Boxing Day

I am pleased to say I seem to be fully fit and recovered from everything.
I wrapped the presents for the family on Christmas morning but everyone was very pleased witht theirs gifts, or at least appeared to be.

My dad had two large framed photographs of the Southampton, one of the Avenue and another of the bar gate. These came from a car boot sale at my sons school.

My brother in law had a magazine part work from the early 1970's on Railways, which also included newspaper cuttings that the original collector had added to the collections.

My mum has a basket full of handmade soap, microfibre body clothes, a book & a few other treats.

My sister had a Waitrose jute shopping bag full of ingredients from the Chinese supermarket, because we are starting our hot & spicy cookery lessons in January.

My neice had a late birthday basket similar to my mum but with more creams and no book. She and her boyfriend had a hot and spicy eating basket for their Christmas present. I thought she might have more interest in eating the food from my sisters cookery course than the actual cooking so I bought some little Chinese bowls and spoons plus some spices.

My own haul was just as lovely. A scarf from mum and dad, a cookery book from my sister and a new apron form my neice. All really lovely. I am feeling very spoilt!

Today we are going for a nice walk all together at Alresford before having lunch at my sisters house. Second favourite meal of the year after Christmas lunch!

Tomorrow we will start to get back to normal. My car needs to be fixed. The house needs a little TLC, maybe we actually get as far as to lay the flooring in my office, then a few days togther before my husband goes off to visit his sister, and maybe also another sister will visit, for a week. He is very excited as he doesnt get to see them very often. I will have a quiet week to start to sort out some of my systems for the year ahead.