Daughters, cakes and a day without disasters........

Heavens, it does get dark early around these parts - I keep thinking it is time to cook supper and then discover that it is 3.30pm. Thank heavens the shortest day will soon be here and we can look forward to lengthening days. I will take a couple of extra minutes. Anything. I just don't like the darkness. Gloom. 

My daughter has landed and is with my daughter-in-law and Missy as I speak. Her brother is at work, of course. I won't see her till the weekend, but she has a little girl to get to know again, and shops to visit and things to do in London and the weekend will soon be here. 

I seem to have a slight problem with the knee right now. It is growing. I may have attempted a little too much. And this is not convenient, because I intend participating in the Christmas excitement, and don't want to just observe. So I should have it iced and elevated or something, but really, there is stuff to do. 

Like ice the cake.

See? I think of words and use them by choice, in more exciting places. Like cake. Icing anything should mean cakes.

I slapped the royal icing on it this morning and then realised that I need some larger decorations, so they are On The List. Do you have a thousand lists? I do. And I don't know why I don't just toss them over the shoulder and wing it, because everything will change anyway. I know that. I just want it to be a wonderful time for everyone. So I am pretending that the lists will mean I will remember everything. This would involve a serious miracle occurring, however, so I am not holding my breath. 

Jean and I stopped at the farm shop on the way home from Aquazumba this morning. It was so funny - I picked her up and we set off, and she said "I may just have coffee and skip the aqua" and I said "I would love an excuse not to go and coffee is sounding great" and we got there, parked,  and who should march up to us to chat as we were getting out of the car but Debbi, our teacher. So the coffee plans were scuppered. But we were both glad we actually did the class, which we love anyway. We were just both feeling like we were running on empty early this morning. . 

So how about this for a tree of Brussels sprouts??? I swear each of them is almost the size of a small cabbage! I suspect 4 will feed the family. But I love them, and so does Diana, so we will get through the lot, I am sure. It is still out in the garden, and can stay there for now. I love getting my eggs at the farm shop, and they were the real reason we stopped there, but a wooden crate of clementines also found its way into the car too. And tomorrow, we are heading out early to try and do the final food shop for perishables with Jean as well. Most schools around here break up tomorrow, so it would be wise to get there early to avoid the last minute rush of mothers sans children! 

I have indeed been researching tumble driers, but that will have to wait until later, along with the freezer, the oven, the.......... 

We will manage. 

Winging it. The way I come to regard most of my life - I have a broad idea of what needs to be done and then I sort of find a way to make things happen. It has worked so far! The intricate  plans always seem to hit an unscheduled dead end, so being able to switch course and muddle through has proved to be an essential life skill for me. 

And now I really do need to go and start cooking something, because I have forgotten to defrost anything and supper is going to involve a whole lot of winging it here tonight. It is something to 6(pm) already. 

There are always peanut butter biscuits, of course.................