to be busy too.  This week we have work to do of course, quite a lot of our customers are trying to get things delivered before Christmas so they are ready after the shutdown for work in January!  Today I am doing home jobs, going to Eldest’s tomorrow for work.  Friday morning DH and I are taking the morning for ourselves and then in the afternoon Fiancée and I are having our hair cut and coloured, her auburn and me blond!  Then it is grocery shopping and a night in.  So we may be watching a couple of Christmas films!

Saturday evening it is the Swimming Club Presentation Night but DH will be going up at about 2.000pm to set up and help.  I may have to go up with him as I do not still have my vehicle (!) and it will be a late finish and then DH has to pack everything up!  Sunday will be a day off although there are always jobs to do!

Next week I have work to do, home jobs to do and try and finish some quilting if I did not get it done on Sunday!  DH has a couple of business Christmas lunches to go to and that weekend will be the final push to get everything into storage for Youngest & Fiancée.  SO it will be all tucked up before Christmas.  On the Sunday afternoon we have the Swimming Club Fun Gala!  Then, of course, we are into Christmas week!  

Monday will be a sorting out day, Tuesday I have the Christmas food shop to do, DH is out at his final Christmas lunch and I will be cleaning!  Christmas Eve we are picking up the meet from the Butchers and also see DH’s cousin and taking her for lunch in their home village where they were born.  We will be visiting the Church also with the wreath and then looking at all the Christmas lights on our way home.  

Christmas Day we have Eldest & Partner,  Little Man, Youngest, Fiancée, DH and I, Coco, Gordon, Blaze and Honey at home for dinner.  I am so looking forward to it. Boxing Day is always a laid back day with food being put out buffet style and everyone helps themsleves when they want to eat.

Between Christmas and New Year we have a few other things happening which I will tell you about soon.  Tomorrow I will be doing a post about Christmases Past!

I hope you are all having a wonderful time in the run up to Christmas and all organised.  Don’t forget my Christmas planner on my side bar to help with all that organisation. 

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

Coco and Gordon, Partners in Crime!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Happy Thanksgiving

To All My American Friends & Followers we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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This week has flown by as usual after my little pity party yesterday!  Today has been home jobs day and I have not only had Miss Coco following me around today, I have also had Gordon too!  

Gordon is quite happy being here and Blaze, having lived here for well over a year is just home.  He has a little route around our home and he just goes back to doing it.  The reason they are here is because Youngest & Fiancé are going to a hotel tonight for Youngest’s work. He has been nominated by Jaguar Land Rover nationally for an award.  He is up against others for the award so we will not know how he has done until tomorrow night, but being nominated is amazing as it is a National award and there are six others so he has already done very well.  There is a buffet dinner tonight and then tomorrow night there is a dinner and ball.  They will be home on Saturday morning.

They are also going to come back to living here with us as well.  The home they have been in since the beginning of the year has been fine but one or two things have changed and so the decision has been made to come back home.  We are putting all their things into storage and they are bringing themselves and the animals home.  We will have to do some re-arranging but we will fit them all in!

Tonight is the first of the Christmas Lights Switch On in Long Eaton which DH is commentating on and tomorrow night is Ilkeston.  The Christmas Light Switch on in the Village is not until the following week.  We have some other events coming up so it is going to get very busy.  We have Presentation Night for the swimming club and also a Fun Gala too, we have dates arranged for seeing family and friends.  DH and I are going to a Classical Concert and we also have a couple days of shopping to do and he also has a couple of business lunches to go to as well.  Jayne and I, Ladies who Lunch, are also out for our Christmas Lunch on December 9th and I will get some pictures of that.  Can’t wait.

We are hoping to get our Christmas Tree on Saturday morning and decorate our home, as well as getting a couple of jobs done and also write the Christmas cards.  I have almost finished the present wrapping and then on Sunday we are celebrating Youngest’s Birthday and hearing all about his Event.  Before we know it, it will be Monday again!

Tomorrow Coco is having a spa day and we are also taking Honey again for a wash and deshedding spa day for Eldest & Partner.  I will be at his to get the work done as well and then be home for Blaze and Gordon and then DH will be off to the Light Switch On!  Another busy day.  Our weather has been very cold for quite a few days and frosty and one day being quite foggy.  The sun tried very hard to break through the fog but did not quite clear it.  Today has been mild but tomorrow is cooler and then we are going to have some more frosts next week.  I will try and get some pictures.

Have a wonderful weekend you lovely lot and don’t spend too much tomorrow on Black Friday!!! 

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

Another Week.

