Winter garden...

After yesterday's fiasco with the cracked pipes in the utility room, we finally got to Perth to do some Christmas shopping.

Unfortunately the weather was wet and windy (it was dry yesterday *rolls eyes*) so once we collected the order I'd placed with Dunelm and had a wander in there and then in The Range, we headed home.  

I ended up only buying one stocking filler gift but I did buy some Christmas decs because of course we don't have enough of those.  D says the loft floor is going to come through the living room ceiling if any more Christmas decs are stored up there. I told him not to worry, we can start using one of the two other empty lofts.  That shut him up!  ;-)))

It was 2.20pm when we got home and having had an early breakfast and no lunch, we hot footed it to the golf club for a late lunch.  Potato and leek soup followed by steak pie, mash and veg was very much enjoyed by us both and meant no cooking this evening.  

When we got back I went for a wander in the garden.  Just under a month since I last blipped the Japaese maple but any hint of colour has now gone.  Every year in spring we have little snowdrops appear under the tree, followed by crocuses, daffodils and finally bluebells.  This autumn, as part of our garden replanting scheme, more spring flowering bulbs were planted under there and I can't wait to see what pops up.  Spring seems a long way away but I know it will be here in a blink as time is just flying by.

The rest of the afternoon and early evening was spent getting organised for going away.  Busy day tomorrow so want to be organised. 

Despite being full of good intentions to pack lightly, I have failed miserably again, and have enough clothes to last a month longer than a week.  What can I say?  I like choice :-)))  It would be different if we were flying and had a weight restriction but we're not and we don't so I will sit on the suitcase whilst David struggles with the zip :D

Carole is coming to give Lola her pre-Christmas trim in the morning so she's been brushed within an inch of her life tonight.  I'm sure Carole will still find tugs in her bloomers.  (Lola's bloomers that it, not Carole's :-)) 

Good news about my friend Jean. Her open heart surgery went well and she's now out of ICU and in HDU.  She's been talking to her husband in small bursts but is understandably very sleepy and getting large amounts of painkillers.  Her surgery has gone well although they ended up replacing two heart valves rather than the expected one.  Onwards and upwards.