Friday Five!

Hooray for getting into the Christmas spirit!

1. I'm so glad it's Friday.  I generally really enjoy my job, but the past couple of weeks have been a serious struggle for me due to what essentially boils down to an incompatible working relationship.  I am aware of the fact that I'm closing in on myself because by the time I get home I just can't "people" anymore and I don't have the energy to do things on the weekends.  Gotta find a way out of this slump.

2.  We are having a "Poundland Secret Santa" at work this year, where we all buy a little gift or trinket for £1 and pop it into Santa's sack.  It has been advertised in the office as having a "wicked twist" which apparently translates to "heyjay has been signed up to explain the rules of White Elephant to poor, unsuspecting British folk who are generally horrified the first time they hear you say you steal gifts from each other."  This should be interesting!

3.  Passed my driving theory test last week with flying colors!  So glad that's out of the way.  Now to try and sort everything else out before my pass certificate expires next year.  My next driving lesson is tomorrow (really hope this weather clears up!) and then I need to book some more.  Dave has also been taking me out for drives in between lessons, but due to our work schedules and the daylight hours, I'm only managing to get practice on the weekends for right now.

4.  Dave got a new guitar at the weekend after my theory test.  It's a Fender SRV Signature Strat and it is goooorgeous.  Funnily enough, I had to talk Dave into getting it!  I don't even play guitar and I know it's special.  Dave loves SRV - he's not my cup of tea, but I appreciate nevertheless that he was an incredibly talented musician and has influenced countless others.

5.  We've started booking and paying for various things relating to our trip back to the US next year.  It's got me feeling this strange mixture of homesickness and excitement.  Holidays are definitely the hardest time of year for me.

6.  Bonus: It's Friday!!!!

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Friday:

1) Daughter is out of the house all day, and I've got the housework done. It's early. Time for me to think about getting into some shopping mischief.  I could take the bus downtown and go to the Christmas market, and have a pretzel at the mall, and go see a movie....

2) Then again, it's early enough I could just crawl back in bed for another hour or two and listen to the radio. They keep saying (and have said this for every day this week) that we're to have an awful storm today. It's kind of sprinkling outside, and no breeze. Seriously Chilly, but not freezing. Definitely not storming. Hmmmm. Not sure it's worth getting up and dressed in "out of the house" clothes today or not. Then again, I refilled the bird feeders on Wednesday and one is empty already (the one with the baconfat-and-seeds-in-stale-bread-sandwich) so I should probably go down there and give them another one in a bit, the poor things are hungry. I could just pull on a sweatsuit and nick down there and back in a matter of minutes....

3) My walking group is today. Seriously contemplating 2, above, instead. It would be healthier for me to hike. But nicer to hibernate. Hmmmm.

4) The Christmas Tree is up and I only have one ornament to glue back together (the glass Dalek's antenna keeps falling off every year). It looks nice. It's kinda pointless, but it looks nice. The Daughter is really into having the tree up and decorated. She's not too much into helping to take it back down again when it's time. Went to B&Q on Dec 1 to look for a longer string of lights to replace the dinky ones I got last year. It was a madhouse in there! It's like the "It's Christmas" switch flips on here on Dec 1. Of course, they were selling the lights for 25% off, but still, that was a bit crazy. I got the last long string of the colored LED lights that I wanted to get that they had.    So, my "tree" duty is done.

5) The fishtank has had half the water replaced and the Sulfaplex medication (THANKS TAMI) added. Which is good, because the mouth fungus (which actually is bacterial and not a fungus, regardless of the name) has spread to almost all of the other Neons.  This stuff is supposed to be one of the best around for treating it, so fingers are crossed. They should show some signs of improvement in the next week, and hopefully be well by the end of the month. It will be nice when they decide Brexit, and we can know if it's doable, to get a proper sized aquarium. We're making do for now with the little five gallon one that we had brought over and planned to use for a Betafish.  Would really like to have a larger one, it's much better for the fish. Of course, then I'll be complaining about the price of aquariums here, which is obscenely high. But it'd be nice to have one. Once we know if we're staying or not.

Yep, it's Friday again.    I wonder if the farmer's market is tomorrow, or if that's next weekend instead. Need more Puddledub middle smoked dry-cured bacon.

Friday!!

Eh127929, no way would my MIL cook in my house. It's bad enough my Mom wants to take over when she visits. Uggh.  Luckily my oven confuses her.

KFdancer, uggh, your poor husband.  Good for him for at least calling people out on their bad decisions!!

heyjay, Poundland Secret Santa sounds awesome

Nan, glad the fish are doing better!


