Part missing due to square space crashing.
So here it is, a whole new year, a whole new adventure to be had. Happy New Year!!
For all the stress and misery we had with Sam’s health, all in all it was a good year. We had fun in-spite and despite Sam’s health blip. Unfortunately for him he’s still not fixed, but he is on the way. And most importantly he is fixable. xx
I keep saying that in 2022 I had 22 flights and that I’d like to equal and surpass that in 23…
Twenty three in 23 sounds fantastic, until I remember I’d have to walk home from one of the destinations in that case. ;)
But we’ll see, we’ll kick off our travels this month. Everything is ready. The clothes are all sorted ready to be packed, the food is bought, the guest room is made up for the house sitters to stay…the only thing missing for our ski holiday is the snow in Europe.
Apparently it’s having some sort of freak heat wave, which is unfortunate.
(And no, don’t go blaming me as part of the problem, those 22 flights were going anyway. I’m not a first class or private jet type of gal).
Snow or not it’ll be nice to get away for an adventure to kick off the year.
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I really hope you had a good Christmas and New year’s. I hope you had fun with loved ones.
More than anything I hope you love and are loved, everyday, not just one day.
We had a lovely quiet Christmas. Chris works in construction, so he’s off from the 23rd December to 3rd January, and it’s absolute heaven.
Chris being home makes my Christmas. I really like him, which is very fortunate. :)
I love the build up to Christmas, I love the decorations, the tangible excitement in the air, the crackle of log fires, the smell of chocolates and sherry…and then it comes to the day itself, which although lovely, and delightfully spent with my mum, dad and Ben, is something of anticlimax.
I don’t mean that in a horrible way, I loved spending time with my family, and then Boxing Day with friends ~ but unless you are either 7 years old or below - or spending the day with people 7 years old or below - the magic of Christmas day has evaporated.
For me, being over 7 has absolutely ruined Christmas.
I did love spending time with my family and friends, but I love time spent like that on wet Tuesdays in April too, I love all and any time spent with them.
There is so much pressure on Christmas Day itself, how is that even possible?
The meal is a roast, how is it that we’ve made something so normal - so difficult?
It used to be the staple meal in England on a Sunday, everyone had a roast dinner.
I remember as a child once I went out to play after our Sunday lunch, and my mum told me not to tell anyone we’d had sausage and mash instead of a roast dinner.
Everyone’s mum (usually) spent (wasted) her Sunday cooking a roast.
I find it so ludicrous that we’ve turned a classic roast dinner into something so stressful.
Chris and I “reduced our stress” by buying a lot of ready prepared goodies from M&S. And when I say reduced our stress, firstly I mean Chris’s, because it’s the one day of the year he cooks a meal (it’s my day off), but laughably, what would usually be - on any other Sunday, a meat and 2 veg meal, actually became 3 different roast meats, and about 6 or 7 different veg dishes. Really stress free!!
We complicate Christmas. We do it to ourselves every year.
There is so much pressure on that one day to be perfect, it takes a lot the joy out of it.
Then add to that will people like their presents, will everyone have a nice time etc etc the list goes on, until what you’re left with is just a burning ball of indigestion.
So, yes, as Christmases go it was lovely. But I really want to change things up. I want to escape the expectation vs reality of it all.
Maybe next year we’ll spend it on a beach somewhere exotic or on the slopes somewhere beautiful and snowy.
Who knows where life will take us. How exciting to find out. :)
Christmas is a time of getting dolled up. Mainly for the living room as we didn’t go anywhere on Christmas Day or Boxing Day.
Dress from Zara, Tights from Tesco, Boots from Gucci.
On the 23rd December Chris booked us into the restaurant we’d gone to a few weeks prior. He thought it would be a nice treat, which it definitely was because I didn’t know he’d booked the day off as a surprise.
It was a fantastic meal. We had the sensational ‘dirty sprouts’ again and they did not disappoint.
If you’re ever passing The Carpenters Arms in Great Wilbraham I thoroughly recommend you visit.
We came home, slobber out, watched The Knives out - Glass Onion and ate copious amounts of nibbles.
