1. I get paid tomorrow – my last income til 2021 😁😁😁 I’ll try to not spend it all in one go 🤑🤑🤑
2. Which means I have less than 24 hours ⏳⏳ till I finish working for 12 days. 🗓
3. I get to see my family in 36 hours 🥳🥳🥳👨👩👦
4. Conqueror Virtual Challenges release their next 3 challenges tomorrow. 🥇🥈🥉 so lots of virtual international 🚶🏻♀️🚶🏻♀️🚶🏻♀️🚶🏻♀️
4. We’re one day closer to spring 🌸🏵🌺🌷🌻💐
5. There’s less than 225 hours left of 2020 🎆🎆🎆🧧
6. By tomorrow I’ll be 4 months away from my pension 👏👏👏👵🏻💷💷💷 if the bloody government doesn’t renege on me and move the 🥅
And yes, from this post you can deduce that I’m bored 🤣🤣🤣🤣 with absolutely nothing useful or intelligent to write about 🤨🤨🤨 and all I really want to do is 😴😴😴😴 after a torrid 🌃
Sorry 😉
Oh and the weather is cr@p so I can’t even get out for a 🚶🏻♀️😒😒
P.s. I had to add the gif….🤭🤭 our poor beleaguered 👸🏻 I bet she wishes she could just say fekit I’m not doing a speech this year….🤫🤫🤫
As a child you grow up with traditions and learn about others, whether they be religious or seasonal, familial or foreign and they all seem to be set in stone with certain rules that govern how they play out. I learned something quite profound one day…..traditions are not set in stone, they can be amended or tweaked and new ones can be created…!!! 😁😁
My mother had quite a few traditions, one of which was decorating the Christmas tree. A few days before Christmas a tree would mysteriously appear in the lounge (sitting room for the Brits 🤪🤪), and if a real tree, it stood in a bucket of sand. 🎄
In the build up to Christmas day we learned that Father Christmas aka Santa would be visiting on the night before Christmas and leave us lots of presents….and he would decorate the tree, so when we woke up on Christmas day, magically the tree would be adorned in all its glory.
As we got older and learned that ‘Santa’ was actually Mommy, we got to help with the decorating. I remember the excitement as Christmas eve got closer and the anticipation built….and then her Christmas boxes would come out from wherever she was hiding them and glory be….we got to open them. Oh the beauty of all those shiny balls, the tinsel glittering in the light, the quirky little characters exclaimed over with delight and then the decorating began as we tried to balance them out around the tree with much laughter – the baubles going higher the taller we grew. And finally with a flourish we pulled tufts of cottonwool off a fat new roll, threw them all over the tree with wild abandon and voila, the tree was covered in ‘snow’. 😃😃 Too much fun.
Being the eldest of 4 daughters I got to help my Mother decorate the tree in secret 3 times to surprise and delight my sisters on Christmas day…and of course the day brought a pile of presents too. 🎄🎁🎁🎁🎁 Needless to say, my Mother did things in a big way, and half the house would be decorated too ☺☺
When my daughter was growing up I carried on the traditions of my childhood and decorated the tree and lounge the night before Christmas to delight her in the morning. As she grew up and learned more about Santa’s secrets, she also got to decorate the tree. As it was just the 2 of us, we used to decorate together.
Now she’s grown up with a family of her own, she’s started a new tradition….the grandparents are invited over earlier in December for an evening of laughter, dinner and decorating the tree. Last year we all gathered together and my contribution was a 1st Christmas decoration for Jamie; an engraved ceramic star
This year I found a delightful little wooden decoration in Shepton Mallet; a picture of a snowman – he loves snowmen. ⛄⛄
Unfortunately this year, due to tier 3 restrictions the paternal grandparents didn’t join us, but we had a fun time decorating the tree.
