Saturday 10 December 2022

December 10th

Winter got here on Thursday, greenhouse looking like an ice house and car frozen up, so it was the first outing this year for the windscreen cover  which was a really good buy last year, saves running the engine to defrost the windscreen, which is what my neighbour does at 4a.m.! or scraping like crazy or having to buy that nasty de-icer spray stuff. Colin used to pour a jug of warm water over the windscreen of his works van - but that's not recommended and if it gets into the side windows it stops the electric window opener switch from working until the whole thing has dried out.....ask me how I know!

Finally got the Christmas cards (with notes written) into the post box, just in time as I'd not heard about the earlier posting dates due to the strikes. I just have one more letter to put with one more card and parcel and a few to hand deliver locally and that's the end of the cards. I've had 2 cards so far, one from WI and one from my penfriend on a windy Scottish Island - thank you W for beating everyone this year despite being so far away! (and thank you for pressie and the Robin who has been added to the tree!)

And I've nearly sorted presents. Eldest Daughter and Son in Law are getting a voucher towards a new hoover - boring but useful. She said they'll get it in the January Sales - "Good Plan" I said. Son had no idea really but then said he really needed to replace their utility room door so another voucher for a well known DIY store has been purchased. Again not very Christmassy but useful. Son gave me a good idea for Daughter in Laws pressie so that's sorted, which just leaves Youngest Daughter but as she is in the middle of moving house this weekend, and a move always means something is needed, I expect she will be grateful for some money. I'm a very lazy parent when it comes to buying presents .....it was much easier when they were little! Plus now of course there are also 5 grandchildren to puzzle over.


This fella 


or actually these fellas, came from a Charity shop last month.


I felt a bit guilty because as I went into the shop a lady was looking at him, but then put it back in a box of lots of decorations and moved further into the shop. I swooped in and grabbed him and then heard another lady say to first lady "I'll have the Russian doll Santa's if you don't want them" by which time I was at the counter paying £1. I saw first lady go back to box to get him and of course he was gone! "Oh" she said "where's it gone?"

I was on my way out of the shop by then!

This is not my first set of nesting Santas, I had some many, many years ago. They stood on the mantelshelf at the smallholding every Christmas when the children were growing up until the heat from the wood-burner warped them and made all the paint flake off, by then the children had grown and flown and I expect the Santas were added to the fire!

My bargain charity shop buy is probably missing a larger Santa and teeny Santa #5 has been permanently stuck inside Santa #4 but for £1 I won't complain and the  two grandchildren who've seen them were still fascinated anyway.

 I wrote about how Santa came to look as he does HERE in a 2021 post.

I've just tried to see more than the 10 most recent posts in my list of "Blogs I read" on the right and the Show More thing isn't working - which is a tad annoying. Hope it rights itself.

Back Tomorrow
Sue



27 comments:

  1. A few flakes of snow on the ground this morning, and a heavy frost. I pulled the shutters back in the bedroom, felt the blast of cold air, and hurriedly shut them again! WHAT a difference they make. We have BIG windows here, which let in the light, but our and Tam's bedroom face North, so both have shutters.

    Good charity shop find and I bet that lady was surprised the little stacking Santa's had shot out of the shop whilst her back was turned!!

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    1. Thankfully the double glazing here is all fairly new so is still working well.
      Shutters are very unusual to have now - it's good they work

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  2. Cold and icy here too this morning . Extra food out for the birds today.
    I like your Santa(s). My little festive things are slowly making an appearance now, when I feel the urge to rummage through the box.

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    1. Christmas tree, top of the bookshelf and the santas and I was done!

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  3. Here in New Zealand we won’t get snow of course but it looks like it could well be very wet! I’ve spent a lovely afternoon at the local Christmas Barn but it was a case of looking only and I kept a tight rein on my wallet. I must take up your idea of the Charity Shops. There are 19 in the cit6 where I live. Margaret

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    1. Wow 19 charity shops, that would be a fun day out! Several closed during Covid here

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  4. hot water on a windshield would be a cracked windshield here much to cold.
    I took my grand and daughter to see the nutcracker that was part of their gift.
    But for my daughter and husband we are getting them a gift card to a very fancy grocery store that they would not splurge on so useful and a splurge. My grand I have lots of little things for her fairy garden. we only have one daughter and one granddaughter, so we do a bit more for them.
    Cathy

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    1. Yes Hot water on icy screen isn't a good idea really.
      With 3 children, 2 partners and 5 Grandchildren, Christmas presents require lots of thinking!

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  5. I am lucky to have a garage so my car stays warm and dry.
    I have been busy getting my decorations out and think I might have too many because it is taking me a long time! But so many of my old things are part of my Christmas memories/traditions so I still put them out. I have cards and shopping to finish and Christmas is zooming up on us!

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    1. The garage here is so small, even if it was empty I wouldn't get the car in! The whole estate is the same - no one uses their garages

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  6. We've had some very hard frosts here and some lovely bright sunshine to go with them. I'm trying hard to ensure that anything I buy as a gift this Christmas is useful, seems only right when budgets are limited.
    Alison in Wales x

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    1. There's nothing worse than getting a present that has no use. I've always asked what children what they'd like and now have to get ideas for Grandchildren too

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  7. Your nesting Santas are adorable. Our forecast says, we might see some light snow today. Western, MA is to get a fair amount of snow and Boston nothing. This usually means I could get nothing or 1-2 inches. Providing vouchers to your adult children sounds perfect to me. I'm sure they appreciate your gift. Buying for children is fun. I especially like watching them open a package.

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    1. I'm such a lazy parent and gift cards are so handy - as long as the businesses don't go bankrupt!

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  8. Nesting dolls are fun. I bought a set for oldest granddaughter once and my Mom painted a nativity set that I now have.

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    1. My son said that I had a set of traditional Babushka nesting dolls, but I can't remember them at all

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  9. I have that set, bought them new (can't remember where from now!) There are only five in the set so you have them all. :)

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  10. The trick with thrift stores and other bargain places is to decide quickly because there's usually no coming back!

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  11. I have a 'nesting' set too, but mine is Joseph, Mary. Wise Man, Shepherd and baby Jesus. I couldn't get the show all to work either, so resorted going back to your old blog where it did work! Gill

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  12. That is funny over the nesting Santas. What would have happened if the lucky timing had been not so lucky LOL

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  14. Is the santa too stuck not to be wiggled free with a pin or such. I'm such an optimist!

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  15. Love those santas! Lovely. Glad that you managed to get them. Do those window covers work? I was thinking of getting one for my poor car though I'm not sure how it will work when we get a ton of snow. My car does warm up pretty quickly - it's one of the things I love about it!

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  16. Joanne made me laugh. Get him out and give him a good polish with some beeswax, maybe. I can see you skipping out of the store with your Santas and the mental picture is great.

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  17. Yes we are back to windscreen defrosting weather. I have been guilty of just letting the engine run to warm up my car, but never until a sensible hour. Every morning I hear the noisiest of motorbikes roaring away from a house nearby at the ungodly hour of 5.30, and this past couple of days he's been revving for even longer than usual before he makes his getaway. Poor littlest Santa being stuck. :-(

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  18. I love your charity Santas and even though you had a bit of the guilts, all is fair when shopping. If she'd not put them back..... but they're wonderful. You sound so together. I'm anything but, but working on it!

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