In the midst of chaos, I'm here to wish you all a very happy Christmas!

[MoyB]

There is a joke about busses - we all know it, I'm sure - you wait hours for one and then three come at once!

Well, my life is a bit like that at the moment!

First comes the family bereavement with accompanying flying visits from our daughter who lives at the other end of the country and a funeral on Wednesday and support visits to our my sister in law who is local; next comes the freezer part of our fridge freezer that decided to defrost over night and is stubbornly refusing to work, hence two visits from the repair man (one last week and another one - with 'the part' - this week, fingers crossed in hope that 'the part' will do the job!; then our dear little cat, Socks, starts walking about with a face like a wet weekend - proper fed up! On close inspection, she has a raw patch just about on her 'shoulder' - so tomorrow, we're off to the vet. Of course, we have to go to 'the main clinic' as the local one, five minutes away, has no appointments until Wednesday and, of course, the day is taken up with the funeral.

So here I am , writing to wish you all a happy Christmas in an odd five minutes before we go out for a joint medical appointment (re weight loss) which will take another hour and a half out of our week, or longer if the traffic is backed up at the level crossing.

I hope you all keep as well as you can - no dramas over the festive period! May you be showered with gifts a-plenty - and I count smiley faces, contact with old friends and family, Christmas dinners and family time as gifts.

For anyone who will be spending Christmas alone this year, please know that others will be thinking of you and there will always be someone else here who might like a Christmas 'chat'.

I must go now, so all the best for the festive season - however you spend it - and best wishes also for a happy new year!

xx Moy

[sassy59]

So sorry to hear of your sad loss and hoping the funeral goes off as it should. Surely the freezer is repaired now? Let’s hope so and good luck to poor Socks at the vet.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year. May you have a peaceful time dear Moy. Xxx🩷😘🥰

[MoyB in reply to sassy59]

We're both well at the moment, which is the most important thing! The freezer repair man is coming on Friday!!! If he can't fix it, it will mean having a new one so I doubt that will happen until the new year. Thankfully, we are at our son's for Christmas day and have no visitors staying here as our daughter and family are in Cumbria and hubby is on call all over Christmas and new year. We have an old freezer in the garage which is still working, but it was already full when the other one packed up so had to squeeze things in where we could. Then we made jam from the fruit we had stored in there so that emptied a whole drawer! The things we do, eh?

I hope you and Pete have a good Christmas and he is out of pain now. xx Moy

[sassy59 in reply to MoyB]

You seem to have everything organised and fingers crossed for Friday. We’re having Christmas here with family which is lovely.

Pete is still in lots of pain so will be seeing a specialist privately on 12th January so hoping he can help.

Have a lovely Christmas. Xxx❤️🩷

[MoyB in reply to sassy59]

I'm sorry to hear that Pete's still in pain. I hope the specialist can do something for him. Sometimes it's worth a private consultation as they usually seem to take the time to take a proper history. (I say 'usually' as I met one consultant who charged £120 for ten minutes and did me no good at all! But others I have encountered have been excellent.)

Fingers crossed Pete meets one of the good guys (or gals!) and finally gets some relief.

I hope you enjoy your family Christmas and don't have to do all the work! xx Moy

[sassy59 in reply to MoyB]

The specialist man seems really good so I do hope he can do something for Pete. We can only wait and see.

I’m hoping not to be doing all the work too as our daughter is supposed to be doing most of it. Mind you, we’re already picking up the turkey and gammon on Christmas Eve and I’m prepping the veg. Oh well. Xx Carole xxx🤗

[MoyB in reply to sassy59]

Enjoy! 🎄🎁🤶🧑‍🎄 xx Moy

[Threecats]

Goodness Moy, you have a lot going on there! I’m sorry to learn of your loss and hope all goes well with the funeral tomorrow. I hope Socks cat gets on ok at the vet today, too.

Despite all the goings on, I hope you have a Merry Christmas and fingers crossed, a more peaceful New Year! TC x

[MoyB in reply to Threecats]

Socks is having visitors this morning! The son and daughter in law of her previous owner are coming to see her. We tried to arrange it weeks ago but I went down with COVID and then they were also unwell. A pre-Christmas visit from them will be lovely.

I'm pleased to say she's cheered up a bit today so, with luck, she'll be awake and playful when they come.

I'll be glad when this week is over and we get to Christmas day which we're spending with our son and family.

I hope you have a good one! xx Moy

[jackdup]

well people sure can’t accuse you of not staying busy.

I hope you have a ver Merry Christmas as well.

[MoyB in reply to jackdup]

In the run up we were delighted to find we had lots of space in our diary this week - then it all went pear shaped! Never mind, I'm chilled again now. I'm not looking forward to the funeral tomorrow but at least, thanks to Amazon Prime, all the family will have something to open on Christmas day, so as long as they're happy, I will be too.

Hope you have a good Christmas. xx Moy

[B0xermad]

Merry Christmas busy lady and a happy new year

[MoyB in reply to B0xermad]

🎄🧑‍🎄🔔🤶🎁xx Moy

[Ergendl]

Sorry to hear about your sad loss, and all the other challenges life is throwing at you at present. Hope the funeral goes well. May the end of the year mark the turning of a new more positive page for you.

[MoyB in reply to Ergendl]

As I have said to Sassy, we are both well at the moment and that's the most important thing. It's been a good year mostly and my health has been the best for years. I was feeling a bit frazzled the other day when I posted as I couldn't see how I was going to get two minutes to myself this week. Every space in the diary was getting filled with things I'd rather not have to deal with.

