Happy New Year, Wendy! Wonderful tales with the full gamut of emotions. I marvel at anyone who can sing emotional songs without cracking. Beauty can be heartbreaking, particularly when real life relates.
Thank you, Ofifoto, and Happy New Year to you, too. Yes, beauty can be heartbreaking, so true. I’ve sung at funerals in the past, but never felt quite so emotional during a performance. I was very glad of the Christmas tree!
Happy 2025 Wendy. Loved this …”Grown-ups don’t give each other presents”. Thank Goodness we go that route too. It is already overwhelming. Back soon. Always lovely to visit you here. Hugs!
Thank you, Andrea, and Happy 2025 to you, too! I felt a bit bah-humbug making that point about presents, but it takes so much pressure off. Thanks for dropping by. I hope all’s going well in your new home.
I love the idea of a humane mouse trap. We stayed somewhere this Xmas with snapping Tom & Jerry-style ones in every corner. So glad to have been spared a catch!
I'm with you on the Lindt, too! Only 85% or higher for me - stops the kids pinching it too!
How lovely that you are in a choir, even if it makes you cry occasionally.
So far the mouse is managing to take the bait without actually setting off the trap. I don't know how it does that! Must have worked out some kind of hurdling action.
My children (and some of the grandchildren) actually like 90% chocolate, following my lead, so it is not entirely safe.
Choir is a godsend. So good for the soul.
My long-haired son and I have just been advised to check for nits, as one of the grandchildren has them (argh!) and must have had them at Christmas. And I've now got the cold that was doing the rounds over the holiday. But I wouldn't change a thing!
Thank you, Ingrid! It was huge fun. The less fun fall-out is being told to check for nits as one of the grandchildren has them, and coming down with the inevitable cold that was doing the rounds. But it was all worth it!
Hoping you are lurgy-free and enjoying the new year. Just read your lovely list of favourite reads and viewings of 2024 and will comment as we have some overlaps!
I could relate to a number of things, like building the toy kitchen, I did that for my son one year and tidying the house at a break-neck speed because— visitors 😅 And the walkie talkies... so precious! Hope you remain nit-free.
This is so lovely, Wendy! Your nephew has given me hope that my children may clean up one day 😆. Happy New Year and I look forward to more of your beautiful writing in 2025.
Thanks, Sara! Adult children cleaning up isn’t a given (ahem!), but mine have definitely got better at it and my nephew was an absolute gem sorting out all the toys scattered around. (The toy pile just keeps getting bigger, as only one of my daughters owns a car to take stuff home in.)
I hope you and yours had a fab break. And it’s mutual – love your humour and honesty about family life.
It sounds like a lovely festive season! There are red squirrels in the highlands of Scotland. We used to feed them, and have 5 or 6 at one time. Good luck with catching the mouse.
Thank you, Kate! Great to connect here – thanks for reading. A squirrel feeder is on the shopping list. Glad there are still some other havens for the reds. There’s always a worry here that greys will hop on the ferry!
Happy new year Wendy. You've reminded me to watch The Sound of Music (again) - and as per, I will always be surprised by the wedding scenes, as I always assume the film ends before then....!
I was looking up the real Von Trapp story to see where the film version differs from the real Maria’s life story. There was an equivalent of the Baroness, competing for the Captain’s attention, but he and Maria got married several years before the outbreak of WWII, so the film squishes the timeline for dramatic effect.
Cracking story, anyway! We ended up watching it at home with the children, after I said that was what J had been watching at the nursing home. It was one film that didn’t give my granddaughter nightmares. Star Wars: A New Hope was another hit. And the first half hour of West Side Story. Switched it off before it got violent.
I’m used to tots who only ever want pasta with cheese, but he has really broad tastes and will try anything - I think his experimental menu reflects that!
Aww Wendy I know that feeling , feeling vulnerable at choir and a song setting you off. Hope everything and everyone is ok. Your Christmas sounded very busy and fun ! But No fun re that mouse 😳 eekkk !
Thanks Francis, that’s kind of you. The more people you love, the more to worry about. Yes, singing is such an emotional catalyst. Looking forward to rehearsals starting up again.
I love hosting family and also appreciate the quiet afterwards! Hope you’re having a breather as well?
No mouse sightings today, thankfully. And much too wet for squirrel-watching.
