Do you not have any relatives or friends near where you live?
Nope. I don't have family at all really - a few cousins I don't know well enough to do more than exchange Christmas cards and an aunt that I speak to now and then but she doesn't live in this country. OH is not on good terms with his parents and although he speaks to his brother fairly regularly, we haven't seen him in maybe 10 years. The only family I meet regularly is my niece - she has visited us a few times in the 'lighter' lockdown phases (other holiday options being closed to her). She lives 300 miles away. She was hoping to visit just after Christmas with her sister. She may still do - we'll see. My long term friends are spread all over the country. We meet up, usually, now and again. But not in lockdown. We do have friendly neighbours but for now we're all restricting ourselves to 'smile and wave' acknowledgements at a distance, not visiting with one another.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
@raisingirl, I find that really sad and hard to comprehend. We are both lucky to belong to very large families who are really to one another. I can't say I have many close friends near here, one I see regularly as we are both gardeners, one, not so often but who I went to school with, but I stop and chat with neighbours and dog walkers I meet on my usual walk every day. There's also the large village garden club we belong to so often meet them while out walking and our neighbours of course.
Hello all, I'm Uff. Only just realised that this thread can be for introducing new members. I'm a Derbyshire girl born and bred but moved to Scotland in 2000 with my husband. He died 2015 but no plans to move back down south.
I must say that having spent the last week or two looking around here it's a lovely, helpful forum and although I've been a gardener for erm - well quite a long time - it's great to know that there's still plenty to learn from such friendly and knowledgeable people.
Evening all. Out early this morning to go to whole day patch workshop in heavy fog. It cleared up and we had a wee bit of sun with a clear sunset but was foggy again by the time I left mosaic class at 8pm. Patch was good tho - actually lots of embroidery, some knitting and crochet and lots of baubles and tables decs being stitched and just 3 doing patchwork. Good chat all day and lot of laughter but all masked and Covid pass checked so OK.
We have had Xmas on our own for decades @raisingirl and @D0rdogne_Damsel . I flatly refused to spend Xmas with the in-laws and OH's mum's cooking (or either SIL) and didn't want to leave the cats behind either with our neighbour looking after them or in kennels. I have no siblings and OH's spend their Xmas with their own families. Haven't seen some UK friends since 2016 and family since 2019. Visits were planned for 2020 but lost to Covid.
We've been on our own except for SM runs and OH's golf but dance class, patch club and mosaic have only been going since September after more than a year off and even outside garden club meetings and visits stopped till last May. Other than that we chat with neighbours, outdoors, when we see them. We will be avoiding crowded spaces and large social gatherings in closed rooms for quite some time yet, long after the Xmas and NY festivities.
I do the drilling here @Busy-Lizzie as OH is not gifted at such things. I'm sorry you can't be together for Xmas and hope he gets an appointment soon so you can be together again.
@didyw - no point stressing. Just stay home and stay safe. You can see friends and acquaintance later when things are better.
Glad you're not deeply damaged @Dovefromabove. Good idea to have a wee daily goal @punkdoc and pleased to here little sis is on the mend.
Greetings to all I've missed and welcome Uff.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Lovely to see you here @Uff 😊 (I used to know a whole family of Uffs, including a fine guitarist with a winning smile)
This thread is open to everyone to say hello, chat, share news whether good or grim, or just while away the time procrastinating. Tea, coffee and cake are always available … and sometimes something a little alcofrolic is passed around 😉
Do make yourself at home … you’re among friends 🛋 🍰 ☕️
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Hello @Uff, happy to welcome you to our friendly forum.
You are all right about Christmas, but it is so easy to be sucked into all the hype, happy families around the tree.... and then feel like a failure because that is not your world. Charlie and I though, we are so close, I really should be grateful for just that. And his dad, strange as he is in his ways, is always there for us.
Right, bedtime for me. Another 30 Christmas Shortbreads to do tomorrow and lots and lots of Mince Pies....
Stay safe everyone, virtual hugs to those that need them.
“Coffee. Garden. Coffee. Does a good morning need anything else?” —Betsy Cañas Garmon
Welcome @Uff - nice to meet you. We spend Christmas Day with my daughter and her family who live just around the corner then Boxing Day at ours after a walk on the Common. When my parents were alive we always spent Christmas with them and I miss that. We tried doing Christmas with my in-laws one year but, lovely though they were, they were a lot more formal than my folks and not into board games like my family were. I get to play board games with my granddaughters now - neither OH nor daughter are particularly into them but I like them. I'm getting into the mood now - parcels are arriving of presents I have ordered to join those I was able to pick up at the Christmas Market, thinking of a pudding to make for Boxing Day and must get the table decorations made for our Christmas Social on Thursday. Oh - and I must glue the wings back onto the butterfly (don't ask). Night night all.