Granny and Jamie hanging his decoration
This was Jamie’s first time ever decorating a Christmas tree. He got the idea straight away. Mummy gave him the first bauble, showed him how to open the string, and he went straight over and hung it up with very little instruction on how to do it. We’re so proud of him. ☺☺
He just got it….so smart 🥰💙
Of course not yet 2 years old, he got impatient with taking the decorations out one at a time and turned the box upside down and all over the floor 🤣🤣🤣 – and THEN proceeded to jumble them up.
But he was dissuaded and one by one the decorations went up with the assistance of Mummy and Daddy.
A steadying hand from Mummy
And finally when every last bauble and ball was up, he helped Daddy put the star on top 🎄…..👏👏👏👏 hoorah!! Its Christmas 🎉🎉🎉🎁🎁🎁
Daddy’s little Christmas star ☺☺💙He took it all very seriously ☺☺🎄🎉
Once the tree was done we settled down to have a superb Christmas meal….fully vegetarian.
Table decorations
A newly established family tradition.
I bought my boobee an early Christmas present; a Peppa Pig set of plate, bowl and cup. He’s currently obsessed with Peppa Pig, so an easy buy 🐷🐷
Another tradition my Mother had was making a Christmas pudding….every year she would buy the fruit mince the bread crumbs, the eggs, suet, the sixpences and 50p (all carefully boiled to sterilise them) and then the mixing began. We would fight to mix and once it was all done, fight again as to who would get to lick the spoons and the bowl. When the grandchildren came along they were encouraged to participate and I have the loveliest photo somewhere of my Mother, my daughter and 2 nieces gathered round the table mixing the pudding. Possibly the last pudding my Mother ever did since she passed away a couple of months after my daughter’s 4th birthday. Moving forward, my daughter doesn’t like Christmas cake, Christmas pudding or mince pies….weird child, but more for me 😁😁🤶🏻🥧🥧🥧
Oh and without a doubt, you can be sure that on Christmas day….we all vied for the 50p!!! A veritable fortune in those days 💰💰💰
P.S. did you notice the spelling of merry in the header photo…🤪🤪 only noticed after the package was opened…. a new tradition? 😉
There is nothing more precious to me than hearing my grandson from behind the door saying “G’anny” when I ring the doorbell and then seeing that beautiful little face lit up with a smile. And a cuddle follows close behind ☺☺💙
I finished knitting this little matinee jacket for my soon to be born grandson 💙☺
balls of wool and a set of needles An intricate pattern Making progress 5 pieces completedThey all come together And it’s done 😃💙👶🏻
6 weeks before he was born I completed the jacket. This little item was one of many little cardigans and jackets I knitted for his layette. I love knitting and it was such a joy to prepare these little items for him.
When my daughter was a baby, I knitted a full set of dress, jacket and bootees in green, using the same pattern. Continuity. I’ve still got the set in storage.
And continuing with the same pattern, I knitted a blanket for my daughter. It was meant to have been knitted while she was in labour, but as it turned out, the birth went very differently to what we anticipated and I participated in his birth right from the first contractions till he took his first breath.
And so the blanket took a tad longer than expected….like 18 months longer. But eventually it was done
And its done 😃
It’s now being used for when he goes out in his pram
My mother would have been 89 years old today. Except that she died when she was 52, about 3 years after this photo was taken.
My Mother and my daughter ❤💗
I was 29 at the time and I remember thinking, as you do, that my Mother was quite old. Now that I’m 65 of course I realise that she wasn’t really.
I often wonder how our lives, my 3 sisters and mine, would have turned out if she hadn’t died so young. I’m almost certain that I would not have emigrated to the UK if she were still alive.
So even though she isn’t alive to celebrate her birthday, I still think about her every year and wish her a happy birthday wherever she may be.
I was chatting to my daughter and grandson last night via WhatsApp video, always an absolute joy when I’m away. I miss them so much….
My daughter was telling me that she took him to the park in the afternoon which he loves.
There were some other children there, older than him by about a couple of years, playing with the bark and play pretending it was ice-cream.
