Well, it’s Twelfth Night, folks, and actually I’m quite glad. It hasn’t been the best ever Christmas holiday, though it’s had its moments.One of the moments was the arrival of this lovely decoration, incorporated into a card, from Kirsty in Australia. (I won it against fierce opposition from fellow-bloggers. Well, my name got drawn out of a hat.) How nice to have good wishes from a perfect stranger; it fairly gives one hope for the human race. Thanks a lot, Kirsty. I shall treasure it.
Maybe now that my winning streak has begun, the lottery will be next. Not that I particularly wants lots of money, but, you know. I would use it wisely. Not let it change my life.
That’s not true, actually. I would retire. And buy a house with a big garden. (And do some less selfish things too.)
Anyway, the decorations are cleared away, most of the pine needles are vacuumed up – though some turned up later in the bathroom and I’m aware of one in my sock – and I’ve helped my mum to check off her Christmas cards. She has a list which, sensibly enough, has a page for foreign friends, another for English ones, another for non-Edinburgh Scottish ones and another for Edinburgh ones.
Mum: Ah, now, here’s one – let’s see – from… Beth.
Me: Who’s Beth?
Mum: Well, now, I can’t think. She must be the widow of one of Dad’s colleagues.
Me: (after searching the lists) How about Mrs E Wilson of Milngavie?
Mum: That’ll be her. Yes, Harry Wilson’s wife was Beth, I think.
Me: Right.
Mum: It’s a nice card, isn’t it? Oh, it’s a Tesco one, with 25 pence donated to charity. And you can recycle them at Tesco too, it says, till January 12th.
Me: Yes. What does the next one say?
Mum: Ah, this is from Lorna and Ian.
Me: What’s their surname?
Mum: (Pause while she reads the information on the card). They’ve renamed their house. It’s a pity they don’t live in Edinburgh any more.
Me: Mmm. What’s their surname? Where do they live?
It all took quite a while, but we did it.
I’ll probably get round to checking our cards off by about April, going by previous years. Funny, isn’t it, how doing other people’s chores is more interesting than doing your own?
I dont really find chores interesting- mine or others! haha!
ReplyDeleteI used to help my mother with things but she had a more organised mind than I do.
Mine is a bit like a flea, & hops about!
Happy 2007 Isabelle.
Hi Isabelle, found my way to you from Lainey. As a wee Scottie living in Oz for the last 25 years I love reading about places I remember viz Milngavie, and
ReplyDeleteEdinburgh where I went to college and of course I just love that dry droll sense of humour which only ever seems to surface in Scotland. Have been lurking for a few weeks and hope everything settles down for you soon.
Oh dear, you're making me have an epiphany on, or close to , the feast of the Epihany ---namely to realise that I will have to take down the tree soon. It's just that I've grown attached to it and will miss the soft glow of the twinkly lights.....and it's so much less fun taking it down and vacuuming up all those pesky needles....but we wouldn't want the Easter Bunny to get his feelings hurt by finding a Christmas tree still loitering about when he shows up....
ReplyDeleteOur tree came down yesterday too, but the cards are still strung up. I'll need to get them down today and do the horrible list too.
ReplyDeleteAck, our tree came down last week, even before New Years, got sick of it taking up space when there were no presents under it!
ReplyDeleteOh Isabelle, I am very disappointed in you! I thought we had things in common, but now you go and say that you wouldn't let a lottery win change your life!
Bugger that, I would let it change mine! I'd be off visiting all the places in the world I yearn to see, I would buy houses and cars and boats, I would pay everyone to stay away at Christmas, or maybe instead pay someone to put on Christmas for me.
I would just become a rich bitch, that's what I would do.
But I would still blog...I'd miss you all too much!
I also adhere to Twelfth Night to take down all our Christmas cards, and like you and your Mum, I check them all off my list in readiness for next year's list, before they go into the recycle bin! Isabelle, I left a post here with a question, and now it seems to have vanished, so I'm going to ask again: what is inside Edinburgh Castle? Every year when we watch the Tattoo, Ken and I wonder out loud what is in there?
ReplyDeleteJust caught up with your news about yuor parents. Sorry to hear that they are both unwell. You really have had quite a time of it and I hope life settles down for you.
ReplyDeleteUnless you are terribly immature and giggly, you are not missing anything by not playing my video link. :)
ReplyDeleteAs for other people's chores being more interesting, my mother would agree with you. Her house is a disaster zone but my two sisters who live nearby pay her to clean their homes. Ironically, their homes look great! Myabe the paycheck adds interest, too? Haha.
Hey! I received a card almost just like that!
ReplyDeleteWe've got the decorations down but the poor old tree is sitting on the front verandah waiting for Fixit to hack it into small pieces for the green-waste recycling. So we still have a nice Christmassy smell as we walk through the front door.