Good morning dear friends {smile}

Just popping in to start the string for December. It is hard to believe that we will be starting the countdown into the Christmas season proper and in another 30 days then we will be looking at a new year, decade even, as well! {smile}

I posted all the overseas cards yesterday and made a start on writing out the UK ones. Today I think I will do a tree in the breakfast room and perhaps will get two more trees done in the remainder of this week all being well. {Smile} Paul stayed at home yesterday as his cough was getting worse - if you could whack out some energies to him it would be much appreciated {smile}

Looking at the clock I see it is now time to make a start on my day...I do hope that {{all}} are well and am leaving a {{{warm group hug}} to start off the festive month. {Smile}

with love always

mermaid...xxx

Boy has this year flown by...I feel the pull of Christmas really strong. It seems the stores are putting on a big rush to sell the most at the best prices already. Usually you don't see these kind of sales until closer to Christmas. I don't have a clue as to what to buy my husband and daughter and son in law this year. The kids are easy to buy for and my son's is all done. My mother will get a lovely sweater and some nice soaps. I have invited 5 neighbors and Pat's nephew for Christmas dinner so I'll be busy cooking again. I really don't mind all that much it is good for me to be busy on a holiday. That way I won't miss my kids so much.

I will probably start my Christmas cards today and hopefully have them in the mail by tomorrow. I am cutting my list down a little more this year. With the cost of stamps at .44 cents each many people here are sending e cards instead.

I ordered tickets online last night for a beautiful Christmas Pagent. After I paid for them I realized I have a luncheon that same day. I will have to leave the luncheon a little early to get to the show on time. I go from no social life up north to a very busy one down here. Oh well that just goes to show be careful of what you wish for.

I have sent a huge bunch of healing energy Paul's way Liz, I hope he is much better soon. Now just make sure you stay well. Zapping you both.****

Your Christmas trees sound wonderful. Perhaps you can take a picture of some of them for us. I put up new wreaths on the doors yesterday and maybe Pat will put up the light outdoors today and the reindeer. My whole neighborhood started with the lights yesterday and it looks very festive all ready.

Well I better go and start my day. Have a wonderful day friends.
Fa La La La La, La La La La.

Good morning dear friends {smile}

I thought I would pop a post in first thing as I know I am going to be fairly busy later on this morning. I actually managed to get the lawns mowed yesterday afternoon though it was sooo cold that I was nearly frozen by the time I had finished! {smile} We had had the first frost of the season and the weather was glorious though chilly. By the time the frost had gone and we had got to lunchtime I thought I might as well get out there and do it. Hopefully that will be the last time this year that I will have to mow as the weather has been so mild the grass has just kept growing! {smile} Nearly all the leaves have gone now as well so we are well underway to approaching the Winter Solstice later this month.

Paul has been home this week with his dreadful cough so he is off to see the doctor this morning thank heavens. I do hope that they can help him with this as it is the worst that I have ever heard him.

I haven’t started on decorating the trees just yet though I think I will get a couple out this afternoon. Michael is going to help me with the big tree for the sitting room. So we can unpack that tomorrow morning. We need to see if the lights are all working and if not then take it down to the local store who will get them all working {smile}

{{{elfina}}}} aww you sound busy busy busy yet at least you have having some fun being busy! {smiling} I suppose that must be the downside of being in Florida for the winter when your family are all up north that you are not celebrating Christmas actually with them. I have got most of my Christmas shopping all done which is great! I can’t believe I am so organised this year! Mind you I have to get them all wrapped and done as well rather than waiting til about three days before Christmas! {laughing}

It has been quite easy for me this year in letting my mouse do the work (and ordering online) yet the challenging times has been with the delivering! As soon as the delivery driver sees the notice at our gate that we have four german shepherds they just toss the packets over the gate if they are large or leave em in the mailbox! The good ones who have mobile phones do actually call me (as we have our phone number listed at the gate) so I can walk down and pick up the parcel. Sometimes they leave a card saying they tried to deliver but no-one home and that is when I do get a tad angry (especially if I have been home (and inside the house rather than walking the dogs) at the delivery time the driver would have written on the card. Usually a fairly irate phone call solves the problem and then a special notice for each driver saying that the dogs have been shut away so to come up the drive ! {grin} Mind you I don’t blame the drivers for not wanting to come up the drive as I would be a bit nervous watching our pack hurtling towards me if I didn’t know them! However, in the winter time they are usually in the house anyway as they are where I am and I only let them out for the call of nature with me there with them when waiting for deliveries. {Smile}