My grandson (not yet 2 years old) trotted over and tried to make friends. He picked up some bark too and offered it to the little boy, who rejected it and dismissed him with a snarky comment 😔😔
His little face crumpled with disappointment and hurt. He wanted to join in and be friends. He’s such a sweet little soul and so generous.
My daughter related how her heart contracted with the pain of his rejection, the expression on his face.
And I knew exactly how she was feeling. My heart contracted with imagining how he felt and remembering how I used to feel when she was rejected at school and at any other time in her life. It pains me greatly to know that he’s going to go through these times as he grows up.
It reminded me of the little ditty my Mother taught me when I used to get bullied at school : ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me’.
I recall chanting that ditty many times over the years, until my daughter some years ago said that actually it’s not true. Wounds from sticks and stones do heal in time and you tend to forget about them. But the words remain stuck in your head to go endlessly round and round, sometimes interminably as you grapple to make sense of why someone has said such hurtful things.
My heart ached for this little boy, just starting out on his journey through life and it brings tears to my eyes thinking about the painful times he is going to have to contend with.
I wish I could teach him how to not take the nasty things people say to heart, but I’m useless at that coz I’m still struggling with something my sister said to me at my daughter’s wedding nearly 3 years ago….
My daughter said she’s going to teach him to “not give a shit what people say”, but ultimately some barbs hit hard and go deep and the pain never goes away.
My grandson truly is a sweet, gentle, caring, generous little boy, and it pains me greatly to know that along his journey in life he too is going to feel the pain of nasty words. I do hope his Mummy can teach him how to not let them affect him too much.
To learn that “sticks and stones may break my bones, but I won’t let your words harm me”. To learn that words deliberately or carelessly directed at you are more about the person saying them than about you.
During one of my brief stays this month, I took the boobee to the beach. He had loads of fun and Granny got to do some nimble hops, skips and jumps across the rocks as he bounded along looking for puddles. All very well for him with his wellies, but I really didn’t want to get my shoes wet, so I had to do some fancy footwork to keep up with him and not wet my shoes. All went well, he kept his balance, running nimbly across the rocks like a wee goat, and then he decided to return to his earlier puddle that had lots of water and made lovely splashes….and then just as he was walking away….he reversed and sat down!!!! In the puddle 🤪🤪🤪🤪 OMG I laughed so much. He’s a minx.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 I don’t think he was expecting it to be cold…His Peppa Pig wellies He loves to collect things….a bit like his Granny 😍😍
He does this thing lately where he throws himself backwards and onto his bottom…lovely game…except in puddles. Fortunately we had a change of clothes (except spare socks and shoes) in his backpack and after he’d run around and splashed in more puddles, I carted him off the beach under my arm to the sidewalk where I managed to change his clothes while holding him up in the air….there was nowhere to sit, and coz he didn’t have spare shoes I couldn’t stand him on the ground. I phoned his parents after that to rescue us….he’s a right character. And although I’m quite fit, keeping up with a nearly 2 year old is a different ballgame…
I do love being a Granny and would love to have more time with him…
Look what I bought for myself this afternoon. ☺☺ I felt I deserved a treat (besides the sunrise and sunsets) after all the stress this week. I’d been planning on buying it 2nd hand online, but suddenly felt impatient. Just a day ago I read the write up in The Guardian (February 2019) via @pilgrimtrust and felt so inspired by their journey; the bravery of facing down the odds and taking the challenge head on. It helped lift me out of my slump, and reminded me that I have much to be grateful for – even though I’m still very grumpy about the dishonesty of that carer (and that she’s just going to get away with her manipulative behaviour) 😡😡😡 that’s how grumpy I am 😁😁 Anyway, whatever, I had a lovely long walk to Broadstairs and back and now I’m reclining on my bed and just about to dive in…. p.s. if you Google ‘the salt path’ the article is a few entries down.