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I keep seeing on Instagram all these people putting up their Christmas decorations!  Now you know I love Christmas but even I think it is a little too early on November 17th to be putting them up.  I know the stores have had the decorations up for a while now but it is sort of expected and the decorations are going up in the towns but I have seen quite a few homes already decorated.  I think it is because people are so fed up with the World as it is at the moment that the decorations add a little bit of cheer.  Saying all this I have decided to get our decorations down and sort them out next weekend!!!!

I think I will change my Blog over to a more Christmas feel in the next few days.

DH was out all weekend and I did get some quilting done which is not quite finished yet.  I still need to get five more little quilts done before Christmas so may take the odd day here and there to ensure they get done.  

Speaking of Christmas this film is 35 years old on November 16th!  Now how did that happen?  DH and I went to the cinema to see it when it first came out, I was 26 and DH 33 and we had been married for two years.  I remember sitting in the cinema crying with laughter at the film, I don’t remember any other film ever having that affect on me.  I just loved it and still watch it now all through the year but especially at Christmas.  I think Christmas movies are like Christmas songs there are a few which you play every year and are never fed up of and will play them on repeat well Home Alone is definitely one of them.  I do not like Home Alone 2 or any of the subsequent ones just the original.  

Here are some pictures of our garden in its Autumn finery.  The big space in the picture above is where we have had to take out the Box bush so that will stay like this now until Spring when I have some plans for some new plants to go in. 

Our two trees in the garden the one onthe right which is the cherry tree has lost all of its leaves now.  The one on the left is the Cotoneaster which keeps its leaves all year except for a few is sheds.  It was trimmed when the men came into more of a round shape.

The conifers have also had  trim and shape as well at the top of the steps.  We still have a little bit of work to do with trimming some of the summer plants which need to be done in the next two weeks when it will be the last brown bin of the season.  

Coco is having a snooze this morning!!!!  The weather is turning this week into more of our normal Autumn temperatures with freezing overnight so she is getting into hibernation mode!

Have a wonderful week and I will post photographs as and when I get the Christmas decorations up!! 

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

Remembrance.

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They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;        Age shall not weary them, nor the years condem.                 At the going down of the sun and in the morning,                We will Remember them.

Laurence Binyon

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We had a busy week last week and Friday we were with Eldest at the garage me work and DH sorting jobs out!  Over the weekend we had nothing on so spent the two days in our garage sorting out boxes.  We did get quite a few done and several things sorted out and ended up with six boxes emptied and cleared.  There are still quite a lot to do but quite a few of them now contain toys from when the Boys were little which need sorting and tidying and some of them can already go to Little Man and some for when the new Baby arrives.

This week has been busy again and I have been doing work and sorting things out in our home as well.  Coco has been helping although getting in the way is more accurate.  Bonfire Night lasted for two weekends and the actual day of last Wednesday although it was not as many fireworks as might have been as the weather was not good.  I had two visitors last Thursday to see me whch was lovely and Jayne is coming for lunch next Tuesday and this weekend DH is out both days at a swimming Open so I will be quilting.

My hip is coming along nicely and the only thing which is slowing me down at the moment is going up and downstairs which is still difficult, but today it has been three weeks since the Op, so hopefully the next three weeks and my checkup after the six weeks I am hoping it will have got a little easier.  We shall see.

Even though it is just DH and I now, as well as Coco, I always seem to have a basket of ironing to do!  That is today’s job and then Thursday is home jobs day.   Friday DH and I are visiting a customer in the morning and I have a visit to the quilt shop which is near to where we are going.  That is too good an oportunity to miss out on!  I am going to have to get Eldest’s computer and work and do that over the weekend this week as we will not have time to go there as well on Friday.  

It is our Wedding Anniversary this week; 37 years!  The above is from our Wedding Album and no it is not sepia coloured just the light when I took the picture!  With DH being out all weekend we are thinking of having a takeaway on Friday noght, Date Night in.  Friday it is going to be heavy rain all day and the temperature is dropping so it is not making me want to go out.  The day we got married it was a very clear frosty day with bright sunshine but cold and our pictures were amazing.  We got married at 11.00am and then after photographs etc we sat down for the wedding breakfast at 1.00pm aand then finished around 5.00pm.  We did not have an evening event but went away on Honeymoon to The Lake District, where it snowed!  We had a great two weeks.  

Then the weekend after that we are taking the children to see Santa on the train.  That has come round very quickly since I booked it in July this year!  The last weekend in November we are babysitting, not the children but the animals!  Blaze and Gordon are coming to stay whilst Youngest & Fiancé are away for the weekend at a work event for him.  We will also be sorting out the deocations that weekend and the Tree and possibly all of us going for a meal out because it will be Youngest’s Birthday too.  It is all go.  Then it will be the headlong rush to Christmas but the best bit of it all for me seeing family and friends for Christmas.  This is why I like to get everything done before December arrives so that we are able to actually enjoy the Festive Season without trying to do it all.  Well that is the plan anyway!  