You know each year I think I won’t do so many trees yet the house is so perfect for winter time that I can’t decide which rooms not to do so I do them all again! {grin} Our big sitting room which is Tudor and has the huge Inglenook fireplace has to have the big tree and garlands yet the dining room (which is oak panneled) also cries out for decorating, and so it goes {smile} I love the courtyard when we put the outside lights up and the real tree and the two large wreaths on the upright beams– it is all quite magical {smile} The grandchildren are old enough to see the magic of it as well (well Arcie and Scarlet for sure – Darcy will have to wait another year bless her) {smile} I will take some pictures and post them on a separate web page so you can have a look {smile} Isn’t it lovely hearing all about our different preparations around the world in our little world here on the board… I love it {smile}

The price of postage has really gone up here I know the overseas cards are now nearly £1 each and the UK ones are around 40p (not sure what that is in relation to the $) yet I do like sending them out as I like to sit and think about each person as I am writing them. Of course it is also lovely getting them as well! {grin}

Thank you so much for the energy for Paul – I do believe it started working well as his cough sounded more like his usual one yesterday so sending out a {{{warm thank you hug}}}. Mind you I am glad that he is also seeing the doctor today so he can have a check up. I am still a bi sniffly so the sales are up on Kleenex again yet with everyone having colds around me then I guess I can’ get away from having one. Hopefully it won’t turn into anything worse and I just keep taking the cold remedy medicine and of course {{energies}} always help as we know. {smile}

Heck I have just seen the time so I will pop this post in as I had better get myself moving and make a start on my day. It is just beginning to get light outside – I really don’t like these dark mornings with it not getting light til around 7.15 am! I hope that everyone is well and will look in again later this afternoon…. Til then am leaving a {{{warm group hug}}} to {{all}} who enter.

With Love always

Mermaid…xxx

PS - humming the ~Deck the Halls~ carol along with you dear {{elfina}}}! {grin}

Quick run through to say hello to all and hoping that you will each enjoy your upcoming weekend.

This weekend should be fairly quiet here as most of the shopping that can be done, already has been.

Ed and I have been enjoying weekend evenings with a lovely snapping fire in our firepit out in the backyard. Evenings are a bit brisk (40s) but it adds a seasonal and very festive flavor for us. I truly do miss camping out, so these little outdoor fires are just the thing to give me a wee bit of that feeling of being out in nature staring at a campfire {grin}

Sending loving thoughts to all who enter,
Diana

Hello dear friends {smile}

Just popping in quickly this morning as have left a request for some {{healing energies}} to be sent out to {{paul}} and I have to get started on feeding the sheep and getting the wolfpack walked.

I wil write up a longer post later on this afternoon... til then wishing everyone a good start to the weekend and leaving a {{{warm group hug}} to {{all}} who may enter...

with love always

mermaid...xxx

Liz, so glad that you both are in better health;I can quite understand the anxiety over Paul's cough.
I am lucky that dan is usually sensible and go to the doctor if something is amiss.In fact ,it was him who rang the ambulance on Sat.am because I was in pain from my hip again-somehow I get seen to quicklywhen I arrive with them !After an hour,Dan went to the triage nurse and said I wasn't feeling well and I had a bed within minutes-that was quite true too.But the E.R. was so ovwerworked and rushed off their feet-but the nurses are very caring there,many of them Indian women who used to nurse in the UK.Anyway,was sent to xray and waited some more-thank heavens I always take a book.Turned out one of the pins that was put in my hip has moved and is causing trouble-so now have aN appointment on Friday to see someone.That was 10 hours out of Sat-just got home at 8.45pm to watch most of the Bill.By that time all the drinks and fights were coming in-and the ER was full .But we were all treated and sent on our ways.

Actually making a start on the xmas cards as the weather is nice and cool,actually raining today-good for the garden,no watering tomorrow.

Diana, Sending Healing thoughts for your mum and dad,hope all will be well with you and yours.

