The last hurrah !!

So we were back to school yesterday, crikey it was busy.

(This is a very photo heavy post)

Twiglet and I were in our pjs by 5pm eating our beef stew kindly made by the slow cooker.

The next 3 days will be chores and studying for me and probably sneakily watching all the Christmas TV I haven't watched, while doing the ironing - simple pleasures.

Anyhoo, before we returned to school on Monday, we had a gorgeous afternoon on Sunday.  It was a lovely crisp day so we went for a walk around Nostell Priory, I used to work here quite a few years ago and I really do love the place.

 Aren't these wooden sculptures lovely ?

 I love these little reindeer.

 Twiglet had a lot of fun trying to break the ice and skating across the shallow puddles.

Then home for a lovely gammon joint for dinner, that we didn't get around to eating at Christmas.

I flippin love Wintery Sunday afternoon walks

Twiggy x

New Year Thoughts and Eclectic Gifts

Hope you had a lovely New Years Day, we spent it with Mr Twigs family and had a really nice time.

Also enjoyed some top TV, Esio Trot, Miranda finale and Quartet, not forgetting of course University Challenge !!  (young fogey alert).

Well Mr T had to go into work today so the young man and I did our usual circuit up to the pond and fed the ducks.

Crikey it was cold and windy, but look the snow has all gone now.

He spent the rest of the day, with one of his neighbourhood friends, firstly round here and now round at theirs, so I caught up on domestic excitement - woo hoo ironing and cleaning!

Twiglet couldn't resist revisiting the icy puddle now it has melted, he enjoyed a paddle this time!!

I don't make resolutions but as per my previous posts I am just going to do stuff, I  have been given a gorgeous RHS diary for Christmas, so I can record my progress.

I am also joining in with lovely Ilona over at Life After Money but instead of choosing one word for the year, I will choose two.  The first one is `positive' as I do suffer from the black dog, usually when I don't keep myself busy and the other word is `make' which hopefully will help me on the busy front.

Now onto the eclectic gifts, I am always grateful for any gift I receive but must admit sometimes when people really give me a spot on gift, well I love it.  

They aren't expensive ones, they are often handmade or just exactly what I would buy for myself.

Mr Twigs favourite gift this Christmas was the giant festive box of Tayto crisps we gave him, to remind him of our lovely hols in Ireland :)

Here are a few of mine:-

Many from my good friend C, who just knows what I like.

Little Le Creuset jam pot - I eat a lot of jam and marmalade....

 

Some of her beautifully presented home made and homegrown  jam.

 A make your own zombie kit - you never know when you might need one ! 

My MIL bought me this gorgeous writing book, it is very shiny hence rubbish photo.

My Secret Santa gift a guineaa pig nativity book, the laughs this has given us over Christmas, it has been passed around at every family gathering. 

 I have been told by Mr Twigs I can't dress our guineas up as Herod or Angel Gabriel - big killjoy.

 Sewing machine cover made by the very talented Jo over at Solstice Days.

Lovely stuff indeed.

Twiglet has also made some terrific gifts at school, I will do a separate post for those as they are my very favourite things.

Remember the cake band I missed last Christmas with and finished off in January 2014? 

Well I took it out to wrap around my Chrimbo cake and after all that effort the chuffing thing  wasn't big enough.

I will have to make a smaller cake next year.

Finally, the house smells lush as I'm currently baking this bread and butter pudding for dinner.

I didn't have some of the ingredients so have added mixed spice and brown sugar, it smells like Christmas - yummy.

Righto, the young man has returned for his curfew and I need to make a main course for dinner.

Mr Twigs clan meeting is tomorrow - 28 of us now, so that should be nice.

We are back at school on Monday - ho hum.

Take care.

Twiggy x

All the best wishes for 2015.

Just back from another  walk, Twiglet managed to  fall in an icy puddle, barmy and had  to walk home in a squeaky wet welly:). 

My cranky old back has missed my daily walk, festive sitting around does it no good.  

