That was The Weekend...

Every scrap of tinsel gone...
Didn't do my blog yesterday because I was engrossed in "Dancing on Ice". Voted for kirky off Coronation Street and he got through so well pleased. he was quite good but needs more confidence. Mind you speaking as someone who has been ice skating but never got off the barriers at the side I can't talk.
Saturday was a normal day, no Christmas stuff and things getting straight again. grey and drizzly in general.
Sunday vin went off to Crosby to get some stuff and again grey and drizzly
Saturday night we had:
green thai curry
1/2 a packet of rice
stir fry vegetables,
Sunday we had:
Pizza again..yum yum. Our tomato sauce,
portobello mushrooms, pineapple pepper for Vin courgette for moi
egg and potato salad with avocado and baby plum tomatoes
Potato salad for moi and sweet chilli noodle salad for Vin.

Monday dawned..yet again grey and drizzly but not too bad. had to go into crosby to the bank to pay some money in for the Hopusehold account and a Hundred pounds into Jane's account to keep her going. Sainsbury's was really quiet,so we got round very quickly. We had a free half hour parking, and did the banking, and all the shopping in that time, good going really.
Got a lovely letter from John and Ann today, posted on the 4th Jan and arrived on the 9th jan. that's pretty good by anyone's standards. They loved the Downton Abbey DVD, so i must get the Christmas one for them maybe send it to john for his birthday on feb2nd. The motor cycle magazine which vin found in the loft fromj 1955 he really enjoyed, and the funny thing was it was a Christmas issue as well.Sounds like they had a nice christmas, but in her words it is "Stinking hot" there. Can't imagine a boiling hot christmas.
Tonight we are having:
Cheese ande broccoli escalope
mushrooms
Carrots and green beans
Squashed baked baby potatoes.

All Gone!

All has now been cleared away for the next eleven months or so. The tree has gone from the village green too, it was really nice this year, all covered with blue lights.Well done the council.
We took ourselves off to Sainsbury's walton this morning. noticed that the Walton Hospital where I have had many hospital appointments is now completely flattened. i assume they are going to build houses on the site.
Sainsburys was quite quiet which is one of the reasons why we go there, at least you can get around unlike the Crosby store which is so crowded you can barely move with your trolley. had a look in the next clearance store next door, the clothes are dreadful, really tatty these days and totally no quality to them, but I always look at the jewellery and the home section at the back. Spotted some LED tea lights which I thought were quite cute, and were priced at £4.50. Thought about them then put them back and Vin caught me up. I mentioned them to him and he seemed interested so I went back for them, and took them to the till. Good job I did because they turned out to be £2 !!! which was a real bargain, and he was pleased.
Got all our stuff ion Sainsburys then, it's a very good store for having stock so got a few things that we had run out of, plus the things that we wanted for the weekend.No bargains there though! Had our usual coffee in their car park at the back, very nice too!
Weather has calmed down a lot today, but the ditches and the fields round the village are waterlogged, with little mini lakes in some of them.

This years christmas Pudding! I do the same one every year..it's a sort of tradition now!
Tonight we are having:
Fishless fingers
Chips!! Oh yummy a treat,
mushy peas for vin and leftover carrots for moi
A couple of baked tomatoes.

So Bare!!!

Well..all the Christmas decorations are away. Vin is just putting them in our store cupboard as I type. It is the best part of the day taking the trees down and putting the ornaments in their boxed. Then the wonderful Vinpacks it all away in the boxes and a big suitcase wekeep for the purpose, then they go in a cupboard that we have over our wardrobe in our bedroom. All away for the next eleven months.It's now ten past four in the afternoon and he has just popped his head round the door to say the last of the decorations are going away. Well Done Vin XXXX
Finally the winds and gales have ceased here, it was very bad last night we could hear the winds coming down the chimney. Then mid-morning it seemed to slow down and finally settle down. The cats haven't liked it at all, I think it unsettles them and they don't go out as much because the windy weather makes them jumpy. They are both fast asleep on the bed behind me as I type this, and bearing in mind that little Rusty has been on my hip doing her balancing act since five O'Clock this morning, she must be tired.I love her dearly, but that is a bit early!!
Tonight we are having:
Black pepper and lemon escalope
bread sauce and cranberry sauce
A few roast potatoes left over from Christmas,
Carrots and a few roast parsnips.
It is a sort of christmas dinner to use up things, and make the most of the tablecloths and decorations etc. Then they all get washed tomorrow!

