Mundane News

[Jenkins]

Got out for a nice afternoon bike ride, interrupted by an unexpected but most welcome pub stop. I was even used as a lead out rider for just under 3 miles by someone riding a very nice Rible gravel bike - I'll take it as a compliment as I was on my 29er!

Recovery was a long soak in a hot bath (just the one hot water top up required) while catching up on a podcast and I'm now looking forward to an evening of NFL, Private Eye, hot chocolate & beer.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I can't pretend that gift wrapping is numbered amongst my strengths.

Several years ago Beautiful Wife had a stroke of genius and now everyone gets a medium sized gift bag with the unwrapped presents therein. Saves a whole lot of time, stress, and paper...

 

[Illaveago]

How come it's taken all this time since Thomas Edison made his first sound recordings in 1877 for the BBC and ITV to make such poor quality sound recordings of the Christmas Carols ?

Progress!

 

[biggs682]

Christmas cake has been tested and it's good

 

[oldwheels]

Took my car out for a run and quiet roads but not much Christmas cheer. Got held up for a while by a standoff ( not me) with some idiot who overran a passing place and refusing or perhaps incapable of reversing. They had to give in eventually so the queue could get on.✌️
I was once stopped while cycling by someone in a hired car who had no idea where to find reverse. They were on a dead end road but fortunately for them I was familiar with Vauxhall.😎

 

[Hebe]

Presents all wrapped, including two catnip toys for each cat. Put the wrapped toys in a plastic bag out of reach, but the cats could still smell the catnip on the rug and wrapping paper, and had a huge wide-eyed fight . So that went well.

 

[Gwylan]

I'm quite discustard at all this trifle shaming... 😔

I hope you get your just desserts!!

Lurking in there is a totally inappropriate joke about custard and a racially defined stereotype that would get me banned from the human race.
You have to come from Cardiff

 

[Gwylan]

Presents all wrapped, including two catnip toys for each cat. Put the wrapped toys in a plastic bag out of reach, but the cats could still smell the catnip on the rug and wrapping paper, and had a huge wide-eyed fight . So that went well.

Explain the catnip thing, please.

 

[Gwylan]

I'm afraid I've fixed it. Popped to B&Q earlier, and left with a small reel of wire and some cable clamps. Straight forward job as the side that went 'wonky' is not the sprung side, so it was a case of just ensuring the cable was taught, as the other side takes up any slack.

Didn't want to risk leaving it, as we've drinks in there, and if someone went in, the garage door would fall off, worse still could knock something to fall on my newly painted bike.

No N+1 garage

So the door is taught. French, German, nuclear physics, the fundamentals of non magnetic resonance. Do tell

 

[Hebe]

Explain the catnip thing, please.

Two catnip cigars, two catnip sardines. They left the scent on everything they touched and that was somehow enough to send the cats berserk. Tomorrow will be fun.

 

[Gwylan]

One of the wall lights stopped illuminating so I changed the light bulb. It works now.

Bloody !

 

[Gwylan]

Two catnip cigars, two catnip sardines. They left the scent on everything they touched and that was somehow enough to send the cats berserk. Tomorrow will be fun.

Confirms my worst thoughts about cats. Thank you
Not my thing

 

[Grant Fondo]

Most of the prep for tomorrow now done.
Phew!
Hope you lot have anything but a mundane christmas!

 

[Reynard]

It's actually been a nice sunny day here chez Casa Reynard.

Slept well, and then met a friend for our traditional Christmas Eve walk (with the dogs) and to exchange pressies. Then home for a quick lunch, and for the first time in three years, off to Tesco for the yellow sticker dash.

It was busy, but not the total bun fight that I seem to remember pre-covid. Got the chance to pick and choose, but you had to be quick with a few things. One couple that I hadn't seen for ages turned up with a couple of friends, and between them, managed to help themselves to six large trolleys of stuff. Mostly the big and expensive festive joints. I do know that they sell some of it on to people at the local bowls club - they admitted as much back in the days when we were on speaking terms.

I was far more successful than I'd intended, so it's going to be fun trying to play tetris in the freezer... Picked up a small "finest" two bird roast and stuffing, three trays of sausages, an orange and lemon salmon roast thing, smoked mackerel, smoked basa, prawns, coleslaw, asparagus, salad onions, pears, cherries, a chocolate trifle, eight pints of organic full cream milk, four bakwell tartlets and a bread from the ISB, and the buy of the day, two salmon sides reduced from £15 each to £3.88.

Oh yes, and two pork steaks and two hake fillets for Mesdames Poppy & Lexi.

Had a lovely Wigilia of herrings in cream sauce, then these spicy thai prawn things, poached salmon, salad and bread & butter. Finished off with some lebkuchen (bought rather than home made this year), but disappointed as they are overwhelmingly sweet and as a result, not terribly nice.

Just going to kick back and relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.

 

[Reynard]

Oh, and it is Madam Poppy's 13th Gotchaversary today. We have celebrated with lots of cuddles and her favourite canned tuna.