FAREWELL 2024

Farewell 2024!

I LOVE to look back on the year. See what we've done, achieved, enjoyed!!

I tend to look for the positives, rather than dwell on the negatives. 

It's been a good year other than my menopausal aches and pains. I'm loving my new job(s) and the flexibility it gives me and time off with Jeff during the holidays. And we've had some good holidays!! Travel is still very much a priority for us both. Whilst we have our health and the money to do so, we want to travel as much as we can. We've been lucky enough to visit Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal this year, with our month in Greece being a huge highlight xx 

My love of musical theatre is still strong and I've enjoyed many a trip to the Bristol Hippodrome - Wicked, Jesus Christ Superstar, Everyone's talking about Jamie, Wizard of Oz, Aladdin, Come from Away, SIX, Grease, Mary Poppins....with another 7 shows already booked for 2025!

I saw a few films at the beginning of the year - Wonka, Next Goal Wins, All of us Strangers, Wicked Little Letters... my visits tailed off but ended with the film of the year, WICKED Part one!! Looking forward to WICKED Part 2, Bridget Jones, The Salt Path in 2025.

There was some great TV - One Day, The Post Office drama, Freddie Flintoff's 'Field Of Dreams', and I've loved The Piano, Great Pottery Throwdown,  Race Across the World and the Gavin and Stacey grand finale on Christmas Day!! Oh, and the Traitors, with a new series about to start tomorrow!

Take That, Fairground Attraction, Will Young, and the Christmas Spectacular were my music highlights for 2024. We've 3 concerts booked in for 2025 but sadly missed out on tickets for Coldplay! Things are either on whilst we're away or really expensive!!

I've walked lots this year, perhaps not as much as the previous year but still go out with my friend Lynn. I've been over to the Newt , down to Cornwall, up to the Lakes!! I do want to try and get out a bit more locally, like I did during Lockdown, weather permitting!!

Jeff has been busy at work, had a few aches and pains, we're getting old!! He's spent many an hour watching car maintenance videos on YouTube and then spent many an hour lying on a "good bit of cardboard" under one car or another!!! He's also found his love again for the garden and planting this year. But I will add, spent a good few hours asleep at the bottom of the garden too!!

Sophie got promotion at work this year and seems to be enjoying her new role. She enjoys living in Cardiff and hopes to buy her first house there in 2025. A big highlight for her this year was seeing Taylor Swift, not once but twice!!

Sam is in his final year and can't wait to leave Cardiff, having spent the past 4 years there. He met Poppy in April and is currently up in Carlisle with her and her family. She's studying in London and I think the plan is to move down there, when he graduates (fingers crossed) in the summer. He still has no idea what he wants to do job wise!! Just see what presents itself!!

All in all another FAB-U-LOUS YEAR xx

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

2024 TRAVELS

FAMILY X

Breakfast Bags

The 'Breakfast Bag' came about because Sophie and Sam just wanted money for Christmas. Jeff and I didn't want/need anything! We didn't want to waste money just buying things to have under the tree to open, which then often went to the charity shop further down the line and no one needed the stress of trying to think of what to buy for each other just for the sake of it!.

So, we decided to do things a little different 5/6 years ago. We draw a category or two out of a hat in late October and each person spends no more than £5/£10 per person a round, including a gift for themselves. So in our household of 4, a maximum £60 spend per person! We then wrap each round of gifts in the same paper, open together, starting at 'breakfast time' hence the name.

This year Sam (the poorest) agreed we'd have two categories', a £5/6 spend round and a max £10 round. We decide on things we'd use/want/need, so nothing is wasted. The choices are easily available, do still require a little thought but aren't at all stressful or difficult to buy!

We start opening at breakfast, hence the name 'Breakfast Bags'.

Someone chooses something to open, we all find the gift in the corresponding paper and open it all at the same time. It makes it fun to guess who had to buy each round!

Round one, the £5/6 spend!

Jeff had savoury snacks

You can tell he never goes to a supermarket. He always buys loads! 

I had chocs/sweets

Sophie had nuts

And Sam had 'A jar of....'

My gifts from round one.

Round two, the £10 spend!

Jeff had olive oil

I had candles/diffusers

Sophie had toiletries

And Sam had kitchen utensil/supplies

My £10 round gifts. 

Part of Sam's didn't arrive for me, so I told him not to spend anymore money!!

It is just a maximum spend, you don't have to spend the full amount.

Jeff did an extra book round, with Sophie selecting his book/s 

Sophie did an extra fruit round......

.....and a 'pair of glasses' round!

I got an IOU for some Italian glasses when we go to Pisa!

I always do a few extra rounds but only things I know will be used/are needed/will be eaten. I hate waste and know for Sam, in particular, money is tight, so if he asked for something and I can make it into a useful round, I will.

Just a bit of fun, we found on a market in Nerja.

Scratchcards

A GIANT Jammy Dodger!

A travel round.

Jeff - a packable rucksack and eyemask. He always complains about how light some rooms are.

I gifted 'us', a foldaway cabin bag (£6 in Primark). We've a few trips booked with just the rucksack under the seat, so may need a cabin bag on the return flight!

