Youngest's December

The trouble with the computer not working properly is that I’ve got out of the habit of visiting. Perhaps Husband will sort it over his holiday?

I still have 35 cards to write (and must therefore make 10 more), and most of my relations have a present: the ones that haven’t are the brothers and father of Husband, so I’m laying the lack firmly at his door to sort out. Most of the presents are even wrapped!
This organisation is due to the fact that the family all break up from school on Friday so ‘my’ time is running out, and tomorrow is Youngest’s 14th birthday and always provides other complications – though this year we have agreed not to have a party.
Of course this doesn’t mean we’re not celebrating! On Sunday we had the Grandparents and Godparents to lunch and a birthday tea – roast chicken for 14, and a gluten-free cake. Tomorrow there will be various other presents that have arrived in the post, plus ours, and a light fruit cake (must sort that!). We have had to promise to get her friends together in the spring: she couldn’t possibly do something now.
Youngest is an enthusiastic participator in life. Last weekend we had one lot of Godparents staying on Saturday night, and one set of Grandparents on Sunday so we weren’t free to do a party, and Strictly is unmissable! Not to mention the job: Youngest gets up in time to be at her Saturday job by 8am where she spends a happy couple of hours variously mucking out, milking, grooming and feeding goats, a horse, sheep, chickens and (I think)pigs. She comes back cold and filthy but happy and richer! (She is saving for a Guide trip to Switzerland in the summer.) On Monday she helped fundraise for her house charity at a Parents’ Evening at school. Last night there was a house trip to Bristol to see a pantomime. Tonight she is singing at the school Carol Service. Friday there is a Guide night hike and sleepover, so the goats will have to wait ‘til Sunday… We have visitors from abroad staying on Saturday night, and the Strictly final. There’s no time for a party!

In case I don’t get back here: Happy Christmas!

Not technical

Our computer is playing up: it won’t upload photos and the internet access is getting slower and slower. Husband has bought a brand new one that is going to solve these issues. It also has a wireless option so that the girls’ computer will be internet enabled. Until now they have had to use the ‘family’ computer for access which meant we kept an eye of sorts on their use. But they are 16 and almost 14 and need regular access for homework never mind friends. It is time to let them take charge. Husband wants his study back now he has marking and lesson planning to do in the evenings. And I get this old one!


But….


Why is there always a but? The two week old computer plays beautiful war games and uploads photos but so far has shown no inclination to access the internet, never mind set up a wireless system. So both computers are sat in the study, neither of them fully active, and my surfing distraction has been halted. Still, I’m making good progress with the Christmas shopping. A very good thing if the snow’s going to continue to make journeys difficult!