Thanks, Margaret. And Happy New Year to you. I’m vegging out a bit now. Ian’s bingeing Season 2 of Squid Game while I read and write. We’ll watch something together in a bit. Hope you and yours are enjoying some time off.
Maybe we should all turn our living rooms into dens! We had a lovely supper, a few drinks and were in bed by 10.30pm. Both D (my other half) and I have done enough NYE partying to last several lifetiimes. Happy 2025 to you and yours, Wendy. I'm glad we met on here. SS x
Thanks, Gillian and Happy New Year! I hope you had a good Christmas, too. All the children mucked in with the “catering” (youngest granddaughter had a shopping basket full of pretend food which enhanced the whole experience). Glad the kitchen isn’t one of the presents “left for next time”, though. It’s roomy!
You're not the only one with a rodent visitor this Christmas. Dropped off some books to a writer/artist friend, and her 87 year-old husband, recently out of rehab after a stroke, was down on his hands and knees checking the mouse trap. I offered our cat. Despite losing all but one of her canine teeth, following a car accident, and arthritis in her elbows (yes, cats have elbows), she regularly brings in mice. As if to prove she's still got it.
Ah yes! When we had cats they were always bringing mice in. The count went up while they were still around! That’s quite a tough job for an 87 year old, checking mouse traps on hands and knees following a stroke. I hope he’s recovering okay.
Happy New Year, Wendy! Wonderful tales with the full gamut of emotions. I marvel at anyone who can sing emotional songs without cracking. Beauty can be heartbreaking, particularly when real life relates.
Thank you, Ofifoto, and Happy New Year to you, too. Yes, beauty can be heartbreaking, so true. I’ve sung at funerals in the past, but never felt quite so emotional during a performance. I was very glad of the Christmas tree!
Happy 2025 Wendy. Loved this …”Grown-ups don’t give each other presents”. Thank Goodness we go that route too. It is already overwhelming. Back soon. Always lovely to visit you here. Hugs!
Thank you, Andrea, and Happy 2025 to you, too! I felt a bit bah-humbug making that point about presents, but it takes so much pressure off. Thanks for dropping by. I hope all’s going well in your new home.
So funny!
A room with a den in it is the best kind of room.
I love the idea of a humane mouse trap. We stayed somewhere this Xmas with snapping Tom & Jerry-style ones in every corner. So glad to have been spared a catch!
I'm with you on the Lindt, too! Only 85% or higher for me - stops the kids pinching it too!
How lovely that you are in a choir, even if it makes you cry occasionally.
Thank you, Wendy
Thanks, Kate. The den looked so inviting!
So far the mouse is managing to take the bait without actually setting off the trap. I don't know how it does that! Must have worked out some kind of hurdling action.
My children (and some of the grandchildren) actually like 90% chocolate, following my lead, so it is not entirely safe.
Choir is a godsend. So good for the soul.
My long-haired son and I have just been advised to check for nits, as one of the grandchildren has them (argh!) and must have had them at Christmas. And I've now got the cold that was doing the rounds over the holiday. But I wouldn't change a thing!
Oh they are sneaky creatures! You’ll miss them when they’re gone - the mouse, that is, not the children, or the nits!
The image of a trap-hurdling mouse will live on in my mind :-)
Happy New Year! I adore your Christmas diary! Sounds rejuvenating and fun!
Thank you, Ingrid! It was huge fun. The less fun fall-out is being told to check for nits as one of the grandchildren has them, and coming down with the inevitable cold that was doing the rounds. But it was all worth it!
Hoping you are lurgy-free and enjoying the new year. Just read your lovely list of favourite reads and viewings of 2024 and will comment as we have some overlaps!
I could relate to a number of things, like building the toy kitchen, I did that for my son one year and tidying the house at a break-neck speed because— visitors 😅 And the walkie talkies... so precious! Hope you remain nit-free.
It’s the brightest and British-est Christmas story ever! Have you found the man with the short gun after all?)
Thank you. So glad you enjoyed reading and thanks for commenting.
I haven’t seen the man with the shotgun since, but I have heard someone shooting in the fields nearby, so I think I guessed right.
This is so lovely, Wendy! Your nephew has given me hope that my children may clean up one day 😆. Happy New Year and I look forward to more of your beautiful writing in 2025.