Waving ---- Maggy xxx

Good morning dear friends {smile}

Thank you so much for the {[energies}} sent. Saturday I was so tired that I ended up spending the afternoon in bed catching up on sleep and then spent the rest of the weekend catching up with what I wanted to do on Saturday! {smile}

I now have the Big sitting room decorated with the garlands and the tree is up and decorated also. Yesterday I was cleaning in there all day as I want the girls to help cleaning with the brass and copper in there. So it was a good spring clean and I shampooed the carpet, rugs and some of the furniture where Chakhotay and Shula ad kept sneaking onto the sofa!

I want to get the tree done in the dining room today and then just the little one in here so the inside ones will be complete. Also I hope to go and get the outside one for the courtyard tomorrow so Michael and I can set it up with the lights and I can decorate at my leisure over the weekend. {smile}

My sister in law is due to arrive for a visit next Tuesday. She should arrive late morning from Hong Kong and will stay until Friday. She is not just visiting us but using here as a base so she can catch up with all the family in this part of the world before visiting friends and her sister down south and returning to Hong Kong. I think she uses planes like buses or taxis! {chuckle} Anyway that is one of the reasons why I want to get the Christmas decorations all up and sorted so there is not chaos here when she is staying. I must admit it is not a bad thing to do it all early so hopefully I can actually relax on the last minute build up to the holiday season rather than be working myself silly. {smile}

{{diana}}} you know that sounded lovely with you and Ed outside round a little fire. {Smile} It has been so so wet here for the past six weeks or so that a bonfire has been out of the question. The ground is so saturated that we just squelch through the garden – there were little floods in the drive the other day and we are on the top of a hill! {chuckle} There is another low out in the Atlantic now which will be bringing yet more wind and rain though hopefully by the end of the week we should have it colder and the Sun can return for a bit longer each day rather than just a quick peek through before the clouds cover it yet again. {Smile} Hope that your mum and dad are doing well and sending out some extra {{healing energies}} for them together with a {{{big warm hug}} for you.. {smiling}

{{{maggy}}} aww so sorry to hear that you have a problem with the pin and hope that they can get it sorted out for you very soon! I know what you mean about taking a book when you have to visit hospital. I was the same with the radiation treatment and other stuff. When I was getting really worried on Friday night I called NHS Direct (which is supposed to be a helpline!) and was told that a nurse would call me back but there was an 8 hour delay ?!? The woman on the phone actually heard Paul coughing and choking in the background and then advised me to call the Suffolk Doctors on Call (which is the out of hours service).. I did and eventually got through to another receptionist who said that yes a doctor would call me back yet it would be about half an hour as they were busy! If I had taken him to A & E (another 20 to 25 minute drive) it would have probably been a five hour wait especially on a Friday night when you have the drinkers and revellers then getting injured! What happened to the days when you would have one of your own doctors visit out of hours. We have lots of doctors in the Health Centre here yet now they only work weekdays 9 til 6! It brought it home that god help us with a real emergency as it would take an ambulance at least 20 minutes to get here! Apparently there are complaints about too many people calling the 999 Emergency service when it is not an emergency but if you are worried and then at wits end not knowing what to do (say with a sick child) then you are advised to call 999! I am not sure how that can be resolved just our veterinarian gives a better service now methinks! {chuckle} Having said that the doctor (when he did call over an hour later so it was by then around 2.45am) was very helpful and managed to allay my fears that Paul was coming down with pneumonia so it was worth staying up most of the night just for that! {smile} Phew that was a bit of a ~rant~ wasn’it it? {grin} So will stop that now and send out some more {{healing energies}} for you dear friend and hope that it will be resolved very quickly. {{{hugs}}}

I see it is starting to get light now which means that soon will be time to feed the wolfpack so I will pop this post in now before Shula comes bouncing in to let me know she wants breakfast! She does have her way of reinforcing that usually by trying to jump on me in my chair! {chuckle}

I hope that everyone is well and am leaving a {{{warm group hug}} to {{all}} who may enter…

With love always

Mermaid…xxx

My friend and neighbor Jennifer passed away at 7:10 last night. I was with her until 6:20 when we left to have some supper. She had been in a comma since Saturday. She will be buried on Friday and I will have everyone here for a lunch after. It has been quite a weekend. She went from the hospital to Hospice on Sunday night. I rode with her in the ambulance as her husband did not want her to be alone. Today is 14 years since my father in law passed away. Right before Christmas is such a sad time for the ones left behind. It is a confusing time for me as I am the only woman to take care of things and today I have to pick out her clothes for burial with her husband. I don't really know my place in this situation. Do I act as friend, neighbor or daughter as she had no children. She had 2 step sons who will be there but she was not close to them.