Ooh my brain hurts now. Only Connect getting really obtuse now. We did get a couple in the early rounds, we managed the connecting walls but only by holding the recording for some time, couldn't have done them in the time they get.
Hi folks, I've had a quick read back to the beginning of December. Glad you passed all your exams @Chicky and that your Dad has had such wonderful news.
@Hostafan1 sorry to hear you have such difficult decisions to make. Hugs.
Sorry to hear about your recent fall @Dovefromabove hope you feel better soon.
I've been feeling quite poorly recently but hopefully things will improve once I have my op. It should be happening on Sunday so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Have to have final blood tests on Wednesday, take a Covid test on Thursday and then isolate until Sunday.
Secondborn is still battling away with her soon to be ex. He's contesting the divorce and saying some terrible things about her. Luckily she has a lot of support from family and friends.
Hubby is still struggling with the after effects of his Stroke but we are staying as cheerful as we can.
Posts
My long term friends are spread all over the country. We meet up, usually, now and again. But not in lockdown. We do have friendly neighbours but for now we're all restricting ourselves to 'smile and wave' acknowledgements at a distance, not visiting with one another.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I must say that having spent the last week or two looking around here it's a lovely, helpful forum and although I've been a gardener for erm - well quite a long time - it's great to know that there's still plenty to learn from such friendly and knowledgeable people.
We have had Xmas on our own for decades @raisingirl and @D0rdogne_Damsel . I flatly refused to spend Xmas with the in-laws and OH's mum's cooking (or either SIL) and didn't want to leave the cats behind either with our neighbour looking after them or in kennels. I have no siblings and OH's spend their Xmas with their own families. Haven't seen some UK friends since 2016 and family since 2019. Visits were planned for 2020 but lost to Covid.
We've been on our own except for SM runs and OH's golf but dance class, patch club and mosaic have only been going since September after more than a year off and even outside garden club meetings and visits stopped till last May. Other than that we chat with neighbours, outdoors, when we see them. We will be avoiding crowded spaces and large social gatherings in closed rooms for quite some time yet, long after the Xmas and NY festivities.
I do the drilling here @Busy-Lizzie as OH is not gifted at such things. I'm sorry you can't be together for Xmas and hope he gets an appointment soon so you can be together again.
@didyw - no point stressing. Just stay home and stay safe. You can see friends and acquaintance later when things are better.
Glad you're not deeply damaged @Dovefromabove. Good idea to have a wee daily goal @punkdoc and pleased to here little sis is on the mend.
Greetings to all I've missed and welcome Uff.
Do make yourself at home … you’re among friends 🛋 🍰 ☕️
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
You are all right about Christmas, but it is so easy to be sucked into all the hype, happy families around the tree.... and then feel like a failure because that is not your world. Charlie and I though, we are so close, I really should be grateful for just that. And his dad, strange as he is in his ways, is always there for us.
Right, bedtime for me. Another 30 Christmas Shortbreads to do tomorrow and lots and lots of Mince Pies....
Stay safe everyone, virtual hugs to those that need them.
🛌 🐑 🐑 🐑
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
We spend Christmas Day with my daughter and her family who live just around the corner then Boxing Day at ours after a walk on the Common. When my parents were alive we always spent Christmas with them and I miss that. We tried doing Christmas with my in-laws one year but, lovely though they were, they were a lot more formal than my folks and not into board games like my family were. I get to play board games with my granddaughters now - neither OH nor daughter are particularly into them but I like them.
I'm getting into the mood now - parcels are arriving of presents I have ordered to join those I was able to pick up at the Christmas Market, thinking of a pudding to make for Boxing Day and must get the table decorations made for our Christmas Social on Thursday. Oh - and I must glue the wings back onto the butterfly (don't ask).
Night night all.
@Hostafan1 sorry to hear you have such difficult decisions to make. Hugs.
Sorry to hear about your recent fall @Dovefromabove hope you feel better soon.
I've been feeling quite poorly recently but hopefully things will improve once I have my op. It should be happening on Sunday so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Have to have final blood tests on Wednesday, take a Covid test on Thursday and then isolate until Sunday.
Secondborn is still battling away with her soon to be ex. He's contesting the divorce and saying some terrible things about her. Luckily she has a lot of support from family and friends.
Hubby is still struggling with the after effects of his Stroke but we are staying as cheerful as we can.
Hope everyone else is OK.