1.) My big charity Swingin and Swayin Tea Party Christmas event is on Sunday. I was getting worried last week as I only had 11 tickets sold, but I'm up to about 40 now and feeling a lot better now.   Also, total chaos as the band's piano player decided to up and quit the band a week and a half before the gig (but I could have put money on this, actually).  Through my musical networks, I asked 8 different piano players if they could do the gig before the 9th one was finally able to join us. Crazy.   

2.) Seeing the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra tomorrow afternoon (non Christmas music). Can't wait! 

3.) My diary is chukka-blok with Christmas carolling and other gigs. December is always crazy. 

4.)  Will probably get the tree next weekend , if I can fit it in.  Think I finally convinced my husband that we should put some lights on the house.  I am trying to get him to go all Clark Griswold, but he's so British. He doesn't think he could stand the embarrassment.    

5.)  Need. More. Coffee.   

So about Christmas Lights On Houses in the UK...

Embarassing? Really?

I'm trying to reconcile this with having gotten off the bus over at the stop for B&Q last week, hiking up to it, coming around the corner to see a double-decker bus with half the top missing (like an around-town tour bus), every inch of the vehicle decorated with eye-stabbing blinking colored lights, with ginormous inflatable elves and reindeer on the top (and, apparently, inside), and with loudspeakers blaring Elvis singing "Blue Christmas".  We're talking blaring here, not just loud. From across the parking lot loud. (It was a tetch surreal.)  And every shop I went into had some other variety of Christmas music also at a very loud volume. Lots of tinsel hanging everywhere. Lights in their windows. As I was heading back for the bus stop it was Elvis again.

So it's lights on houses that are crass, then, and not the rest of the "seasonal festive decorations/music"?

 

Late to the party as we had a more eventful morning than usual so didn't get into the office and to my computer until late.

EH - YAY! Happy (early?) Birthday! Hope you have SUCH a wonderful time for your 30th! I've got mine coming in a year's time haha. Definitely let us know on Monday how it was   I'm not one for Elf on a shelf. it's just not me and they creep me out. I like what people do with theirs and I don't have kids (at the moment) so who knows if I'll change my mind, but it's just not something I can envision myself doing as I'm not sure it'd work for us.

KF - Well done to Malc! Hope he continues to stand strong with your support. Are you having your gin every night or are you saving them up for weekends? I really do wish I had just spent the £70 on the Brewdog advent calendar... You still need to post a picture when it's all done!

Heyjay - I love the idea of Poundland secret santa. Tried to pitch it here in my office, but there are so many people going off on leave and all that jazz that it just didn't make sense in the end and I honestly couldn't be bothered to try to organise it myself when I have some other stuff on my plate. I hadn't actually heard of "White Elephant" until I moved here and saw other Expat groups doing them. We call it Yankee Swap where I'm from in the US but I did try to explain it to people in my office and a few people actually did know what it was and I was shocked! LOL There were a few others that just couldn't get over the name and I was like "okay...can we move past this please?"

Nan - I vote go to the market and pretzel yourself!

PB - YAY! Hope the event goes well and relatively stress free!

OKAY OKAY, here's my 5....:

1. Started the morning a bit chaotic as I was about to leave for work when my niece called my husband and asked him to "come over ASAP with his car" and he said she sounded very serious...turns out somebody had crashed into her and she needed a lift. Poor thing got T-boned and spun out and into a bush. Car doesn't look that bad apparently but it's VERY rainy today so thinking the wet roads may have been what caused the spin out. She's okay, just a bit shaken. Ended up getting into work a bit late as Rik needed to use my car to get her, but that was good as it gave me time to make my lunch (which I was going to skip as I stayed in bed too long this morning so was running behind schedule LOL)

2. Going to play squash tomorrow morning. trying to get back into doing some physical activity as this is the time of year when we turn into sofa-slugs and it ends up ultimately feeling awful. We played Squash last sunday and my muscles have only just recovered LOL hoping this time won't be as bad...

3. nearly done with my Christmas shopping! just have a few small bits/bobs to get for Rik's stocking (we're only doing stockings this year and men's stockings are HARD!) and some small things for the in-laws. Everybody else is pretty much done. Might be my new personal best this year! LOL I could technically call it a day with the shopping if I wanted to and be sorted, but I enjoy gifting so like being more thorough. Will probably wrap the gifts this weekend.

4. We're going with my In-laws to London on Sunday to see Rik's uncle so it'll be nice to see the London Christmas displays. Will really get us in the Christmas mood (and maybe I can convince him to do something fun before or after our visit with just us - like GO TO CAMDEN AND EAT THE CHEESE WHEEL!)

