Tuesday 30 December 2014

Christmas and all That.

Hello, I'm back and it's been a while.
As you can see I did manage to get the tree up but a combination of the manic build up to the festivities and being ill have kept me from blogging. I can't grumble because what I've been referring to as my annual cold isn't even that.
 I'm convinced working in a University library is like working at a doctor's surgery, in that, at first you catch every damn bug going and are constantly ill, but eventually become immune to the majority.
Even though I no longer work there I clearly have a lifetime of antibodies and thankfully I rarely get ill. I can't even remember the last time I had a cold, certainly more than a year ago but just to make up for it this one has thoroughly kicked my butt.
It hasn't been enough for me to take to the bed (sadly) though the sinus pain was enough to drive me to the very edge of my sanity, ok, I know that's not far but let me be a little dramatic here.

A couple of weeks down the line and I feel like it's drained the very life out of me, to be blunt I'm knackered. I hate having no energy.
Christmas was lovely but by 9.30pm I was done, a broken woman. We finally left my brother's house at 10.30 and walked briskly home which I have to say helped.
We brought Nephew Number One home with us so I left the pair of them too it and crawled into bed. Apparently Himself and the Nephew had a whale of a time drinking beer and watching dvds until 4am.

Talking of nephews we did our annual jaunt down to Torquay for Nephew Number Two's birthday just before Christmas. I could have done without the 5am start but it was all worth it when we arrived.
It was a fancy dress affair with 2 spidermen, one of whom stabbed me in the buttock with a ninja turtle's sword, (that's what happens when you get distracted by green jelly, you get caught off guard) and 3 batmen.

Himself was very impressed that we had 3 eras of batman represented, from Adam West to Christian Bale.
Though I bet none of you knew that Batman's real arch enemy is not actually The Joker but in fact Peppa Pig. I don't know what he said to her but she floored him good and proper despite the pink party frock, now there's a film I'd pay to see......
Nephew Number 2 was 5, he had a big shiny balloon and borrowed my camera to take a picture of me with it. I returned the favour.

Here's The Little Miss, who was far more interested in licking the window than watching the party games which amused Himself no end. He spent a lot of time outside trying to take pictures of her doing it, he got some crackers butI'm not going to share because every girl deserves to look her best.

We didn't stay over this time, so caught the train home at 8pm. That got quite lively at Bath where it filled with rugby fans who proceeded to wedge somebody into the luggage rack and somehow managed to plunge our carriage into darkness! Thankfully they all got off at Swindon and the last leg of the journey was quiet. To give them their due, the sheer number of them did also raise the temperature in the carriage, up until that point the train had been freezing cold. I was very glad to get home to my bed.

Other than that I ate out with friends pretty much every night until work finished for Christmas, to the point where Himself looking all sad gave a plaintiff  "are you actually in any nights this week?".

I had to work Christmas Eve again, bah, but luckily it was quiet and we got sent home early because of the trains being rubbish.
There was a lovely eyelash moon on Christmas Eve.
(When it's this little it's an eyelash, a bit bigger and it becomes the Cheshire Cat.)

I ventured out to feed the birds and found my early snowdrops are even earlier this year.
I can't remember them coming up in December before.

We went to Reading yesterday. The sales no longer seem to have the appeal they used to for me. Once upon a time I would be up and out the door on Boxing Day morning but now I really couldn't care less. Himself needed new work clothes though so we ventured out. I bought a few bits, including a cartoon print bank robber dress from Cath Kidston as you do.
 I never get over how some things are so damn expensive in there and others not. I saw a cardigan for £45 in the sale, £45!?! I mean it was very pretty but quite thin, I'd never have paid £45 for it let alone nearly £90 full price. I visited Paperchase (one of my happy places) and Accessorize and then called it a day.

Today I'm going to nip into Oxford as I want to get some theatre tickets. I won't stay long, I have Christmas books to read
and tea to drink in the peace and quiet of my own home. My plan is to hibernate until it's time to go back to work.

10 comments:

  1. I'm sorry you weren't feeling so well over Christmas, it must be the worst time of year to be ill. I love your tree :)
    I don't often get ill. I went to bed Sunday night coughing and sneezing, spent all of Monday morning and part of the afternoon sneezing with streaming eyes, feeling shivery and headachey and then whatever got me, thankfully left me alone and I was absolutely symptom free by the late afternoon,.
    I hope you have a wonderful new year x

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's such a cute photo of you and Little Miss!
    Isn't it typical that you go down with the lurgy as soon as it's time to break up from work? Sod's Law. Still, you certainly managed to pack loads in to your Xmas.
    That CK dress sounds amazing! xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hope you're feeling loads better now, lovely. Bloody typical though eh? Wind down for a break and get ill.
    Still, it looks as though you've had a good one and you've packed loads in. I love that photo of you and Little Miss and I'm ever so jealous that you had a train ride with rugby lads!! Oh what fun they are.
    Father Christmas brought me the Grayson Perry too.
    XXXXX

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sucks about the cold, but your tree and family all look wonderful! Sounds like you got to hang out a bunch---always fun!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh no, sweet lady, I'm sincerely sorry to hear that you've been so under the weather this month. I can fully relate. My plethora of chronic illnesses, some of which are autoimmune based, means that my immune system is about as strong as a wet tissue at the best of times. Some winters I miraculously escape most bugs, but this year, in the past 2.5 months, I've had two cold, the flu, strep throat, an ear infect that's been going on for two months. Not fun, but at least, miraculously, I haven't had to go into the hospital due to any them. I think the bugs that are out this year are especially powerful ones who are knocking the wind out of many peoples' sails, almost regardless of their usual level of health.

    Here's to the hope we both feel better on that front in 2015 and that year is a happy, fun filled, generally healthy one for both of us!

    ♥ Jessica

    ReplyDelete
  6. Blooming cold/sinus pain, major pain in the backside, I hope you are feeling miles better now, you managed to have a whole lot of fun in even though you were feeling poorly - Peppa Pig and Batman? who knew!! loved all the pics, the little ones are completely adorable -
    all the best for the New Year!!! x x x

    ReplyDelete
  7. Boo to the cold and painful sinuses (I HATE that!) but hurray to parties, nephews and nieces, being kept warm by larey rugby fans, reading, and tea! Oh and happy new year! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm sorry to hear you've been poorly. There has been something nasty going round this winter; I know two people who've had pneumonia after a cold. Look after yourself!

    Ooh, you got the bank robber dress? I'd eyed that one up on the CK website but they don't do it in fatlass size. Probably good for my bank balance... Like you, I haven't been grabbed by the sales this year. Again, perhaps that's no bad thing!

    Living near Bath, I try not to get the train on rugby day as they're always jam-packed. Rugby is the big local sport.

    Have a splendid 2015 :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Snap! Three weeks of feeling grim, and that's my second of this winter. What's going on? Still glad you managed to fit some festive cheer in. I'm interested to see the bank robber dress! Xxx

    ReplyDelete