Christmas Eve I did something extraordinary…(caveat…extraordinary for me)
I hate driving, I especially hate driving in the dark. But I had seen on Instagram a recipe for a virgin Baileys. And I was intrigued.
I had tried and failed to buy the ingredients at my ‘local’ Waitrose on the way home from our lovely meal in Cambridgeshire (it’s not local at all, we live in a town far from all Waitrose. Make if that what you will).
Anyway, Chris made it very clear he had no wish to go anywhere on Christmas Eve at all.
So as I don’t sleep that well and woke up super early I decided to go to the other Waitrose over in Sudbury.
I got there for opening time at 7am, having got up, dressed and driven there in the pitch black.
I bought all the ingredients, for virgin Baileys, the main ingredient (Clean Company ‘whiskey’) which is only sold in Waitrose.
All bought and back home, an hour before Chris even woke up. He was struggling to believe I’d been and gone. It’s extremely unlike me. It amazing what I’m capable of if I actually really want something.
And oh boy was I glad I bothered!
The “Baileys” was an absolute treat. I mean, it wasn’t healthy, seeing as I drank so many of them.
Basically it’s a glass of cream and condensed milk, poured over ice, but just think how strong my bones will be after all that calcium. ;)
(Let’s just focus on the positives at this point) hahahah
X.
Dress from Sainsburys, Boots from DKNY
Dress and Tights from Sainsburys, Shoes from Christian Louboutin.
With my little baby son. :)
And my folks.
Christmas Day or any day it’s a pleasure to have family gather.
Dress from Micheal Kors, Tights from Hedioene, Shoes from YSL
Friends are the family you choose for yourself and I have to say Chris and I have exquisite taste. :)
I think one of my favourite days of the period is Boxing Day. The food is easy. In our house it’s cold meat, mashed potatoes and many and various pickles.
It’s easy, delicious and so relaxed, followed by board games and chilling.
Jumper from Giles and George, Fake shirt from Dorothy Perkins, Leggings from River Island, Shoes from Gucci.
It was a case of rushing round tidying up after everyone left Boxing night, so it was ready for another family gathering the day we got back from Wales.
How was Wales? Amazing!!
It was pouring with rain and blowing a gale, but it was wonderful.
Off we went to Portmeirion for a few nights.
Which was so lovely. We absolutely love it there.
It was very relaxing. The weather was filthy but it didn’t ruin our plans. You know me well enough by now to know I wasn’t intending on hiking anyway.
I thought we might go for some walks, but instead Chris had a record number of naps in one day (3 naps, in one day!! 3!!).
We went to the spa for treatments, which was heavenly. It was a real chill out and do nothing break.
We booked such a fantastic suite with the most incredible views of the estuary. I’d recommend ‘Upper Pilot’ if you were thinking of going.
While Chris napped I read and watched the sea. I would be very happy to do that forever. Xx
The whole point of our trip was to do something a bit different with our time off together. And Portmeirion was the perfect place to do that.
The restaurants are nice. All the staff are lovely. It’s a very chilled place to spend time.
We moved the television out of the way of the view. I have a telly at home but I don’t have scenery like this to feast on.
Imagine waking up to this everyday. :) xx
Awwww, look at me dressing all country. My life, my dress sense gets more and more like cosplay the closer to nature we get.
As if I need a plaid shirt? Hahaha.
It did look super cute though.
I even took my hiking boots with me, which is absolutely cosplay. As I avoid hiking at all costs. ;)
Look at him, he’s loving being in the great outdoors! Hahaha
All he’s thinking about is when to have his next nap.
Not sure if you can tell from this but I am very anti napping. I know most people love them. But they freak me out. They remind me of before I was diagnosed. And being ill.
They do say opposites attract. So we’re made for each other. :)
The sun even made an appearance. Which was fantastic. It was a wonderful trip.
We had a fantastic stay and then all too quickly it was time to pack up and come home to meet up with Sam, Milly and Zak at ours for a delayed Christmas, due to them being so poorly before chrimbo itself. There was so many people who had very miserable Christmases this year. So many people poorly.
So although I find it a little anticlimactic, we were at least in incredible fine health.
We’ve booked to go back to Portmeirion later this year. I’m so looking forward to it. :) x.
