WELCOME 2024 ..........

HAPPY

2024

Wishing you all a wonderful year ahead. 

XXXX

DECK THE HALLS ..........

Christmas decorations are completed. I have gone for a smaller tree this year ..... I have been doing the same thing for about 40 years so wanted something a bit different. I have also gone a bit minimalist and just have lights and candles on the tree ! A bit Scandi.  I might even go smaller next year ! 

Is this what we do, the older we get ? 

See the candles in the candle holders ? They are LED ! They were £28 for ten candles and you got 20 batteries as well { unfortunately, not Duracell Tom !!! } I mean, how good was that ? Plus, they came with a remote. You can have them constant or flickering, bright or not so bright and you can have them on a timer ..... all for twenty eight quid AND, I ordered them on the 17th of December thinking they probably wouldn't come before Christmas and they arrived on the 19th ! I was most impressed. Knowing my luck they will probably stop working tomorrow 🤣😂🤣 I have to say that I have always been a purist when it comes to trees and candles and love the real thing but, with grandchildren running around, real lit candles are a bit of a danger and these LED ones are pretty realistic and you can leave them and know you are not going to burn the house down ! 

XXXX

HEY ..... I'M BACK ..........

Hi, I've been very absent haven't I ? My life has taken a bit of a turn as, after my husbands chest infection, he has deteriorated. I have to look after him and am a full time carer. I haven't been out since February so I'm having a bit of a time of it to put it mildly. I like to think that I am a very capable person and can cope with most things but, living with someone with dementia is very difficult. I am not going to go on about it and, we all have things to cope with but I just thought I would tell you what has been going on. I've been dealing with this for ten years now so it did start to take its toll a bit. I have been waiting for Social Services to sort out a Day Centre so that I can get out but I've been waiting six months for that and they are now telling me there are staff shortages ! They keep promising it will be soon but nothing comes of it. I wish they would just say there's a long waiting list so that I know where I stand. 

Anyway, enough of the doom and gloom, have you listened to the latest and last ever Beatles offering ? It has taken me back to my teenage years when my friends and I would record any new Beatles song on a reel to reel tape recorder and just keep rewinding it to learn all the lyrics !!! I think I know pretty much every lyric that they wrote ! 

I have listened to so much music and watched so many films and series over the last few months as I am stuck indoors. At least I am lucky that, in these days of modern technology, there is so much to entertain me but, as human beings, we are social animals and need our contact with our friends so I am hoping that Social Services will get their finger out and give me some help soon !!!!!

Here's hoping you all haven't deserted me and will leave me a comment for my mental health 🤣🤣🤣

I am still reading your blogs and will get back to commenting on a more regular basis soon.

Lots of love,

XXXX

KITCHEN CHAOS ..........

I think we are on the last lap...... or the penultimate last lap { I mustn't tempt fate or speak too soon ! } The kitchen guys are here. They will put most of it in then we have to wait ten days for the worktop and, the factory put the hole in the extractor hood in the wrong place so we will have to wait for that. I shall have to use bottled water and the microwave until then ! It's not really a problem and, another couple of weeks won't hurt. 

Sorry I've been AWOL commenting but, my husband is in hospital. He has a chest infection which resulted in psychosis, delusion and confusion which can take quite a while to recover from so life has taken a bit of a turn. 

XXXX

HAPPY 2023 ..........

Happy 2023 everyone.

Here's hoping for an amazing year to come.

Many, many thanks to everyone who has { or hasn't } commented here this past year. 

As a Blogger, our followers and commenters are very precious to us. Your support is very much appreciated as it would be a bit of a lonely place if you weren't there !

I hope we will enjoy more of the same in the coming year.

Sending lots of love and happiness to you all wherever you may be.

{ Sorry, that all sounded a bit like our late Queen  but it is sincerely meant !!! }

XXXX

image via google

OCULUS .....

Our grandson got Oculus for Christmas ..... OMG ..... it's brilliant ! You can experience everything that virtual reality has to offer !

First you have a tutorial ..... you have a practice at picking things up and using the hand pieces. You are standing in this amazing sci fi space and you begin by throwing paper airplanes, picking up objects etc.

Then you progress to dancing with the above robot, holding his hand and twirling him around and a bit of freestyle ! Someone should have videoed me ..... I'm sure I looked ridiculous !

BUT, the best part came next ..... I progressed to the roller coaster ! It's just like being on one {and I LOVE roller coasters}

It is so realistic ..... I was getting motion sickness { but in a good way } It really gets your adrenaline pumping ..... the speed, the turns, the height ..... it is SO much fun. 

..... and, topically, you enjoy the ride with Father Christmas !

I WANT ONE !

On a sad note, as you probably know, Vivienne Westwood died yesterday.

I loved much of her style { not so much the bonkers pieces but that was her ..... she loved to shock }

RIP Dame Vivienne

XXXX

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE ..........

Wishing all of my blogging friends the merriest of Christmases.

Whatever you are doing, have a great day, 

Eat, Drink and be Merry ,

Thank you all for your blogging friendship, your posts which have made me laugh, cry , enlightened me, touched me and have given me food for thought. 

I still think blogging is the best social media platform even though it is now thought a bit like it's had it's day ! 

Keep blogging ..... I'd miss you all so much if you weren't there, 

See you all in 2023

Lots of love

XXXX