To those of my friends in the Blogworld and elsewhere I send you greetings for 2024.
I hope that you are all well. I apologise for yet another absence. On this occasion I may have some difficulty catching up with all the posts I've missed to the extent that I hope to read but may not comment.
For the last two Christmases and Januaries I have been ill with chest infections or viruses. This year I have so far been absolutely hale and hearty.
However prior to Christmas my son was unwell with what we now assume was influenza. My son and daughter-in-law host Christmas for the two families because they have a house and dining area which can take us all with ease. The 22nd December was my grandson, Brodie's, 6th Birthday. He had a get-together. Two days later on Christmas Eve he found himself for the second time in three weeks in hospital. The first time he had needed intra-venous antibiotics so was an in-patient. This time the tests showed that he had 'flu. As there was nothing to be done needing hospital treatment he was allowed home.
However Christmas lunch was postponed.
In any case his maternal aunt and grandfather had both succumbed.
As it happens a friend of mine of half a century also had her Christmas cancelled so she came over to me for a couple of days bringing duck (instead of turkey) and excellent Champagne. So we settled ourselves down and had a couple of very quiet and very overindulgent days.
I hastily got out my Christmas Candles and cards and my Christmas Trees made by Catriona of my New Zealand Family when she was about the age of my Grandson which adorned my home in New Zealand. Instead of using one of the dining tables we used the 'dinner wagon' given to my parents on their marriage nearly ninety years ago. Together with the huge snowflakes crocheted by Marcheline.
Whilst there is no obligation to blog or comment all the time I have not read anything in your post that would have absented me from blogland for three or four weeks. Can you not multi-task?
ReplyDeleteThere was no suggestion in my post, Rachel, what I'd been doing was why I hadn't posted. It was simply an update on my Christmas. I spend my life multi-tasking although I suspect that if I concentrated on one task at a time I might achieve a lot more. Since I got up at 6.30 this morning I have abluted; spent time in Blogland responding to comments; fed the birds and mended their fat feeder; been involved in three WhatsApp and Telegram conversations; had to check my central heating boiler and system (and discovered that the pump in the loft seems to have failed and phoned the heating engineer) - and all that took quite a bit of time; written a note to post to a friend in Victoria, Australia; made and eaten a fairly substantial breakfast and two coffees; done Wordle; made an apple crumble; made a list of things for the rest of the morning. I would now usually be about to go out and meet friends for coffee but this week it's been moved to this afternoon. So I shall go and see if I can find out why the emergency generator wouldn't start yesterday. Then I have to call at the medical practice in town to submit a sample and make an appointment for my 3-monthly anti-cancer jab and go to the post office next door to post a parcel and buy stamps. I need some groceries. This afternoon I'll socialise.
DeleteThere is nothing to stop me re-ordering my life so that I could blog more frequently if I could think of sufficient subjects of interest (which could be a challenge).
I'm very conscious of the friends I visit or have visited weekly who are in residential care. They as well as my other friends are getting fewer and fewer and I make the most of such visits whilst I can. However I'm very happy with my very social and family life and whilst I can still drive the 15 miles to and from Stornoway or my friends scattered around once, twice or three times a day I shall try and maintain it.
So take that, Rachel!
DeleteAnd what exactly is that comment for David M. Gascoigne? Graham and I have been friends for a long time. I knew he would know what I meant and that I speak as a country person and I do not waste time with lots of unnecessary verbiage.
DeleteThank you for the reply Graham and have a Happy New Year.
DeleteSo many Christmas plans had to be altered or abandoned this year. We expect to have a Christmas meal or two by the end of January! I hope your son and grandson are recovered now. How sad for a six-year old to have to spend time in hospital. It sounds as though you had a pleasant Christmas anyway - champagne always helps:-)
ReplyDeleteJanice, I did have a pleasant Christmas, thank you. I'm sorry to hear that your plans went awry as well. Yes, champagne and good wine always help!
DeleteHello once more old friend and a Happy, Healthy New Year to you! It's nice to read that in spite of other people's illnesses etc. you made the most of the festive period. I hope that your son and Brodie are both on their way back to full health. It's hard to believe that Brodie is already six!
ReplyDeleteHello, Neil. I hope that your year ahead is a Good Year too. I find it impossible to understand that he is now addicted to Monopoly and almost unbeatable! It's a game I detest!
DeleteI am relieved to hear that you are hale and hearty and that your absence was not down to you falling prey to any illness. Your Christmas seems to have been cosily enjoyable, despite not being able to spend it with your family.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading more of your posts here in 2024.
