A little Dobbies visit today for a change. After being in yesterday taking down the Christmas things it was nice to get out, even though it was quite blowy. Always seems to be blowy there don't know why must be an open area.
The last of the Christmas things out and still a reasonable sale going on, so we had a mooch for some bargains. Vin got a nice gift pack of cheese oatcakes and chutney for half price and I got my baubles for the swap next year, and some little shortbread stars for what turned out to be a quarter of the price. Think they had overbought those they had masses of them on sale. Then we went for our coffees not free unfortunately because we didn't have any vouchers left for January but a very nice flat white. I don't have those often so that was a nice change. We took our own biscuits so that made it cheaper.. (minge bags)
So, Christmas is all over then. Everything in our house put away, and it looks like they are getting ready in Dobbies for the spring bulbs and garden furniture etc., so the seasons roll around again. I think our Tootsie had a good Christmas, her first one in the family, she certainly enjoyed herself yesterday in the Christmas tree box :) :)
It was lovely coming home from Dobbies to be greeted by a little cat again, very comforting.
It is the sixth of January so traditionally the day yu are to remove the Christmas decorations. We do every year, and today fortunately we didn't have any appointments anywhere so were free to do that today. Hate taking them down actually because the house looks so bare when it is done, no lights anywhere and no tree lights twinkling away. Has to be done thoughm. We did get a lot of time from them this year however because with Jane having her "mini Christmas" in mid-November we got them up very early so we seem to have had them up for ages. Been lovely actually.
Like this one it's one of Jane's selfies, and a lovely picture of her and Vin.
Christmas dinner, beefless veggie loaf with yorkshire puds,sweetcorn, carrots, broccoli gravy and cranberry and white sauces. Chocolate brownies raspberries and cream to follow.
The festive table in the middle of November. Photo a bit out of focus for some reason but the idea is there. Great crackers from our Jane who bought them last January in Sainsbury's for half price. Beautiful they were too, we still have a box for next year too!!!
Vin has done stirling work today lifting everything (all the decorations) up and down from the cupbard where we keep them in our bedroom. It all has a place, one of our trees is up there while the other two are in the shed well wrapped up.
Tootsie had a wonderful time this morning while we were taking all of the ornaments down from the trees, she was having a good ld chew on the branches. Good for her teeth I suppose.
She certainly got the Divil in her this morning boing mad racing round with a bit of encouragement from Vin, who thought it was hilarious. This is her with her presents, she's had the most fun with the little balls with a bell inside. Tootsies first Christmas. Aaaah! must have been nicer than in their pens at the cattery. Wonder where she was last year?
So that's it. All over for another year till next November anyway. My gorgeous little snowman away for the next ten months or so. Love him to bits he was definitely a hit this Christmas. Thanks Jane XXXX
Up at a reasonable time this morning, I had an appointment at litherland dressings clinic for my feet to be done. Then I have two on Friday, one at the podiatary clinic at nine followed by one at the gastric clinic at a quarter to eleven, so that will be busy.
The dressings clinic is quite a long appointment because I have two feet to be bandaged from foot to knee so it is at least half an hour. She is a lovely nurse the one at Litherland.She has gone a bit overboard with the padding/dressings on the right foot today though, and the foot is enormous, added to that a cast that I wear over the foot underneath which means walking is like walking n a brick!! Thankfully they do seem to be getting better though.
When we finished there we went along the bypass to Freshfield Tesco. The idea was to get a coffee at Costa then do some shopping to get some top up things, in the end we spent about £47 !!! but that did include a fair amount of coffee refills, amd other items.
Home for lunch, which was today a nice cheese scone with a bit of cheese and chutney. Quite tasty actually.
Tootsie was at home waiting for us. She is getting really settled now and came on my knee yesterday for quite a while settling down to sleep.
Tootsie havung a nosey !
Another New Year begins. A time for looking back and a time for looking forward.
Well 2015 proved to be quite an eventful year, with a lot going on in the family.
By far the biggest event in the family was our lovely Jane graduating with a First Class Degree in Diagnostic radiography from Salford University. Very well done indeed Jane you made us so proud. We so enjoyed your graduation ceremony at The Lowry.
Jane (right) and her best friends Lauren and Jo. Well done all of you. Although later in the year there was sadness when one of their group from Uni sadly died at the beginning of December. We met her at the graduation a lovely woman called Flor, who leaves a partner and two small boys.
Fortunes last year were fine except for Jane who struggled with just her bursary and her job at Ticketmaster which will be ending soon now she has a job at Manchester Royal Infirmary. I think she will really miss all her mates from there.
Healthwise it was a bit of a rubbish year for me having had a few hospital admissions during the year the last one being in September which lasted for seven weeks! and has ended up with lots of further appointments and another toe gone, so Jenny nine toes is now Jenny eight toes, one off each foot. Starting this year with two legs covered from foot to knee in bandages so I look like half a mummy. (No photos of thosethankyou). My grateful thanks to the wonderful staff and people of both Aintree and The Royal hospitals, and also the community staff and services who have been just wonderful really.
2015 saw a new addition to the family. We eventually decided to get another little cat, not as a replacement for our lovely Bobby and Rusty, but as anopther little furry friend. We had been browsing the website of Freshfields Animal rescue for some time, at least our Jane had and seen a little one called Tilly which we liked the look of, but she was reserved before we had made a decision, then we saw one called Tootsie who looked nice, aged three which we thought was just right so Vin went and had a look after we coaxed him a bit :) then we both went to have a look and decided to adopt her. She had been left at the door of the rescue centre in a carrier in August, and after a house visit which we passed we finally colledted her, and she settled in very quickly.
