ibdsupport

I’m so glad we decided to visit Dave’s daughter and her family this Christmas. Watching her 5 year old son unwrap his presents and then ‘offer to help’ his baby sister open hers was the highlight for me! It was a busy time starting from when we took the doggies to their holiday home on Saturday morning (didn’t like that bit at all as they both started crying when we walked away from them). It was a good run down with the heavy traffic going the opposite way to us. It generally takes us between 5 and 6 hours as we usually have a coffee break somewhere en route. We arrived around 6pm and got ourselves settled into the cottage. The lady who owns it very kindly left us a Christmas cake and crackers and had very tastefully decorated everywhere to make it look festive . At about 8pm we walked the very short distance to his daughter and son-in-law’s pub and spent the rest of the evening chatting and cuddling the baby who at 11 months is confidently walking around on her own. On Sunday we looked after her for most of the day while her mummy and daddy worked incredibly hard running the pub. Thankfully they now have more staff and are able to have a bit more time off than the last time we saw them but it’s still a very hard job!

On the Monday we went to Weymouth to do the last of our shopping. Debenhams was our salvation as most of the pressies came from there Christmas Eve we were baby sitting until after 1 a.m. Christmas Day we woke up and exchanged our presents….Dave bought me a gorgeous velvet handbag, a necklace and some Jean Paul Gaultier body lotion and perfume. I bought him some trousers and a sweatshirt by John Rocha plus a huge pepper mill. Considering this year we’d said that the cost of staying in the cottage would be our pressies to each other, we didn’t do too bad! I also opened my presents from my mum and from the kids at school. From my mum I got the sweetest little Emma Bridgewater Christmas cup and saucer (which actually holds a candle), a very pretty picture frame and a bar of my favourite Nougat soap. From the children at school I got numerous boxes of chocolates, smellies, pot pourri, candles amongst other things. I’ve taken photos of a few of my treasures

   

Dave spent most of Christmas Day cooking a very late lunch…..not easy when you’re doing it in a not terribly well equipped kitchen, bless him! But he did us proud and we all thoroughly enjoyed the feast he made for us – roast turkey, roast pork, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, mash, cauliflower cheese, carrots, beans, sausages wrapped in bacon. Leek, sausagemeat and chestnut stuffing and finally bread sauce, yummmmy!

Travelled back Boxing Day, saw my boy on the way back (and on the way down as well as we pass through where he lives). It was strange seeing him driving a car….something I have to get used to now!