Happy New 2015

The New Year is less than an hour away. I'm in my cosy lounge by a roaring coal fire.

The Christmas Tree lights are on.

The house is tidy. The Uni one got safely back to The North East to spend the celebrations with her Young Man. The teenage one is at his girlfriend's house. The HG is watching Duck Dynasty on the TV. I'm quite impressed, he's still awake. Normally he watches half of his programmes with his eyes shut!

I do not make resolutions. I love reading yours though. I cannot stand all the 'New Year New You' crap the industry churns out.  But I do love reading what you lot are up to! My memory is too rubbish to do a yearly round up. I love reading yours though. I am such a lazy blogger! I love reading yours!

I bought some softer than clouds wool today to knit a little TeddyBear from a pattern my Ma in Law has. She's been churning them out one a night! I've been making Pom Poms trying out my cute little makers seen on that Kirsties fill your house with crap programme. I've restarted an Entrelac scarf. The kitchen cupboards are tidy and well stocked.
The freezer is chocker full of stuff that needs eating up. We bought a 25kg sack of spuds for less than £5 before Christmas. Plus I've a load of veg left over from Christmas to go at.
I've watched and laughed my head off at Victoria Wood's Midlife Christmas programme. She is so clever. So many  hilarious sketches. Especially the Faux TV AD for 'SlippedOnAChipDotCom'. Did any of you see it?! I finished a little hat for my friend's adorable baby girl. 

Right, Jools and his Annual Hootenanny has just begun. I'm off to pour myself a cheeky Bailey's on ice. I wish you all peace, love and light in 2015 xx

Love from

Rachel *content to not be a party animal* Radiostar xx

Boxing Day Delights

Hello lovely folks who read my blog. The delight is being able to relax and have a lovely stress free day!
What did you make of the Christmas fuss this year? Ours was grand. The turkey, what had previously frolicked in the dappled sunlight of the organic farm it lived on, was delicious. The stuffing was delicious. My goose fat roasted parsnips and potatoes were delicious. The sprouts I cooked a la Heston Bloomingnutjob were delicious. The giblet gravy was delicious. The chestnuts that I bought, split the skins of, roasted, cut my thumbs to ribbons peeling , might have been delicious - I wouldn't know- we forgot to eat them!!
After a delicious starter of prawns and shrimps and CHRISTMAS Pudding and custard to finish we didn't eat another thng all day.
Nope: not the ham I boiled then glazed;not the afore mentioned chestnuts; not the delicious array of cheeses and pates; not the luscious salad ingredients; not the pickles and chutneys; not a Scottish oatcake was nibbled.
We had ONE white Ferraro rocher thingy about 9pm. Gluttony is a really terrible affliction.

All that 'cold tea' stuff might be eaten tonight....but I doubt it. You see we had our Boxing Day tradition of cold Turkey and stuffing, REAL chips - made with Cyprus potatoes- peas - tinned - and leftover gravy about 1pm. ( it's now 6.15pm ). I'm suspecting we were still too full from yesterday as no one in this food stuffed house is hungry! Fortunately stuff has good dates on it and it'll all be eaten up in the days to come so worry ye not! I'm going to bake ham and Pea soup with the ham stock tomorrow. Absolutely no waste here.

The uni one and her brother were suitably grateful for their gifts. They surpassed themselves with our gifts too! A personalised phone case for the HG, tickets for a Stately Home visit for us both and a cake pop stand for me! But what was best is that they stayed downstairs with us for most of the day. Yes each had their phones clamped to their hands for romantic correspondence with their respective beaus. The Young Chap who us courting my daughter spoilt her with an expensive watch, a bracelet, perfume, a weekend away ( in Leeds - which just made me cackle - mainly to block out ANY thoughts of the fact my daughter is a grown up doing grow up activities ) and a bottle of orange liqueur that I can't spell. Dissorrrono??!!
The Little Witch  Blonde Sweet Girl who is currently bewitching my boy with her big blue eyes and long Rapunzel like tresses bought him a book, chocolate, a teddy and some aftershave.
Actually, both of my offspring have very good taste, both choicees are polite, clean smelling and clever! The HG and I thoroughly approve!