The Salt Path
I’ll let you know what I think when I’ve finished it…although I’m pretty certain I’m going to love it. 📘
14.11.2020 Saturday 21:38
I’ve just finished reading The Salt Path. What an extraordinary story. Of pain, of loss and hunger and an enduring love that triumphed over the worst kind of adversity.
Its left me wanting to fetch my backpack and just go….
If I remember correctly, I think there is a band with a similar name….Smashing Pumpkins?? Which sounds just as much fun, albeit a lot messier than carving pumpkins 🎃
Its amazing how many British traditions we have been introduced to since living here for the last 19 years.
Although we came late to the tradition and have only carved a pumpkin once before, now that my grandson is older we’ve introduced him to the tradition and the fun of carving a pumpkin for Halloween.
Growing up in the UK, I’m pretty certain that this won’t be the last time we carve a pumpkin, and it will become a new family tradition.
My daughter bought the pumpkins a few days ago and yesterday we sat in the garden, thankfully it wasn’t raining, and carved our pumpkins.
Daddy of course honoured the boobee with his name and I went for the more traditional scary face, and for good measure and keeping it contemporary, I also carved out the word Covid…🤪🤪 Its current news, so I had to.
We left them outside to start drying out, a hopeless endeavour since the weather is so grim, but they were sufficiently dried by evening. Daddy sourced some candles and lights off, candles in and we had our ‘scary’ Halloween.
The boobee was more interested in retrieving the candles and ‘blowing’ them out than the actual pumpkin faces….🤔🤔
Today I received what appeared to be a valid email from DHL. I opened it, especially as I’ve ordered quite a few items online recently, and am still expecting a few items and thought it may be delivery details.
1. First thing I noticed that alerted me was the request for £1.99 to deliver my item – I’ve paid for or have free delivery on all the items I’ve ordered.
2. I clicked on the attachment to see the order details and the screen was blank – it was untitled?! Naughty me.
3. The registered address on the email is clearly not a valid UK address.
4. I pressed reply and the address was clearly suspicious. info@dhl-freedom.com = the.com contradicts the UK address and the email address they list is .co.uk
I DIDN’T click the red button ‘track my parcel
Because I’m a naturally suspicious person and my scam alert had been alerted 🤪🤪
I am hyper aware of phishing emails and spam emails and am always suspicious of any emails that pop up that I’m not expecting/signed up for.
Usually I just delete anything I’m not sure about or send it to the spam box if it is obvious its spam. But because I’m expecting parcels I opened it to see if its delivery details. See point #2 🤔🤨🤨🤨
Same as phone calls, if the number is not listed in my phone I don’t answer the call. If its legitimate, they’ll leave a message and then I’ll phone back if I recognise the name.
If when occasionally I’m not thinking and answer the call and it’s a call-centre and they launch into their sales spiel I usually tell them to take ‘french leave’ and hang up. Can’t be bothered. If I’m in the mood I tell them the call is being traced and if they don’t remove my details from their list I’m going sue them. Works a charm…they always ring off pronto. Because sometimes the name that shows up is legitimate; they’re so damn sneaky.
I NEVER answer any overseas number eg +001 or 333 or similar and I NEVER say “Yes” if the person on the other end asks “is that Cindy *****” – I always reply with “who may I ask is calling?”.
Back to the email scams, its vitally important to be aware and before responding, just look through the email and if you’re really not sure then do a few Google searches…even ask is ‘such and such spam? You’ll quickly get a reply and do a search on the Which? website, they’re usually well ahead of any scams or phishing issues.
I hope this post helps you avoid being scammed and if you have an elderly relative who uses email, please do chat to them about this type of scam, even if, like DHL it appears to be a legitimate company/email.
What is phishing? Ref wikipedia
Phishing is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information or data, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by disguising oneself as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
Typically carried out by email spoofing, instant messaging, and text messaging, phishing often directs users to enter personal information at a fake website which matches the look and feel of the legitimate site.
Not Just a Granny 
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