Anyhow, I don't bother with New Years resolutions, but have decided to adopt the mantra `oh for goodness sake just do it' (my young fogey twist on the old Nike tagline?).

I am the worlds worst procrastinator (as my line manager would testify)., so I aim to get on with it!!!

First things are flippin learn how to do cryptic crosswords, I did begin this last year and it fell by the wayside. 

The other plan is stop being a big girls blouse and use my sewing machine, perhaps then I could make a big girls blouse :)

We are having our usual quiet New Years Eve at home after a family fuddle at my Mums.

However you spend this evening, enjoy it.

Thank you for reading my blog and for entertaining me so much with your blogs this year.

      May I wish you a very happy, healthy and content 2015 my lovely bloggy friends.

Twiggy x

Winter Village Stroll

(Twiglet's fab snowman)

So Mr Twigs was working yesterday, Twiglet and I had a play in the garden and a little stroll up to the duck pond.  

The pavements up here are very icy, so we didn't venture too far. 

 The snow is melting today but it is still very slippery and cold.

Had a fun morning at the cinema, lovely Nana Twigs paid for us to go and see Paddington, I was a big fan of the TV series and books in the 70s, the film was great fun.

A trip to the tip this afternoon and a bit of stitching and that's me - oooo the glamour!!

We had a nice evening yesterday, after the young man had gone to bed we watched a programme about Dave Allen and an episode of Christmas University Challenge (we love this programme) and drank some real ale (we bought a couple of bottles each week leading up to Christmas).  Brains Stout for Mr Twigs and Old Speckled Hen for me.  

We really are a pair of old fogeys, but at least we are happy old fogeys :)

I told Twiglet this he said `No you are young fogeys!'  I like that, got a ring to it.

Signing off for now 

Twiggy the Young Fogey x

Let it snow!!

Well we nearly had a white Christmas, the timing could not have been better.  

On Boxing Day we dropped my Mum off at home, returned back to ours from a fuddle at my in laws, then settled down to watch Still Open All Hours and the snow began and bucketed down all night - we were sooooooooooooooo giddy !!!!

We did plan on going fora walk, but Twiglet disappeared with the children on the street and played out all day - fair play to him.  (Think they were all a bit stir crazy).

Mr Twigs has his one day at work tomorrow, during his 2 weeks off work, so Twiglet and I  are having an at home day, which will probably involve a lot of ironing and the playing of new games!!

Keep safe and cosy.

Oooo  PS We finally ate our chipolatas today, had them for dinner with roast chicken, very nice too !!!

Twiggy xx

Guess what we forgot ?

The chipolatas of course.   

We had a lovely family day  yesterday and today.  

Hope you all had a lovely time too.

I will leave you with some funny, family snaps.  

A fabtastic family time, who could ask for anything more.

 Crikey old Twiggy has a frock on, must be Christmas.

Twiggy x

Merry Christmas

(Remember this snowy scene from 2009?)

Well here we are, Twiglet is rehearsing his lines for the Christingle.  I need to clean out the guinea pigs and we are then away to collect my Mum who is staying with us for a couple of days.

However, you choose to spend it have a lovely Christmas my bloggy friends.

I will catch up with you all after the big event.

Twiggy xx

Chrimbo Makes

Well we're nearly there and what a fun and busy day today has been.

Twiglet's Xbox gave up the ghost yesterday, so top Dad Mr Twigs returned it to the shop, then travelled a considerable distance to get a replacement !!

I realised one of the little fellas gifts hadn't turned up, so Mr Twigs sourced it elsewhere - all the fun of being  parent.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, I took Twiglet down to the village church for the Christingle rehearsal, then we came back and did a bit of Christmas crafting.

Firstly, a few reindeers for the Chrimbo table for everyone, little chocolate snowman wrapped in brown paper and reindeered up - love the mismatched eyes and interestingly coloured noses.

Some little tree made by me, I asked Twiglet to write his Grandparents names and stitched them in gold, to make some little gift tags.

Yet more mince pies.

To top it all, our lurid gingerbread house (see top of post) or the `chuffing gingerbread house' as I called it.  Remind me next year, I am never building one of these again, ever, what a pain.