Thank you, JayCee, I hope that I can find something interesting to say!
DeleteHaving succumbed to a summer cold and missing out on grand-mothering time, I feel for Gas and Brodie - and extended family. I'm grateful for my Christmas good health. I'm glad you avoided the dreaded lurgy and enjoyed your festivities in good company. Lovely to see Catriona's Christmas tree again. Hard to believe it was that long ago.
ReplyDeletePauline,like your girls it's so hard to believe that the youngest is now 21! Catriona was 3 when I first went to New Zealand.
DeletePrayers for everyone's health!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Thank you, Maywyn. I'm sending positive thoughts for your health too.
DeleteHappy 2024 to you. Although it seems nothing went to plan for you, you had a nice Christmas.
ReplyDeleteA Good New Year to you too, Andrew. Plans are always there to beworked around!
DeleteNo worries about being late, Graham, as I too have a bit of catching up to do, but first I want to wish you a very happy (and healthy) 2024. Sorry to read that family members were not feeling well and that celebrations were cancelled, but seems you and your friend had a lovely calabration despite everything.
ReplyDeleteThank you Beatrice (having now rescued your comment from Spam 🙄). Fortunately almost everyone has now recovered) and, yes, my friend and I enjoyed ourselves.
DeleteI had to look up "dinner wagon"
ReplyDeleteEverything looks very festive and who can argue with duck?
Happy new Year, Graham!
Happy New Year to you too, Kylie. I suspect that dinner wagons were a very British thing. They are very useful though.
DeleteSometimes we are forced to change and it is a success. I hope everybody there recovers rapidly.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Red.
DeleteIt seems that quite a few people had Christmas plans disrupted this year (not ours, we celebrated early and had a bit of a blob day that day!). I hope 2024 will be a great year for you :) xx
ReplyDeleteThank you, Margaret. All the best for 2024 to you too.
DeleteYour house looks beautiful, and what a lovely time you had!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nan.
DeleteSorry your son and grandson were so ill, especially at Christmas. The way you display your cards and all the candles makes a beautiful warm scene. My sons came over for Christmas celebration, we all enjoy being together.
ReplyDeleteTerra, I'm glad that your boys came over. It's a good time for families.
DeleteI too have had a slight chesty cough, but really nothing to complain about. I think Christmas is the worst time to be ill. We all look forward to it so much that be incapacitated is very annoying. If we hadn't been so numerous, I think I would have had a duck (or Goose) too. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteCro, I hope that you've improved. I was never keen on goose. I found it a bit fatty.
DeleteThe candles, cards and laid out "table" all look very festive, and of course I love the snowflakes and Catriona's trees.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear so many have been ill, including your grandson. At six years, Christmas still holds all the magic, doesn't it!
Happy New Year to you, Graham. I am glad that you are, as you say, hale and hearty.
Thank you, Meike. I hope that your year ahead is all that you wish it to be.
DeleteI think this gives a whole new meaning to making the best of a bad job! All the best for 2024, Graham.
ReplyDeleteThank you, David. A good New Year to you too.
DeleteI'm glad you have been able to stay healthy this Christmas, Graham, and you enjoyed Christmas with your friend. Wishing you good health and happy adventures in 2024.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ellen. I wish the same for you.
DeleteIt seems as if disrupted Christmas plans were de rigueur this year. Everywhere! I am glad you made things work. Poor Brodie though. What a time to get sick.
ReplyDeleteDebby, I've been hearing of other disruptions too. Life the last few years has had its challenges.
DeleteHappy New Year, Sir. Selfishly I’d love it if you published more blog posts but given the scarcity of my own offerings in 2023 such an idea rather smacks of “pot, kettle, black’.
ReplyDeleteI do, however, have bookshelf and candle envy. I used to have some candles like that . . . no bloomin’ idea where they are or what happened to them.
Happy New Year, Jayne. My candles go back into a box in the loft each year. However once they are down as they are at the moment they will stay in place for a while even though Christmas is well over.
DeleteI like what you've done with your decorations and candles etc. Christmas and New Year went very quietly here, I worked 6 days that week over Christmas so we just spent the day relaxing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Amy. I haven't worked at Christmas since I worked in a hospital. I rather enjoyed working over Christmas if I'm honest. I enjoyed it when the children were young but now I just regard it as a commercialised break in the routine of life.
DeleteYou did well with your Christmas decorations on short notice! - it looks both festive and cosy. Hope Brodie is feeling better!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Monica. Everyone is back in good working order I'm pleased to say.
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