Tuesday morning

Sadly, the arrangement this beauty comes from is likely to be over by Christmas Day.

I seem to be getting into the habit of waking, coming down for a coffee, going back up and sleeping again to wake at a reasonable hour - I call six thirty reasonable anyway.  It's really lovely to be able to do that at the moment, sheer enjoyment to fall asleep again over a book and a coffee..

Today I really MUST get going.  I have treated myself to four hours of housework - done by someone else.  I'm sure most of my readers will agree that is really is a great treat.  For once all the bedrooms are in a decent state and can be thoroughly cleaned through so I'm going to ask her to do upstairs for two hours today and then downstairs for the other two hours on Thursday.  It was going to be four hours yesterday but I like this way more, I think.

Then I must do some washing, sort some things out downstairs, get the decorations in from the garage (and stuff out to the garage) and make a shopping list.  I did some shopping yesterday but the more I think about it, the more I need!  Ridiculous, considering the shops are only shut for two days max, in fact, probably just the one.  But feeding eight is so different from my usual feeding one that there's stuff I need to get in: for example, I have enough instant coffee to see me through until next week if it was just me, but for eight . . . no!  So I'm ploughing my way through all the meals in order to make sure I have what I need.  And I must check the shop times too - the earlier, the better!  Although Morrisons is much closer I think I will do my final shop at Sainsburys, as they have things that Morrisons doesn't have - nice jars of chicken stock, for instance.  As previous years, if I can buy something that I couldn't (or don't want to) make better, then I will.  Bread sauce, for example, or fresh custard.  Saves a pile of hassle on the day!

Better get going with the dishwasher then!  Oh, the hardship.  :0)