5. Almost booked another flight to Japan earlier this week haha Prices were SO good (£400 round trip - direct to Tokyo from England) but we're being cautious because of my ILR application....but I think this means we're going to need to continue to keep our eyes out for flights later in the year when I should definitely have my passport because we're itching to go back there.

Also agreeing with the "YAY, IT'S FRIDAY!" sentiment.

Friday!  Weee!

1.  My husband had a "normal" M-F work week, and now it's Friday, he gets off work at 5pm, and then it's the weekend!  I'm not gonna lie: it was HARD to do 5 days in a row after all the time he's been getting off the last few weeks.  So, yay for surviving!  Next week, back to our regular shenanigans of random days off, and ending with my citizenship ceremony.

2.  My husband also got a new guitar this week, so now we both have one... we're one step closer to doing The Thing!  His is not a fancy Fender SRV signature strat (seriously, Heyjay? Nice!).  My husband bought a B stock Vintage Les Paul for £200 on eBay, and for the money, it has an incredible sound... It's pretty and well-built, too.  Still, he likes my guitar better.  In almost every respect, his is nicer, but when it comes to playability, mine is just more comfortable.  But then, he picked mine out based on my ability to fit my wonkiness around it to play.  It was always going to be more comfortable.

3. I lied in #1, above. My husband's work week wasn't completely normal.  Today is his half day, so we had a late morning.  I started with boozy coffee... (fake Aldi) Baileys before 10am.  Go, me!  (My husband had to skip the fake-Baileys...  )

4.  I was cancelling a Paypal-funded subscription service the other day when I noticed my Paypal balance was nearly $400... I'd done some online work a few years ago and deliberately left my pay in Paypal so one day it would be there as a surprise to me.  This week, that day finally came.  Happy surprise bonus money from past me!

5.  My husband wants to frame this:

5.  My husband wants to frame this:

Holy sh*t! how'd you get that?! hahaha

Are you having your gin every night or are you saving them up for weekends? I really do wish I had just spent the £70 on the Brewdog advent calendar... You still need to post a picture when it's all done!

3. nearly done with my Christmas shopping! just have a few small bits/bobs to get for Rik's stocking (we're only doing stockings this year and men's stockings are HARD!) and some small things for the in-laws. Everybody else is pretty much done. Might be my new personal best this year! LOL I could technically call it a day with the shopping if I wanted to and be sorted, but I enjoy gifting so like being more thorough. Will probably wrap the gifts this weekend.

I crack that calendar open every night!   

For my husband's stocking, I got a few gems at Asda the other night.  A mini Nerf gun, Whoopie Silly Putty in a toilet shaped container, and a "gold bar" that you smash and it will have a gem or gold inside as a prize (kind of gifts for him for the kids). 

I crack that calendar open every night!   

For my husband's stocking, I got a few gems at Asda the other night.  A mini Nerf gun, Whoopie Silly Putty in a toilet shaped container, and a "gold bar" that you smash and it will have a gem or gold inside as a prize (kind of gifts for him for the kids). 

I'm glad to find that I'm not the only person that does stockings with my husband! haha I know it's not common over here for adults to do stockings but it's my favourite part of Christmas!

Holy sh*t! how'd you get that?! hahaha

They just recognized how awesome I am (at participating in research), I guess. 

My husband said it was worth the hour of my time just to get a written "thanks" from Home Office.  He put the slip of paper away for safe keeping until we can make/buy a nice frame for it.  He's serious about keeping it.

I crack that calendar open every night!   

Rightly so!  We do cheese and port or eggnog. 'Tis the season!

For my husband's stocking, I got a few gems at Asda the other night.  A mini Nerf gun, Whoopie Silly Putty in a toilet shaped container, and a "gold bar" that you smash and it will have a gem or gold inside as a prize (kind of gifts for him for the kids). 

If it's not wrapped, or if you can find a link to it, can I see the silly putty toilet container...?  (I'm an adult!  Really!)

Hee hee hee, I had to buy it for him.

I'm glad to find that I'm not the only person that does stockings with my husband! haha I know it's not common over here for adults to do stockings but it's my favourite part of Christmas!

Of course!  It's not Christmas without a stocking!

Stockings were how we "announced" we were expecting.   

Stockings were how we "announced" we were expecting.   

Okay, cute!  But, also, that lighted garland is so pretty!  It's sparklies and lights and I love it!

Okay, cute!  But, also, that lighted garland is so pretty!  It's sparklies and lights and I love it!

Costco.  Where else?