It's A Blustery Day...

Feels like a line from Winnie the Pooh!It is a blustery day indeed, so no ormskirk again for us. not going there when it is weather likethis, it's up on a hill and worse there somehow.
We went out to Dobbies instead to have our free coffees for the januaary. I just have a black one and Vin has a flat white which he said was lovely so we can go twice in a month if I pay for mine. We had a good look round and bought a few things. I did see a nice bauble half price that will do for next year's bauble swap, and Vin got some marmalade that was on offer quite cheap, and two bags of excellent logs, then we braved the winds and held onto the car door and wended our way to Tesco's in Formby for chicken for the cats.
Saw a few things that we needed and a few things that were on offer, and came out of there having spent too much again. never mind it's all stock.
The plan is tomorrow to stay in and do the Christmas things..take them all down so tonight will be the last night everything will be lit up. The house looks terribly bare when it is all gne, I like our little house decorated. We got it just about right this year, and had around a month out of them. Didn't buy anymore this year, resisted the urge, and didn't buy any more Christmas cards either, got too many.

The front of our little house with the candle arch in the upstairs window and the tree in the bay window. All gone tomorrow!
Tonight we are having:
A pie, country vegetable with mushroom gravy
Potato croquettes
Mixed vegetables.

Thar She Blows!!

One little contented cat!
Very blowy today, the trees outside are going like mad. Quite creepy when you see the bare branches waving in the wind, they look like they are going to come down any minute.
We were planning to go out today, but took one look out of the window this morning and decided against it.So, we stopped in, at least being retired you can do that unlike the millions of poor unfortunates who have gone back to work today.
I did a pile of ironing nstead so at least all the bedding is done, if the wind has gone down tomorrow maybe we will go out then. Vin took the bin round, and little Rusty followed him, so he said he picked her up and carried her round with him. Everywhere he goes outside she will follow Aaah Bless her. Then we made up jane's bed again just in case!! And it is still blowy! The traffic reports on the radio sound quite bad, with roads shut all over and lorries turned over etc.,Just listening to the reports as I type this, and it is really horrendous, Thelwall viaduct closed which is not far from here and would be a nightmare. Pity help the people involved in that.
Tonight we are having:
Pasta bake with a bit of garlic bread
A little bit of parmesan and
mushrooms.

Bank Holiday...

losing track of the days here..it doesn't seem like a new Year bank Holiday. We got up late as usual, must start going to bed a bit earlier..trouble is the cat tends to jump on the bed early, while it is still dark, so you tend to turn over and drop off again, and that's it, before you jknow it it is ten o'clock and late. never mind. Doesn't matter.
Went off to Sainsbury's this morning, to get some fresh veggies and bits we had run out of. car park was quite busy but plenty of spaces, so we got our half hour free and whizzed round. Saw a few bargains, but the idea was to get the veggies really. Home in time for coffee , and to find the garden gate open. Vin said maybe we had a delivery, leaflet or some such. he said that yesterday there was a slimming club leaflet delivered but he didn't show me that in case I accused him of calling me fat!!! Funny !!!
We still have our Christmas things up, and will probably take them down about Thursday. The house will look terribly bare then I love all the Christmas things. We got it just about right this year,put them up in the first week of December.

This is one of my favourites, i bought it in America in New England, and thought it was lovely and cheery. it was quite expensive at the time, but we have had it for a number of years now. The spray under it, vin bought from a fair at Tatton Park and they go beautifully together. Always feel Christmassy when they go up.Tonight we are having:
Something normal!
Escalope with broccoli and cheese
little potatoes sliced and fried in fry light
Pack of mixed vegetables and a hollandaise sauce.

Happy New year...

This is us at the stroke of midnight..well in truth a little bit after because the batteries had run out on the camera. We take a photo every year, in the same place, with our drink to toast the upcoming year. Bobby decided to join us but little Rusty stayed in her basket.

Last night we watched "The King's Speech" which was excellent, we both enjoyed that, which finished just before twelve so good timing. had a drink then went to bed by around one O'clock.
Today..new Year's Day dawned very wet and rainy, so Vin didn't go anywhere. He went down to the shop for the papers so we could do the crosswords this afternoon, we missed them last week.
Tonight we are having:
A sort of buffet with bits and pieces. Cheese pieces, indian snacks and some dips and things.