But things can only get better, can't they? And I'm sure they will. Our daughter arrives just before midnight tonight for her uncle's funeral tomorrow and will go back on the 5.00 pm train afterwards. If there are no disasters in between, we have a clear day on Thursday and we'll spend Christmas day with our son and family which I'm looking forward to.

I hope you have a happy, peaceful Christmas. xx Moy

[Izb1]

Oh Moy, its famine or feast isn't it. I am so sorry for your loss and hope Socks gets treated quickly. I wish you a Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year x

[MoyB in reply to Izb1]

I posted my reply in the wrong place. It's down below and starts with 'Thank you!' xx Moy

[CDPO16]

Best wishes to you Moy. I hope you get chance for some rest. xx

[MoyB in reply to CDPO16]

I'm sure we will! Thursday's looking quiet at the moment. Fingers crossed it stays that way. Lol! Happy Christmas to you. xx Moy

[Bingo88]

Good morning MoyB. Well you have certainly had an unpleasant end to the year. Let's hope you have a wonderful Christmas and even better New Year. Brian

[MoyB in reply to Bingo88]

It's been a great year up until the past few weeks, so can't complain too much. My brother in law was elderly and very ill with no hope of recovery so his death was anticipated but came a bit sooner than expected. His wife (my husband's sister) is coping well but the funeral will be hard for all the family tomorrow.

On the bright side, we're having Christmas with our son and family (my sister in law will be with her daughter and family) and our son knows how to 'DO' Christmas - he loves it! The tree's up and almost touching the ceiling. The goose is getting fat! Amazon has done an amazing job of getting presents at the last minute. There will be love and laughter and, at the last count, everyone was fit and well! I can't ask for more than that.

I hope you have a good Christmas. xx Moy

[Bingo88 in reply to MoyB]

Thanks so much. It's such a bad time to loose a loved one. It's 33 years this Thursday since my Mom passed away and Christmas has never been the same since. Take care. Brian

[MoyB in reply to Bingo88]

❤️xx Moy

[MoyB]

Thank you! Looking forward to breathing space on Thursday once the funeral is over tomorrow.

Just keeping my fingers crossed now that Socks won't need any repeat visits or expensive treatment. Still, if it's what she needs, we'll go with it! She's so lovely! xx Moy

[Mavary]

Hi Moy. Happy Christmas to you too. It sounds like a very busy time for you hon. I try to do lots but I can’t. I’m just doing a little at a time. Xxx

[MoyB in reply to Mavary]

Things are starting to calm down now. Our daughter arrived last night for the funeral which is today. She will get the 5.00pm train home. Tomorrow we have nothing planned and on Friday the freezer repair man will tell me if he can fix it or not!

On Saturday, we're at our son's for his traditional pre-Christmas dinner and back there again on Christmas day for the main celebration.

I won't be too involved in food prep as father-in-law is a bit of a foodie and likes to do most of it so I will just sit with everyone who's not in the kitchen and either chat or listen. I can't usually make out much of what's being said as there are too many people all talking at once!

I've had a much better year healthwise and can currently do a lot more than I could previously, but I know how it feels to have to pace yourself. It can be frustrating, but just do as much as you can manage and, if you can, sit back and let someone else take the strain!

Hope you have a good time. xx Moy

[Mavary in reply to MoyB]

Hope you have a lovely Christmas. I’ll be taking it easy. One Sons on Christmas Day and another on Boxing Day. It will be nice to sit back.

[MoyB in reply to Mavary]

Make the most of it and enjoy! xx Moy

[Mavary in reply to MoyB]

Will do! You have a lovely time. Xx

[Ern007]

Sorry for late reply, Hoping you have a merry Christmas and a brilliant New Year x

[MoyB in reply to Ern007]

You too, Ern. Hope you have a good outcome and 2024 is better for you than this year has been. xx Moy

[Patk1]

All the best x

[MoyB in reply to Patk1]

Thank you! xx Moy

[Turnipgirl]

It's always the way isn't it how everything goes wrong at the same time!

Baby sends her regards to Socks!

[MoyB in reply to Turnipgirl]

Socks says Happy Christmas to you and Baby! xx Moy 🐱

[Turnipgirl in reply to MoyB]

I'm looking forward to having some quiet days off after the hectic year I have had!

[HungryHufflepuff]

I’m sorry for your loss. Hopefully Socks got on ok at the vet and you all have a good Christmas 🎄

[MoyB in reply to HungryHufflepuff]

The funeral went as well as it could yesterday and Socks didn't need any treatment for her sore place as it was already healing nicely by the time she saw the vet.

Two out of three - not bad!

Now, I just need the freezer to be fixable when the man comes tomorrow with 'the part'. I have no idea what 'part' we should expect, but as long as the engineer knows, I don't need to!

So life is calmer again now and we are looking forward to a lovely Christmas celebration with our son and family.

I hope you have a good one too. xx Moy

[HungryHufflepuff in reply to MoyB]

Thank you. Hopefully the freezer man can fix the problem 🤞

[preith17022]

Thank you. May all your wishes come true

[Stratos20]

Best wishes to you too Moy. Hopefully 2024 is so much better for you. We were without a fridge/freezer all over Christmas and New Year last year. Food was kept outside in carrier bags! Cheers 🥂 Diane 🎄😘