I hope you lovely lot are having a great week. 

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

“It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas……”

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I love that song!  In fact I love a lot of the “old” Christmas songs, as well as those that are played every year at Christmas!  Usually at this time of year I start playing Christmas songs in my vehicle when I am out and about on my own.  DH and The Boys moan at me but I just think that it is so short a time if you only play the songs in December.  Of course I do not go out and about so don’t hear the same songs all the time in shops etc so that is probably why I play them earlier than most! 

I have not put my tree up yet though, unlike some people I have seen who have artificial ones and have put them up now!!!! We, as a family, have always had real trees because I just love the smell of them so we won’t get that until the first week of December!

The Christmas tickets for Chatsworth House have been released and some dates are booked already.  I know that I may be okay by Christmas after my Op but in a bit of not tempting fate I have not booked anything just in case.  However I will be definitely booking for next year!  I am so looking forward to not being in this state next year!

I have already done a bit of Christmas shopping and bought a few things for the children etc and have also got my Christmas cards ready to write.  I can probably do those whilst I am recovering!   I have already got my Chirstmas planner out and started making notes in it, the way the weeks are flying by it will soon be here!

We are planning a weekend in Nottingham with the six of us and Little Man during a Saturday in December for everyone to do a bit of shopping and get a couple of things sorted and then have dinner and of course see the lights!  Am really looking forward to that. 

I absolutely love this time of year and the run up to Christmas. 

Hugs & Love, Susie & Coco xx

Whisper it……….Christmas!

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I know we are only just into Autumn but I need to start sorting out some things for Christmas, especially as I am going to be laid up for six weeks!  Not strictly laid up but I won’t be able to be out and about like normal!  So I have started to get some things done.

I have already booked the Steam Train to see Santa as we needed a specific date so that is one thing off my list!  This week these have arrived;

The Christmas Cards!

I am not going to write them yet (!) as I can do them when I am back from my Op!   The next thing I need to plan is all the Christmas baking!  I have suggested that I buy the mince pies, Christmas Cake and Christmas Pudding this year and so when I was shopping last week I got some mince pies for DH to try.  He was not impressed!!!!

The supermarket I shop at, Sainsburys, do their own range which is called “Taste the Difference” which is better than the basic range.  So I bought these last week and although DH said they were okay he preferred their basic ones!!!  So I will be buying some of those this week for him to try and if they are okay I will be ordering some each week and putting them in the freezer.  

Last year I did buy our Christmas Pudding from Fortnum & Mason and then we ended up with two so we had one and the other is in the cupboard for this year so that is already here and ticked off my list.  With regard to the cake that is going to be the trickiest.  Eldest loves the cake I make which I cover in Royal Icing.  DH loves the cake but not the icing, Youngest prefers the chocolate log I make and Partner does not like fruit cake at all. Fiancé being pregnant is off all things rich!  So if I get the Fortnum’s Christmas Cake it is fruit but it is covered in the fondant icing which none of us like!  However they may just have to put up with it for this year!

I have already bought a few Christmas presents when I have seen things during the year but again there will not be as many this year as I will not be able to get out and about.  Although you can buy anything on line now I still do like to go out and see things but we shall see.  I have ordered the Christmas paper though!!!!

I have quite a bit of storage now in Youngest’s room, so things will be going in there to be stored and I am keeping a list of things I have bought already and for whom, so I can keep track of things.  Of course it will be Gordon’s first Christmas and I have ordered him his own stocking from Etsy which is arriving on Saturday.  I need to sort out the animals presents too!

DH is already booking events for Christmas and a few have been confirmed.  There was one enquiry  for a Friday evening at the beginning of December but I had already booked tickets for DH and I to go and see Vivaldi by Candlelight that evening.  I have booked my hair and beauty appointments for December as they get booked up really quickly.  

It is not all Christmas though, we do have some lovely things coming up in the next few months too, although DH and I will not be going away for our Wedding Anniversary this year as I will have only just had my Op!  However I will be booking for next year!  We think we will be going away for a week with Coco at the end of February, beginning of March just for a week to decompress after Christmas & New Year.  

Work is busy which is a relief although we are still having ups and downs thanks to our Government and their “policies” which are all over the place at the moment, as well as the volatile situation generally.  I think we just need to keep our heads down and get on with things and ignore everything going on out there!

I hope you are all having a good week.  Next weekend DH is busy with a swimming event and then he and The Boys are doing some work on their own vehicles so I will hve two days of quilting time!  I am sure Coco will be helping. 

Hugs & Love Susie & Coco xx

Coco would normally be doing Coco’s Corner today but she is a bit tired again!