Cold turkey
No, not the left overs from Christmas day but what I have gone through the last 3 days having no internet access.
I have discovered a great word game called Boggle, the art of tickling my girls, and that nobody really sends emails over Christmas so I didn’t miss anything, apart from the news that Kelly Brook had a pug from her boyfriend over Christmas from her boyfriend. Think that is worth going cold turkey over…
Anyway, a very happy new year from me to you.
Personally I’m glad to say “adios” to 2009 and am looking forward to a fresh start in 2010….Hope it is a good one for you too. x
No turkey, let’s try sushi
In Spain on Christmas day they eat a traditional meal of fish for their main dinner. I now know why.
In Spain you get a lot of power cuts and power surges. At least with a main course of fish if your oven goes off you can turn it into sushi and salmon is best served raw or smoked.
Today, on Christmas day, in parts of the Midlands and Staffordshire we had a major powercut. I was woken up to my mum screaming on the stairs, ” we are doomed, we are all doomed.” She’s usually quite a happy soul I knew that either she’d lost her lottery ticket or David Cameron had snuffed it.
It was neither. We had a powercut at around 8am and power didn’t resume until around 1pm. This meant no electricity. Phones didn’t work, we had no central heating and most people had no turkey at lunchtime either. Restaurants would have been in a hell of mess.
Luckily for us, mum and dad have an Aga. Usually thought of as an evil thing on account of the burns it leaves on our arms, the huge gas bill it causes and in summer the heat exhaustion we suffer as the whole house sizzles, but today it saved our bacon.
We did think about charging the neighbours £50 for the loan of one of the many mini ovens in the Aga but in the end we hogged them all for our parsnips, roast potatoes ,stuffing and even what the hell, Yorkshire Puddings. We turned on the gas fires, my brother sorted out the Christmas hip hop music from his ipod and we had a jolly good time.
When the power did return we let out an enormous cheer and heated up an extra bit of brandy for the Christmas pudding.
Was it a very merry Christmas…..you bet!
Avatar
We went out today to see Avatar in 3D, and even without the 3D effects I would have given it a really good rating as the story is lovely. It also has a happy ending which is good news, because who wants to go to the cinema the day before Christmas eve and come out sobbing? Not me.
So with Avatar, (3D glasses were 80p each and looked like normal sunglasses) a super story and here are the reviews from my children.
My 13 year old son said his eyes hurt at the end as he hadn’t blinked the entire time. Believe me, that’s a sure sign that a film or PS game is VERY GOOD. The redder his eyes, the better the film. With me red eyes just mean I have another bad case of conjunctivitis.
My middle daughter aged 11 said it was the best film she had ever seen. Praise indeed. However we were running late and we didn’t have time to visit the sweet and drinks counter.As a result she was fully engaged with the film and not her usual salted popcorn.
My 8 year old whispered to me about three quarters through, ” it isn’t very Christmassy is it?” But she did enjoy it, though I’m not sure she really realised what an Avatar was.
So don’t be put off by the ” blue people ” they are amazing, as is the film. It is on in English now at the cinema in Puerto Banus…AND here in Birmingham. AND yes, we have SNOW. Avatar and snow….a perfect 23rd December! Merry Christmas….
Travel delays over Christmas
We were alarmed on the 22nd to hear on the radio that a lot of flights in the UK were being cancelled. On the BMI website there was a complete lack of information on delays, or no delays and it was really frustrating.
I searched high and low for updated travel information and the best source was the BBC. They told me that it was Gatwick, Stanstead and Heathrow that were having problems and I could see at a glance that Birmingham flights were fine.
So if you are travelling over Christmas and need up to date travel information to inform you of any delays in the UK, air, rail and road go to www.bbc.co.uk/travelnews
Medicines over the counter in Spain
I was surprised when I first moved to Spain that I could buy medication such as antibiotics and thyroxine over the counter at pharmacies without a prescription. You still can, but recently I have noticed my local pharmacy saying “no” to me asking for antibiotics. Others however still will give them.
I currently have another run in with conjuctivitis. It is my fourth bout in as many weeks and I have been using antibiotic eye drops. However nothing is shifting the latest one and the drops don’t feel quite right. So I’ve followed my instinct and been using hot and cold compresses ( eyes closed) and rinsing the eye in warm water. As I don’t have an eye bath I’ve been using a cup which is great because as well as washing my eye I end up washing my clothes too.
Result is still a red eye…but it does feel more comfortable and my next appointment will be at the pharmacy for some “tears”….as I think my conjuctivitis may be caused by a “dry eye.”
Incidentally if you do think you have conjunctivitis do this test. Close the affected eye and shine a torch in the other. If you have any pain in the affected eye it signals a more serious problem with your iris and you need to go and see a doctor.
Meanwhile I’m going to wear gold to the airport and then with my red eye I will at least look festive.
Special K
I know I’m not supposed to watch or even receive SKY in Spain but I do…..it’s the neighbours tv…cough.
Am I the only one that has watched the Special K adverts and thinks the models that they use to advertise a low fat breakfast look like they need less low fat and more burgers and chips? They are looking more and more gaunt and I actually felt sorry for the lady in the recent advert with ” Don’t do it” stuck on one of her kitchen cupboards. I would say ” Don’t do it” if you look like any of the Special K models and ditch this cereal in favour of chocolate rice crispies, M&S blueberry muffins and a daily hot croissant with real butter and lots of strawberry jam.
At this rate by 2012 Special K won’t need models to advertise their cereal as they will all be invisible and size minus 6.
Christmas trees in El Corte Ingles
You know I told you that there were Christmas trees, real ones in Puerto Banus El Corte Ingles for under 15 euros. Well they are still there but I would suggest you don’t buy them.
I had a little play with the branches today as I was getting bored with my husband trying to find vests. It was fun as each time I lightly touched the fir trees branches all the needles fell off. They are now a number one on the shaved scale and look quite wintery if you like the truly bald look.
Sorry.
Fake trees available everywhere else and I won’t play with those. Can’t promise that the spray cans that whizz out gold glitter will be full though….:)
You know your children are getting older when…
You try on your son’s coat and it fits you….
When your daughter suddenly tells you for Christmas she would like some make-up and not the cheap Claire’s accessories stuff. You look in your make-up bag and you have Claire’s accessories make-up circa 1982.
When you spot some sparkly wet look leggings when out shopping with your daughter and you tell her you quite like them. She then pulls you by the arms, orders you home and goes online and orders a Daxon catalogue to be sent to you.
She stops trying on your shoes and you start trying on hers….
Winter jackets or death by frost?
Suddenly realised that I don’t have a suitable winter coat for my trip away and that although I do have jackets they are not going to stop me dying from hypothermia in sub zero UK temperatures.
So I went out today to find an anorak that didn’t look like an anorak. Well I found plenty and they all made me look like I was wearing an inflated car tyre.
Hypothermia or looking like an inflated car tyre? I choose hypothermia. At least I’ll dye looking vaguely attractive in my fake leather jacket and I think blue lips could really be the next crimson….
Snow for Christmas
We will be in the UK for Christmas and I’ve just seen the weather forecast for the Midlands change from rain on Christmas eve to snow. Well ok, it acutally said the occasional flurry but I am so desperate to see a snowflake that even if just a couple fall from the sky on Christmas eve I will be whooping around the house making all the floorboards creak.
It is also a tradition for me to make a snow angel as soon as I see snow. So yes if it is a mere flurry I may knock myself out on a stone or two in the garden and get concussed by the ice, but who cares….a snow flurry on Christmas eve!
I can’t wait to press my nose against the frosty window panes and regress to being 6 years old….