Thanks, Sara! Adult children cleaning up isn’t a given (ahem!), but mine have definitely got better at it and my nephew was an absolute gem sorting out all the toys scattered around. (The toy pile just keeps getting bigger, as only one of my daughters owns a car to take stuff home in.)
I hope you and yours had a fab break. And it’s mutual – love your humour and honesty about family life.
It sounds like a lovely festive season! There are red squirrels in the highlands of Scotland. We used to feed them, and have 5 or 6 at one time. Good luck with catching the mouse.
Thank you, Kate! Great to connect here – thanks for reading. A squirrel feeder is on the shopping list. Glad there are still some other havens for the reds. There’s always a worry here that greys will hop on the ferry!
It's a den!
Oh my. What a whirlwind of the holidays you described. Happy New Year!
Thank you, Jill. Whirlwind, yes – perfect description. Just winding down now. Happy New Year to you, too – I hope you’ve had an enjoyable break?
Happy new year Wendy. You've reminded me to watch The Sound of Music (again) - and as per, I will always be surprised by the wedding scenes, as I always assume the film ends before then....!
Thanks, Sharon, and Happy New Year to you, too.
I was looking up the real Von Trapp story to see where the film version differs from the real Maria’s life story. There was an equivalent of the Baroness, competing for the Captain’s attention, but he and Maria got married several years before the outbreak of WWII, so the film squishes the timeline for dramatic effect.
Cracking story, anyway! We ended up watching it at home with the children, after I said that was what J had been watching at the nursing home. It was one film that didn’t give my granddaughter nightmares. Star Wars: A New Hope was another hit. And the first half hour of West Side Story. Switched it off before it got violent.
Lettuce after coffee. Excellent. Must try that restaurant. 😊
I’m used to tots who only ever want pasta with cheese, but he has really broad tastes and will try anything - I think his experimental menu reflects that!
Aww Wendy I know that feeling , feeling vulnerable at choir and a song setting you off. Hope everything and everyone is ok. Your Christmas sounded very busy and fun ! But No fun re that mouse 😳 eekkk !
Thanks Francis, that’s kind of you. The more people you love, the more to worry about. Yes, singing is such an emotional catalyst. Looking forward to rehearsals starting up again.
I love hosting family and also appreciate the quiet afterwards! Hope you’re having a breather as well?
No mouse sightings today, thankfully. And much too wet for squirrel-watching.
Happy New Year Wendy. A busy time. Well done on hosting the family and the mouse. I hope you have a bit of me time lined up now?
Thanks, Margaret. And Happy New Year to you. I’m vegging out a bit now. Ian’s bingeing Season 2 of Squid Game while I read and write. We’ll watch something together in a bit. Hope you and yours are enjoying some time off.
Happy New Year, Wendy!
Thank you, Heather. Happy New Year to you, too. I hope it’s a peaceful one.
Maybe we should all turn our living rooms into dens! We had a lovely supper, a few drinks and were in bed by 10.30pm. Both D (my other half) and I have done enough NYE partying to last several lifetiimes. Happy 2025 to you and yours, Wendy. I'm glad we met on here. SS x
The den looked tempting, Steven!
Happy New Year - yours sounds very civilised. Very glad to have met you on here, too!
A gorgeous snapshot of a family Christmas. The toy kitchen sounds awesome - your grandson's cooking even better.
Happy New Year Wendy!
Thanks, Gillian and Happy New Year! I hope you had a good Christmas, too. All the children mucked in with the “catering” (youngest granddaughter had a shopping basket full of pretend food which enhanced the whole experience). Glad the kitchen isn’t one of the presents “left for next time”, though. It’s roomy!
You're not the only one with a rodent visitor this Christmas. Dropped off some books to a writer/artist friend, and her 87 year-old husband, recently out of rehab after a stroke, was down on his hands and knees checking the mouse trap. I offered our cat. Despite losing all but one of her canine teeth, following a car accident, and arthritis in her elbows (yes, cats have elbows), she regularly brings in mice. As if to prove she's still got it.
Ah yes! When we had cats they were always bringing mice in. The count went up while they were still around! That’s quite a tough job for an 87 year old, checking mouse traps on hands and knees following a stroke. I hope he’s recovering okay.