Maggy I hope you are not in pain and I pray they can get you fixed up good as new very soon.

Liz, sounds like a busy time for you. Please make sure you don't over do it. I'll be back later in the week when I have more time. Until then please keep my neighbor Richard(Dick) in your prayers as he is very sad.

{{{elfina}}} oh my goodness sweetie! You know I had a feeling that something was up and am so sorry to read of the reason here. I think the answer to your question is that you will be all of those things! {{{hugs}}}} Am sending out some {{{extra energies}}} for you dear friend and also {{healing energies}} to {{richard}}}. There is never a ~good~ time to die yet it always seems so much more poignant when it is close to Christmas. My stepfather died on the 15th December and it was one of the most difficult Christmases that I have undergone as I had to try and cope with Mother in her grief – she hit the vodka bottle big time as well. I am sure you will be wonderful in helping her husband deal with it all and remember to take a little time out for yourself as well to recharge your own batteries especially as you have your own ~memory time~ upon you. {{{more hugs}}}} to you and also to {{Pat}}} as he remembers the loss of his own father. Paul’s father died before Christmas as well – it was so difficult trying to get everything organised before the holiday time yet his sisters managed it and then we had a memorial service in the spring for him when his friends could come and pay their respects and remember. I hope it all goes well on Friday and feel sure with you helping that it will do so.

I have done another tree and got the dining room now decorated this morning so am going to go and run a few errands as I need to post some cards and go to the bank. Will see if the little MG will start ok and then will look in later.. til then

Leaving a {{{warm group hug}}}} tl later...

With love always

Mermaid…xxx

Elfina,As Liz said, you will be the great friend you are to her even now. Such a sad task,finding clothes for her,and feel so sorry for her husband-as for many of us, Christmas is not the same without the loved ones and can be a struggle.
Sending you some healing thoughts for now and the next few days.
You are truly a good friend.

Liz, such energy-putting up all the trees and decorating them as well-what a wonderful job you are doing.

Dan's 76th birthday tomorrow,at least I hobbled into the newsagent for a card !He said he wanjts a couple of things for his computer,so those will be for his birthday.We shall have lunch at our usual 'eat all you want' restaurant.
I have little green apples all around the house-Toby likes to pull them off the tree-doesn't eat them ,thank goodness ! He slipped past Danny today and got out-he was on his way back and came in when he saw me-but across the road-God takes care of animals and children !!

love Maggy

Good morning dear friends {smile}

Just popping in quickly as I know this morning is going to be fairly busy. All the five inside trees are now up and decorated and I went and bought the outside tree yesterday afternoon. Michael and I can get it up and organised (and hopefully lights on and decorated) this morning. Whilst he is getting it fitted into its container I have to run and get animal feed as well so he can help unload that before he leaves at 1pm as he can’t work past lunchtime today. Will sit and write some more later this afternoon or evening so just wanted to leave a little post here for now {smile}

{{{elfina}}} sending out some {{{energies}}} across the Pond to you sweetie as feel sure that you will be rushed off your feet with all the preparations for tomorrow. Just wanted to let you know that you and your neighbour have been in my thoughts and will be more so tomorrow. Sending love and {{{hugs}}} across the Pond sweetie.

{{{Maggy}}} wishing Dan a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY! {smiling} It has been a challenging time for you both so I hope you and he have (had) a lovely day just celebrating and enjoying! {smile} Also sending out a little {thank you thought} to the Universe for {{Toby}} being able to get back to you safely across the road.

Sheesh where has the time gone this morning as I see I have to go and make a start on my day! I hope that everyone is well and leaving a {{{warm group hug}}} til I return. {smile}

Much love always

Mermaid…xxx