Sophie had compression packing cubes for our Italian adventure.

Sam asked for a travel flask!

Socks!

A breakfast round

I'd bought the little bowl for me in St Ives and Sophie always pinches my granola! Jeff always has cereal for breakfast and this one is high protein/low sugar! So I made this into a round, not knowing Sam would buy himself 'a jar of Biscoff!! in his lucky dip round. Can you have too much Biscoff?

A biscuit round

A perfume/aftershave/razor round.

This was expensive but we all needed re-stocking, so I made it into a round.

Blanket round

2 for £8 in Morrisons!!

And then under the tree, they had their spotty 'check your bank account!!' money box 

And I bought Sophie a nice Christmas plate and Sam a teapot and cheap pasta bowls.

We had a few other gifts from friends and family but nothing we didn't want/need. So a lovely selection of gifts to open, that didn't cost the earth and everything will be used, not taken to the charity shop a few months down the line!

Jeff's annual pineapple!!

We also had a Lego round, where we each pulled out a name and had to buy for that person. Jeff pulled out Sam. I pulled out myself. Sophie got Jeff and Sam pulled out Sophie. I'd also bought a cheap set each, for the mid lunch activity, but we ran out of time on the day! Made for Boxing Day fun!!

This works for us! It's a bit of fun and means no one is spending lots of money or stressing out on what to buy for each other. Often buying just for the sake of it. I mean, who would ask for washing up liquid as a gift !?! But in the context of the round, it was very apt, will be used, and didn't cost lots of money!! Likewise the olive oil. Jeff would never buy olive oil for himself and has no idea how expensive it can be but the kids often steal a bottle of mine out of the cupboard to take back with them, as it's expensive! So it made for a good round! They each had money and have a few things to take back with them. 

This may change in years to come or we just continue. It's not set in stone! But whilst Sam is a poor student, Sophie is saving up to buy a house, Jeff and I don't want/need anything and if we do, we can just get it, the Breakfast Bags are a good solution.

Christmas round-up!!

Merry, merry Christmas!

I finished my last post with a get-together with Jeff's side of the family and then the following day, we met up with my side of the family! A little different this year. Instead of coming to me, as we've done previously, we met up at Strawberry Fields, Lifton. Mum and Dad are 78 now, and this is just an hour in the car for dad to travel and it's accessible for mum in her wheelchair, so a new tradition, maybe!?!

I opted for the Christmas dinner!!

It was good, even better not having to cook it!!

Before we met up, I did my final food shop, in Sainsbury's super early. It was actually really busy and I know I've said it before, but, I'm soooooo glad I don't work there anymore! Completed the annual fridge tetris, and as always, what we don't have now, we do without!! As it stands, we had more than enough!!

Christmas eve was a relaxed day, plenty of coffee and treats.

My lovely gift from Poppy x

We spent an hour in the afternoon, trying to decorate a gingerbread house. Not sure this will become an annual event. We each took a side, trying to add a little creativity into the mix but it was very faffy and no one is really a fan of gingerbread!! 

Veg prep, always a family affair!

Christmas day ready!!

Christmas day!

Breakfast bags ready!!

Panettone for breakfast and a few presents to open.

My Christmas table this year, with my new tablecloth, much to Sam's disappointment. "I like the old one, it's tradition" I thought it was a nice change! Added a dollop of extra colour.

My roast potatoes were the best EVER apparently!!
Praise indeed and worth noting. 

We played the cracker charades....

... before decamping into the sitting room for the Kings speech....

...then back to the kitchen for pud ....

.....then more presents!!

Gavin and Stacey was excellent Christmas TV, as was Wallace and Gromit earlier in the day. I think it's the first time in years, that we've actually watched TV and not a film.

Boxing Day was a card playing, Lego building kinda day!

We had a Lego round, as part of our gift giving, and I bought 2 sets to be completed during Christmas day lunch but they never got done, so everyone had plenty to keep themselves occupied.

I had a hair cut booked in on Friday morning, so I headed over to Shepton and did a quick top up shop, resisting all the sale stuff! It was a really quiet, relaxed day, had a quick tidy around and chilled.

On Saturday, Sam headed off to Carlisle, to go and see his girlfriend, Poppy. Jeff drove him to Bristol Temple Meads and Sophie and I spent the afternoon on the sofa, catching up on the Christmas TV we'd missed. All very relaxed and a wonderful change from past Christmases', when I would have been working!

I decided to take the tree down yesterday (Sunday 29th)  

fuelled by the last of the mince pies and coffee!!

I like everything away, clean and tidy, ready for the new year!

Every year, one decoration ends up staying out,and this year it's my mirror ball toadstool. 

It's far too nice to keep in a cupboard all year!

Finally, this morning, (Monday) some blue sky, rather than the blanket of fog we've been sat under for days. Am sat here drinking my coffee, and this robin is singing its little heart out. There has been a lot of birdsong in the past few days. Hopefully we will start to feel the nudge of Spring before too long. A short winter, would definitely be preferable this year.

Bought my first bunch of daffs today. 

 Best £1 spent at this time of year!

Simple pleasures x