Slowing down…
I also went out volunteering. Instead of working, we went on a walk to see all the work we had done over the last year, and take stock. We spent some time by the bird feeders in Dawsholm park. We had a small bag of seeds with us and a few fat balls, too. After fixing a couple of the broken feeders, we stayed on watching the birds. The news of seeds spread fast, there were nuthatches, robins, blue tits, coal tits and great tits. A couple of magpies and crows came to investigate, and the parakeets were out in force. I know they are not meant to live in our woods but I do quite like their quirky behaviour. Volunteering is an absolute joy, and saves me a gym membership, too.
Richard and I did a bit of food shopping and cleaning. We are not quite sure how many people will be here for Christmas but there is plenty of food and snacks to go around. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see and hopefully, we have enough cutlery and bedding. But we really have to take that sign in our front garden down, the sign that say „Strays and runaways and other assorted stragglers always welcome. Please knock and leave your shoes in the porch and we‘ll do the rest.“
We are both exhausted and if I can be entirely honest, I’d be happy to go to a small cabin in the woods for a few weeks. Did you know that adoption breakdowns most often occur during teenage years? I didn’t either but I can see why. I don’t think we are at risk of this but it is a frightening thought.
Sam and Annie both arrived home. It is good to have them here. They both are still working and have set up office in different corners of the house.
I also bought a Christmas tree and decorated it, all by myself because everybody wants a tree but nobody wants to decorate it. We announced to the offspring that this year we weren’t going to do stockings. Something has to give when life is wearing you out. Santa has thankfully been made redundant years ago. Just a small selection of gifts for each of the kids (with a few to spare for any strays ending up here). We had the annual argument about our Christmas meal and we are, predictably, having a big piece of cow in our fridge. It is a bit like Russian democracy, a choice of options in principle but not in reality. I won‘t eat the beef but I am sure I won‘t go hungry.
In other news, we have a new (permanent) family member but I’ll leave yo with that cliffhanger and tell you more about it next time.
Have a lovely Christmas if you celebrate 🎄
Stockings are a major deal in our family, which is interesting because they weren't part of my upbringing. I hope you recharge well over the hols.
ReplyDelete'Leave the shoes in the porch' to be taken for polishing - like at the best hotels? I hope you find time to relax at Christmas or at least lie down in a dark room and remember your recent trip up the Whangie.
ReplyDeleteI used to work in a solicitor's office that specialised in adoption breakdown...and yes, there are many. I have two friends that adopted and both had awful problems with the children as they entered teenage years, as they seem to revert to be more like their birth families (dysfunctional), even though they had wonderful, caring adoptive parents. We even had a client who was a child psychologist that had adopted a child but could not cope and handed the child back. I think you are doing marvellously, and you will have helped them more than you perhaps realise.
Have a wonderful Christmas.