The last days of the year

Tuesday, 30th of December

Today has been very quiet, and I caught up with the laundry, managing to get it all dry. It meant we had the heating on all day, as outside it was cold! Snow is forecast later in the week! Brrrr!

Sophie walked around Pitsford with her two work friends this morning and had lunch at the café there. In the afternoon, we pootled about and relaxed, and I watched the Christmas episode of Ever Decreasing Circles before our dinner of chilli con carne. This series never fails to put a smile on my face, and I watched Peter Egan and Penelope Wilton chat about the show beforehand. Bless them, they are both in their late 70s now, but it was great to listen to them reminisce!

After dinner, Keith watched Newcastle play Burnley and Sophie and I went upstairs to loll on the bed with Moon Bums. I had recorded a programme commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the film, Jaws, which was fascinating! Neither of us realised that most of the cast in the film were from Martha's Vineyard, where it was filmed!

New Year's Eve

Keith went shopping again today and was given a list including the vegetables for tomorrow's "Christmas" dinner, and nibbles and Champagne for tonight. Sophie and I pootled about and at 1pm, went to see Mum. She wasn't in the lounge, and we found her in the bathroom, combing her hair. Today, she didn't seem with it at all, so it was another depressing visit. She was brought a bowl of soup as a starter for her lunch, and had difficulty with the spoon, so I asked one of the carers that, from now on, she could eat in the dining room with the other residents.

Before we left, I saw Anna, one of the senior carers, and we spoke about her health, which we know has declined sharply lately. I don't believe she has any quality of life at the moment, and Anna agreed.

Sophie and I had planned to go to The Tollemache Arms at Harrington this afternoon,  but we discovered the pub was closed, so we called in at our local instead. They could accommodate us for food, so we ordered sandwiches, some skinny fries to share, and halloumi bites. The food was as good as ever, and we sat and relaxed, enjoying the festive atmosphere.

It's been a gorgeous day today, but cold again, with temperatures around 3-4 °C. Both cats have been in almost constantly since we got back, and they love curling up on Sophie's bed for a snooze! We relaxed all afternoon and decided to have a late dinner as we had indulged at lunchtime. Plus, we were going to stay up and see the New Year in!

Sophie and I played Scrabble, and we tied, for the first time ever, I think! We drank the delicious Champagne from Aldi and then moved on to an Austrian white wine with our dinner of cold meats, salad and nibbles. 

We watched the Christmas special of Gone Fishing, an hour of Pretty Woman, and then Graham Norton, before turning over for Jools Holland's Hootenanny and the fireworks at midnight. Last year we had gone to bed before midnight, so it was great to see in 2026, and Keith was first-footer!