Everyone's Christmas looks different. This week I have spent much longer than usual at my neighbours house. On Monday their daughter had to have unexpected surgery and with Mum at hospital in Carlisle and Dad in Euston trying to get a train home, there was no-one to care for their dogs. I spent a fair bit of time walking two unruly but lovable hounds, and just sitting in the lounge with them for company. Their Christmas looked like it would be fairly jolly (hospital trips notwithstanding), a MASSIVE pile of wrapped presents under, around and in front of the tree and the contents of half an off-licence stacked up in the kitchen.
Later, some of the off-licence haul was delivered here as a 'thank you'. I have already started enjoying it, and providing I only have a tiny glass with food it doesn't seem to screw up my bloog sugar levels. 🍷
Our Christmas looks rather more restrained 😀 Going shopping yesterday was absolutely the right thing to do. Miraculously I picked the lunchtime lull when the roads were deserted and the shops really quiet although check-out staff told me it had been manic earlier. Morrisons excelled themselves with more than a dozen different varieties of English apples - but no Spartan.
An impulse stop at Aldi on the way home paid dividends! They had nearly as many varieties as Booths (but I couldn't sneak a picture of it all) and hidden behind an innocuous shelf ticket which simply read "English apples" were Spartan. They're lovely, although a bit small and not really as nice as the homegrown ones but better than nothing 🍎
Our 'Christmas shopping' such as it is has been fitted into the normal weekly trek for groceries, so this was more of a topping up to ensure that, unless I want to, I do not have to go out apart from dog-walks.
There is another fridge full of vegetables, and more than enough meat and fish in the freezer to see us through this holiday and probably the next couple. I never ever take for granted how fortunate we are to have all this to hand.
So our Christmas now looks like a full fridge, a peaceful house, and a dog who really does not want to venture out into the tail end of Storm Barbara any more than she has to. On our late morning walk I recorded over 30mph winds within sight of Bag End, I feel for anyone on the western Scottish islands this week.
Despite having had four safe and secure years with us, Daisy still gets unsettled at night if it is wet and windy. She will happily go into her own cosy bed which she needs to be as cave-like as possible (including heated pad on a timer!) but around midnight I'll hear her get up and start whining quietly, an anxious little cry that I cannot ignore.
She's invited up on the human bed, covered with a quilt, and tends not to move a muscle until the following day. I made Daisy a promise when she came to us that she would never, ever be scared or cold whilst under my care; I hope I haven't broken it yet and that I never will.
Madam does not care to get up early at this time of year - well past 9.00 this morning she was still happily nesting and snuggled in quilty warmth.
Daisy thinks Christmas looks like a yummy lunch in front of the woodburner, I'm usually secretly pleased when bad weather means I can justify lighting the fire even earlier in the day than usual. Today it was 1.00pm!
What does your Christmas look like?
