We shall be off at the weekend for a spot of winter sun - weather permitting at this end of course.
As we have no children and my only family usually do their own thing at Christmas, it tends to feel a little flat when we are at home, just the two of us twiddling our thumbs on Christmas Day.
Since retirement I now have the freedom to do what I want at Christmas. When I was working, the rota tended to give priority for leave to those who have families so I usually ended up working on the in-between days. It was always assumed that, without children, I would not want - or deserve - to have more time off over that period. Perhaps that sounds a little mean of me but it would have been nice to have been considered occasionally.
Anyway, we will be spending the weekend in London before flying off for a two week break on the small island of La Gomera, one of Tenerife's little sisters. It is not a popular tourist destination, apart from keen walkers, so we are hoping for some peace and quiet, good walks, and the chance to see some sunshine and escape the rain.
There may not be reliable WiFi in our small apartment but I shall post when I can.
Meanwhile, Elfie seems to have pinched the Christmas cake....
Just returned from a Christmas lunch out with the girls I work with at Hospice.
I had baked cod with stir fry vegetables and a large glass of sparkling water.
Good food and a chance for us all to have a chat without the distraction of work.
The office manager gave each of us a small gift, which was a lovely thought.
That is it now for me at Hospice volunteering until January when we return from our Christmas break. It should not be too busy there over the next week or so as many of the day care departments will be closing for the Christmas period.
Came home to find that Elfie had climbed up into the holly tree and got stuck. Silly Elf!
I stumbled out of bed late this morning and drew back the curtains. I wish I hadn't.
The storm is having a high old time out there today.
Trees down blocking some of the roads around us. The ferry and flights cancelled. Standing water on the roads.
Elfie was trying to brighten up the place by lighting a candle. I had to tell him he is too young to play with matches.
Last night we met up with friends for a meal in a local pub.
There were ten of us in total and, as the pub was strangely empty for a Sunday evening in the run up to Christmas, we had the restaurant section almost to ourselves.
We visit this pub quite often and have tried most of the dishes on the usual menu so I decided to choose something from the "Specials" board.
Lamb shank sounded good so I ordered that.
My goodness it was HUGE! It must have come from a dinosaur rather than a lamb.
I made a valiant effort but had to leave a third of it. I am still full now.
While we were out it seems Elfie was making himself at home, watching TV and polishing off P's bag of tortilla chips.
The forecast for the next day or so is for severe gales. Again.
The ferry will not be sailing so there will be a few empty shelves in the supermarket .
What better incentive to protect our local food producers?
Given the amount of rain we have, we are thinking of planting rice in our garden. It already looks like a paddy field.
Meanwhile, Elfie has been busy making the Christmas pudding. Now, not too much brandy please Elfie!
