Getting ready for Christmas and a Santa run

I dashed about like something possessed on Saturday. So much to do, such a long list of Things That Must Be Achieved before we left yesterday at lunchtime.  It was never all going to happen :-S

Take a deep breath.  Calm down.  The only things that absolutely must happen are that I need to put everything back in the landing cupboard before bedtime on Wednesday and I need to sally forth and buy vegetables and a few bits and pieces for Thursday. It won't matter much if I don't get all the food shopping done - we have a freezer absolutely stuffed with food.  But it would be nice.

So I went for my hair cut. I didn't take the cat to the vet to have his back legs looked at.  I'll do that with a proper appointment after Christmas rather than taking my chances at a Saturday drop in surgery.  I put most of the stuff back into the landing cupboard and threw away some of the stuff that went in there when we moved in very nearly nine years ago and which has not come out since - until now!  We went to Marsh Green for most of the Christmas supplies.  I finished putting tiny red baubles on the tree on Sunday morning.

And then we waved goodbye to Marlo and trundled down to Salisbury for a couple of days.

We called in to see Gwen first of all.  She's escaped from hospital and is currently in a care home not all that far from when The Builder's sister lives.  It's easily in walking distance - much handier than Gwen's home in Nunton. The Builder's sister can't drive and it's not in the least convenient to get to Nunton by bus.  Gwen, of course, would prefer to go home - but she is much better looked after in the care home. And she can't possibly go home unless or until a care package is in place.  In the meantime, the care home is very nice and the staff appear to be lovely.  We are hoping that Gwen will settle in there and come to think of it as home.

We left Gwen in her room and headed to the Old Mill by the river Nadder, where we are staying for a couple of nights, and where Jeanette, Matt, Rebecca and Evie were meeting us for dinner.  It was a lovely evening.  We did the first of the present exchanges, ate some lovely food and had a merry and convivial evening.  Then they had to drive back to Waterlooville - and we rolled up the stairs to our room :-D

Another Santa run coming up today. We're shortly off to Winchester to see The Builder's other granddaughters, and his great grandson.


A Family Christmas Feast at The Old Mill: