Friday Rambling

Hi all,

It's quite difficult to ask the question about how everyone's doing at the moment. We have so many different stages of lockdown and restriction going on that we are all in different places with it. And that's just within the United Kingdom, never mind for our overseas members!

So instead, just hoping you are all OK and coping with whatever your 'normal' is at the moment. Even the areas with least restrictions are hardly our usual way of life, and I hope everyone's managing to remain upbeat and finding their way through all we are having to endure right now.

It's encouraging to see that, whether we get to see others at Christmas or not, lots of people are focusing on that event to bring themselves some cheer and normality.

Lots of older people don't get to see anyone at Christmas anyway, and it can be the loneliest time of the year, so I'm thinking of all who are so isolated most of the time. I can't make up my mind whether it's extra horrible during the pandemic or at Christmas, or just an extension of all they endure in the way of loneliness all of the time. It really is something that needs addressing more, in any way possible. Is there anyone out there who is in this situation, and how do you feel about it?

The weather's suddenly become a bit colder here and when I have gone out it's been a bit of a pleasure to bring out hats, scarves and gloves which I haven't had sight of since last winter. There's something so comforting about a good walk on a crisp day with a nice bright scarf and gloves!

The other pleasure for me when it's cold is all of those comforting soups, stews, casseroles etc. which are struck off my menus in the summer months but are now going down a treat for the next few months!

What does everyone else like having for dinner in winter?

[sassy59]

Hi Callendersgal, good to hear from you on this dull, chilly Friday. I hope that people do get to see family and friends, albeit fleetingly, over Christmas. Nobody should be alone really. I love the casseroles and stews during the winter as they’re so easy to do and it’s all in one pot. My kind of cooking.

Have a good weekend and stay safe and well everyone. Xxxxx💜😘👍

[Hidden]

I enjoy stews and casseroles as well over the winter months.

What we have decided to save ourselves from upset and disappointment over Christmas and new year is assume the answer is no there won't be any mixing of different households and do things over zoom as lessons were learned from the disappointment over the September events when I had been led to believe they were happening only to have had the door slammed shut in my face so when they go on about Christmas now I am like yeah whatever but what's certain is I'm not upsetting myself in getting my hopes up again like back in September only to have the door slammed in my face again as it hurts worse when you get your hopes up only to be told no you aren't getting something at the last minute and in September that had felt like a right smack in the face when no I wasn't getting those things so for Christmas I decided to save myself the disappointment and assume the answer is no and go from there!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I'm sure it's a good thing to rein in our expectations for now catgirl1976. This isn't a usual year and unusual things are happening, and our usual things can't. Life's turned on its head. So I'm sure it's a way of coping to hope for the best but to plan for the worst! 👍

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

It feels like the best course of action to take not to expect anything this year and be hopeful that the usual things will return in the future.

With the job hunting I decided I wasn't going to upset myself by setting a target date for getting a new job as times at present aren't so called normal times as before I had been setting myself target dates for this but have decided to scrap them as I feel its not worth getting myself upset over.

[Sara_2611]

I dont have a regular menu 7 days a week I just go to the fridge or the freezer at 5pm & decide what I want & cook it then .That said -the only thing that is the same -is every Friday night is roast dinner night -

[thara9643]

Hey

[Goldenanny]

To cheer me up due to lots of family sickness and bad luck during Covid lockdowns, my lovely husband cooks special restaurant dinners with candlelight and wine a few evenings a week. We enjoy Italian, Chinese and Indian meals at home and a nice steak dinner thrown in!

We should have gone on a Caribbean Cruise to celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary in April but we have made the most of what we’ve got, especially each other! We still have the odd moan at each other but it’s better than being alone.

[Hidden in reply to Goldenanny]

Thats what we do nowadays is have a special midweek dinner on a Wednesday to help break up the week and have Chinese now and again delivered on a weekend night and enjoy pasta and chicken korma as well.

I bet it felt like a right smack in the face when your cruise was cancelled for your 50th wedding anniversary and a coach company had sent out an e mail to explain how all their holidays have been cancelled up until the end of February 2021 and I was sorry for those poor people who were looking forward to them only to have the door slammed in their faces when they were cancelled which is why we decided on saving ourselves the upset and for now not bothering with booked events with the way things are at present and perhaps when things settle down see about restarting them.

[Hidden]

How really lovely Goldenanny! So many of us lost out on milestone celebrations and some very special events in life this year, so it's really nice to hear that you haven't let this get you down too much. It's heartwarming to hear that you really appreciate each other after all this time. A real and lasting love story.And hopefully, one day soon, you may get to take that lovely cruise as a belated celebration! 😊🌈👍

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Here one of my friends missed out on their 70th birthday party, my sister in law on her 50th, Baby the cat on her 16th and a young friend on her end of high school prom and having her exams cancelled which had been a right blow.

What I did was I spoke to the others and had said about the loss of the senior prom and how she had been crying her eyes out to myself and my sister in law over having lost out over the prom and everyone else had been very kind and had said about doing a not prom party to help ease the sting do that we did as well and we had all enjoyed it!