The three of us at midnight on New Years Eve/Day. She has proved to be a real little poser too.
Beautiful markings three colours, white ginger and black. I believe they are called calico cats in the US. I think that is a lovely name. She likes to sleep, play and eat..a typical little kitty really, and she has made a great addition to our household.
So to 2016. I hope Jane finally gets some financial gain after all these years of hardship, and I hope Tootsie continues to enjoy some comforts of our house. Maybe my legs will continue to improve and the health gets a lot better. Also for my hair to grow a bit, it has gone so thin these days i can't do anything with it. Looking forward to gettin out a bit more too and a few nice coffees out too.
Also a great big thankyou to my absolute stars of a family Vin and Jane, for keeping me going through a bit of a rubbish year really, Vin for visiting me every day twice a day for weeks and supplying me with lots of things to make life easier, and Jane for ringing every day with her news, cheered me up a lot. Vin you are amazing, love you both always. XXXX
So, here's to 2016.
Grey wettish and dismal looking weather today. it has been a Christmas of the same this year, not at all wintry, no snow at all, or frost even. very disappointing really. I read in the papers that the retailers are worried about sales of clothing particularly and they are being left with lots of winter coats and the like. Just isn't cold enough really.
We ventured out for a while this morning to get some things for the week. I fancied a trip to Waitrose so off we went there. That does have its advantages of getting a free coffee and also a free newspaper so that saves 60p to start with. Quite wet when we got there so Vin dropped me off at the door and went to park. Caught me up in a few minutes at the cash machine with a trolley. I can get round well with a trolley to hold on to so that helps. Quite busy in the store but got round fine. Bought what we needed on our list plus a few extras, well more than a few actually, including a box of cat food for Tootsie. Hope she appreciates Waitrose cat food!
She did come to greet us at the door when we got home which is nice.
We got our free coffee which was nice and then did a bit more, then home. It had cleared up but the fields are very very wet. The news is terrible at the moment. floods all over the place, it will take some peaple an age to get straight again.
Well it was! A huge one. We were sitting watching "Luther" which we had recorded in two parts, so we were getting them back to back, and we were about ten minutes or so from the end when the phone went. It was around ten to twelve and it was Jane. "What are you doing?" watching the end of Luther says I. Is my Dad there? from Jane, I need help parking> Puzzled we said Why? I'm outside from Jane. Outside where? us. Our house.. she had driven from Manchester and was indeed outside the house. Total surprise because we had thought she was spending the day with Jo her friend. Apparently she had been to work come home tired and then had a sleep and decided to come home. I think she had come home to see the cat!
Our Tootsie. What a treat! Totally made my Christmas, It turned what was going to be a very quiet day into a really lovely fmily day.
She had her phone with her which has a really good camera on it so she took loads of photos,and before she went back late on Christmas Day, she put them on the computer for us, so Vin transferred them on to "Pacassa" this morning for me to use on the blog. We had a lovely dinner and she had all of her favourite things too.
I did a nice "meat loaf" with a burger mix which I cooked in a loaf tin and that proved to be a hit so we had that with gravy and Yorkshire puds. As long as she gets crispy roasties she is happy. :) The only thing was, I had cooked some lovely parsnips in honey and some stuffing balls from a Jamie Oliver recipe and plated up the dinners and left them in the oven!!! Stupid woman, and no-one nooticed either.
After a nap in the afternoon she went back around 8.30 and was at Aintree about twenty minutes later, then Manchester a short time after that. Well done Jane and thanks for coming home it completely made my Christmas XXX
Thank goodness for the cracker hats which covered my horrible wispy hair. !!! This is one of Jane's selfies. :)
The headlines today have all been about our weather, which has been flooding alerts everywhere, especially in Cumbria. Just awful. The fields round here are absolutely soaked all the ditches full and over-flowing. The ground is so sodden it can't absorb any more water so it hasn't anywhere to go. Not what you expect for Christmas weather at all.
So in the end we had a really really lovely time. Thanks our Jane and Vin for making a good family holiday, and Totsie for being here with us. XXXX
Well not quite, but it is Christmas Eve and if it isn't bought by now it won't be, and if it isn't done by now it won't be done either. I had an appointment at the dressings clinic at 1.30 at Litherland and just about got there on time. The nurse was actually waiting for me so I went straight in which was a bonus. I was her last patient and then she was done. Happy Christmas to all the wonderful N.H.S. staff who have dealt with me this year and are still dealing with me for that matter.
It has been a bit of a rubbish year this year really so we are very much looking forward to a nice quiet Christmas together and enjoy our lovely little new cat Tootsie. I wonder where she was last year? We are convinced she had a home somewhere brcause she has settled in so well, and behaves like she is used to doing things around a home. She came and sat on my knee last night which is a first, and she plays with toys too, really funny to watch. Very different from our other cats, but they are all different with their own characters.
Not very Christmassy weather I do have to say. Still very wet and weather warnings everywhere especially in Cumbria which has had it very bad. Supposed to be storm Eva due. At the moment they are playing Frosty the Snowman..no chance.
So, Happy Christmas everybody. XXX
