[New shoot]

... or the living room, or wherever you want really.  I’ll unlock it nearer the time, but this is going to be our chat thread for the big day.

If you have a specific time you want to start, pm me and I will start a list of who will be around and when.  Anyone is more than free to hitch up a stool whenever they want of course.  All welcome and just whatever you feel like chatting about.  It is more about company and comradeship than any particular topic 

[New shoot]

Aunt Sally told me we are allowed to start the party early so the Christmas cabin is open 

I did my last day at work yesterday at job no 2. The customers were all pretty upbeat and happy buying a few extra treats for themselves.  If we can’t do all the usual stuff while in Tier 4, I’m having that extra cheese, chocolate, box of... (add comfort food of choice) seemed the consensus of opinion.

Hunkered down now for the break. House is plenty stocked up, got pressies wrapped and the rest of the world is at a safe distance. Could be worse 

How is everyone else?

[Aunt Sally]

It’s a lovely sunny Christmas Eve this morning.  Everything is bought and distributed to loved ones. So a relaxed day in the Gummage house.

[mumofstig]

Lovely and sunny here as well
This year I made lots of Christmas cakes, large and small, all now distributed, but the last thing to bake was my choc and hazelnut bundt cake - which has stick fast in the tin *wry smile* I'll have to hack pieces out to eat it 
Oh well worse things happen at sea! and at least it wasn't something I'd promised to make for somebody else.

[John]

Some idiot said he'd clean the cooker ready for tomorrow..
I'd best get back to work 

[New shoot]

Rash promise there John 

choc and hazelnut bundt cake

Oh and here I am by chance with a freshly made cuppa.

Pass that tin over here please Mum.  I am more than happy to help you hack that cake out.   It sounds divine 

[Alank]

Finished work now till the fourth of January.  All presents wrapped bantams etc all cleaned out logs in and wood burner lit. Greenhouse heater sorted so now I'm chilling with a glass of wine with my wife. Wishing you all a very happy Christmas and a better New year

[Aunt Sally]

Rash promise there John 

choc and hazelnut bundt cake

Oh and here I am by chance with a freshly made cuppa.

Pass that tin over here please Mum.  I am more than happy to help you hack that cake out.   It sounds divine 

Me too NS.  Anything with the words; cake, chocolate or hazel nut in it has my vote.

[Yorkie]

My vote too. It just saves you the trouble of having to cut it up 

Nice day today here too, apart from the occasional snow flurries.

[New shoot]

My vote too. It just saves you the trouble of having to cut it up 

Now I never thought of that.  No embarrassment at the size of slice you have cut yourself, it just came out of the tin in that sized hunk. 

Can I request a tin of my own please.  As stuck in there as you like is fine by me

[prakash_mib]

I don’t know if a post has already been started or not. And hope Auntie doesn’t remove this post. 
Wishing you all and your nearest and dearest a very Merry Christmas.
Hope new year brings a new and better challenge like growing loofas rather than the current challenges we are facing.

In our household we have removed the dreaded disease word. Hate it.


Topics merged by Aunty

[Subversive_plot]

Merry Christmas everyone!

One of my favorite traditions is listening to the Choir of King's College, Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (on our local public radio here, I think courtesy of the BBC). For understandable reasons, they pared back plans and intended to broadcast the live performance, but without a live audience. As a last-minute decision, it was decided to cancel the live broadcast, also for health reasons. I can't blame them!  Fortunately, they taped one of the dress rehearsals, and broadcast that today. It was still a wonderful performance, as always.

I hope they can resume the festival live next year.

[New shoot]

Merry Christmas Prakash.  Forget about the bad stuff for a day or two and enjoy yourself 

If you grow a loofah next year, that will be quite a thing to celebrate 

[New shoot]

So we are all having a different kind of Christmas this year, but what is the one thing you have managed to hold onto that makes it for you ?

Could be a favourite food or drink, a special film you always watch or maybe something else.  I always have to have a bottle of fizz for Christmas Day and it is going into the fridge very soon 

[John]

One of my favorite traditions is listening to the Choir of King's College, Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (on our local public radio here, I think courtesy of the BBC).

Strange to think that we were both listening to the same thing at the same time so far apart.  I'd have liked to be sitting with a little drink at the time but I was cleaning the cooker.. which somehow is always my job and I've been promising to do tomorrow for a month
I believe it's only the second time it's not been broadcast live since they started broadcasting it in 1928, the chapel pre-dates radio a bit