It will soon be Party Time at Wellbank and at Strickley. James and Michelle are ahead of us with lights, trees, lights, decorations and more lights. Their party season kicks off tonight and James had been over here quite a few times with "do you have?" and "can we borrow". As we have a house big enough for the most dedicated hoarder we usually have whatever it is tucked away - from extra wine glasses to an extra settee.
One of the downsides of having a big house is that some rooms are only used on high days and holidays, and can become a bit of a dumping ground - and in the case of the sitting room, a very cold dumping ground. We've moved the clutter and lit the fire in the hope that it will warm up by Tuesday night - which is when we have A Bit Of A Do. On Christmas Eve I will be walking out of Lakeland for the last time and my biggest regret will be leaving behind the eclectic bunch of friends in the Computer Room. ("Room" is really as misnomer - when I started 18 years ago it was one tiny room, dominated by two enormous printers, one server and two of us. It's now a "Computer Operations Suite" with a whole room full of servers, managed and supported by nine dedicated professionals). So, instead of going out for a Christmas meal they're all coming here with their wives and partners for an evening of food, drink and nostalgia.
I'm off work for a couple of days and I have a PLAN. The Sitting Room is done, the Hall is nearly done and the shopping is done. We've brought the tree inside and managed to find enough working lights for it to twinkle and shine. We've strung a few more lights around the kitchen and I've taken a break from hanging baubles to write this blog.
Tomorrow the real preparation begins - turn the Aga up and start cooking
No comments:
Post a Comment