Beautifully decorated by himself though!!

Right hopefully have time to pop on tomorrow, in between collecting my lovely Mum, going to the Christingle and doing last minute wrapping.  (We did a mammoth wrapping session last night and have the bad backs to prove it :)

Here are some fab Christmas cards made by the boy at his Christmas art club.

 Finally, had to share these, a Christmas gift for my chicken keeping pal.  

Aren't they ace?

Hope your Christmas preparations are going well.

Twiggy x

Winter Solstice

Happy Winter Solstice.  I can't believe it has come around so quickly.  

The above photo is the very chilly Winter Solstice in 2010 - see link for blog!!

Winter Solstice 2010

Being a Winter kind of girl, I don't long for the longer days, but I know many of us do.

Anyhoo, first day of the Christmas hols yesterday and we are very lucky that Mr Twigs has saved up his holiday entitlement and has 2 weeks off (apart from 1 day) so that is lovely.

We had a really nice day yesterday. 

 I chose not to go on my works Christmas do this year as firstly, we needed to replace our mattress and secondly I think £35 for the meal alone was a waste of money. 

 Instead I saved the cash for a family treat.  So yesterday, we went off to Xscape to see Nativity 3 (love these films, so silly) I used Tesco vouchers to pay for this, brill.  

We then went to Nandos for lunch and my Christmas do money paid for this and for Twiglet to have a go on the bungee trampoline and I had some change, so money well spent in my book.  

We then popped into Pontefract and had a look round, as Twiglet said we hadn't been for ages.

We were awoken during the night as the young man had been sick and continued to be sick for several hours - nothing to do with the trampoline, but much to do with the horrible cold/ stomach bugs that have been going round school for the last few weeks.

Ever the optimist though he said well at least I won't be sick on Christmas Day like last year - bless.

He's currently sat on the sofa watching Ice Age 4 and scoffing toast, so I think he's on the mend.

After our day of jollity yesterday, today comes a day of work, visits to the tip, cleaning out the spare room for my Mum's Chrimbo visit, shortening curtains, such fun !

Did you watch Strictly last night?  excellent final I thought.  

We also watched a programme about Rik Mayall, which is well worth watching on Iplayer if you missed it.

Mr Twigs and I commented that we still can't believe he's gone.  

We went to see Bottom Live a few times and loved it and I still think I had a touch of Rik the student about me when I was at college.  We had a good laugh about the fact I lived in a predominately white, small, Yorkshire mining village and became a member of the Anti Apartheid Movement.  

What a young idealist I was !!

Righto, another coffee and a bit of blog hopping and I suppose I better get on.

Take care

Twiggy x

Something, cheap, hot and filling on a Winters Night

Evening

That got you attention didn't it?

Well what have you been up to?  I've done a ton of housework and studying today.  Stripped the sofas, washed the covers and got the hoover down the back of the sofa.  The things I've found, mainly crumbs, a pair of little welly socks, a coat hanger, a lot of pencils and a letter L key from a computer keyboard ???

Anyhoo, got to have a tidy sofa for Christmas, it's the law, I've told the boys NOT to drop any food on it !!

Had a bit of good news today, got my first course module returned and I've passed - yay !!

2 more modules and a project to go.

Last day at school tomorrow before the Christmas break, Twiglet has been a busy bee this week, the whole school went on a theatre visit yesterday, then had a buffet lunch followed by class room parties!!

Anyhoo, back to the title.  

The young man had Cubs tonight (another Christmas party) so I wanted to make something quick for dinner for Mr Twigs and I.

Last night I bought these bargainous taco trays from Home Bargains, for an amazing 29p for 14 !!

I fried up some mince, chucked in some fajita seasoning, chopped up some tomatoes and red pepper to put on top and popped on a blob of cream cheese as we didn't have any sour cream.

Oooo it was proper lovely and another great thing is,

it cleared the dodgy sinus headaches that we both have.

Chillies are the answer !!

Catch you later.

Twiggy