My best present was a Collabro CD from the HG. I BLOODY WELL LOVES IT! I don't even care it brings my rock chick cred score to around minus 17. Incase you don't know, they are a group of five blokes who won Britain's Got Talent by singing in deep harmonius voices tear jerkers from Les Miserables etc! Google Bring Him Home. Watch it on You Tube and give them a standing applause in your lounge. My neighbours will be thrilled ( as I likes to sing in the kitchen, with the door wide open ).

I bought the HG a chair torture contraption massage heated chair thingy. It sits on your chair, you sit on the thing. It has massaging balls that move up and down your back. We've both had a turn. It makes you go
Ooooo
Arrrggghhh
Bloody hell
 Owwwwwwww
Is this good for me???
Ahh I like that one
Owwwww
Make it stop!
Most relaxing!


Here are some obligatory photos of my wares.
Jamie Oliver provided the recipe for my mince pies this year.

Before

After!

I've made a Gingerbread Santa's Sleigh chocolate holder.

Ready to be baked. 

Under construction...

I has to chisel his legs a bit! 

Much use of candy melts, icing, sprinkles and glitter. I was covered!! 

Rudolf in position... 

I loved making this!! 

And finally, here is Harry sporting the jumper I knitted for him.

He looks adorable in it! For those who are maybe new here, those white flashes in his eyes are not the camera. It's the bloody Bilateral Retinolblastoma. For more info have a look on my side bar at Harry's page. Maybe Google Chect's Know the Glow campaign too.

Right, it's 7pm and time for a wee Boxing Day Buffet Bonanza*



Lots of love from
Rachel CHRISTMAS FACE Radiostar
Xxx

*maybe a sliver of cheese and a pickled onion!!

1.34am I've got Flu

 It's 1.35 ish early hours of Monday morning. I cannot sleep. Thought I'd write a long overdue blog post.

Friday night I started feeling a bit off it. Saturday morning, I walked like a 99yo lady to the Post Office along the sheet ice. I noticed my back and neck aching. An hour or so later then BAM. Shivering, teeth chattering, feeling like I'd been kicked from here to Kingdom come. Then boiling hot, sweaty flushes. Then the coughing. Cough cough cough cough cough, producing nothing but eyes watering and a burning in my chest.  Max strength drugs redeployed and I half heartedly directed the boy from the sofa as he put the Tree up. He did a splendid job. To be truthful I could not be bothered at all and that is not. Like. Me. At. All.

Today, I woke feeling a bit brighter but went rapidly downhill again at lunchtime. I've dozed on and off. Sweated, froze, sweated, froze, coughed etc etc. it's pissing me off. I've had to ring in sick for tomorrow as I feel like a limp lettuce. My skin hurts to touch it. I'm currently in my Baltic Bedroom with no covers on feeling like I'm burning and on fire. Trying not to wake the HG as I try o do my hacking cough thing quietly. It's like I'm trying to get a hairball up!

I blame the children from Night Owls who coughed in my face on Thursday. Ugh.


So what's new? Well, we went to Newcastle last weekend to see the Uni one ( and Fenwick's windows ).

Her house is FREEZING. Emergency draught excluders were made out of a hamster eaten jumper and the journey home was a delight. If delights are terrorising journeys over the Yorkshire Moors in zero visibility fog with your Ma in Law in the back making helpful comments like "ooo we can't see!"
Things were tense.

I finally finished Harry's jumper.

Just started a little pink hat. Erm, the Lemon Curd was lovely and the HG has bought me a Santa's Sleigh mould for chocolate or gingerbread. I feel so ill though I'm peed off I've not had chance to mess about with it yet. I've not even made a mince pie!
It's Work's Do on Saturday - I sincerely hope I'm better before then!! I hate being off work - especially at this time of year - it's my absolute favourite time.

Right I'm going to add some photos and catch up on reading some blogs. Hopefully I'll fall asleep soon.

Rachel *Flu ridden* Radiostar

Ps, it is Flu and not a cold!