Christmas at home

A smaller Sunday Tea Club meeting LtoR: Me, Reuben, Jackie, Ming and Manu

We've been back ages now, and we've had Christmas. We've done normal things, shopping, cooking cleaning and been climbing and to the tea dance (where embarrassingly we found everyone dressed up and having taken a buffet). 

Monday Club Christmas curry at Diwan in Moseley. Greatly expanded numbers from the normal me, Tim, Mark and Bill! Bill and Martina weren't there, they were in Ireland at Martina's family. LtoR: Grace (Mark and Fiona's daughter), James (Tim and Jill's son) training to be a vet, Tim, Mark, Jackie, then Jill, Fiona, me, Daniel (Mark and Fiona's son) working in the nuclear fusion business and Ellie (Tim and Jill's daughter) living in Australia but over here for Christmas

We've met up with Fiona and James to take them wine for Christmas and to borrow their suitcases for the Northern lights cruise. We met up with Denise and Paul to try and get the suitcases and their bags in their car, and failed. We are going in our car and having to be careful with what we take, but that's better than taking two cars all the way to Portsmouth.

Christmas Eve at Keith and Jude's who live just round the corner from us in the village

We've had lunch with John and with Abi and dinner with Alex and Rob, Sunday Tea Club (less H&I who had colds) and Monday Club (less Bill, but with the 4 grown up children of Tim and Mark). Last night was the last curry of the year with the usual suspects who will also be at Helen and Ian's tonight for New Year.

Christmas Eve we thought we were popping round to Keith and Jude's for a gentle get together. It was a smallish group, a dozen of us, but good fun and silly games meaning we didn't get home till past midnight which was a bit of a surprise. 

Christmas Eve jollies at Keith and Jude's. LtoR: Me, Jackie, Hazel, Brian, Chris, Keith, Jude, Steve, Fran and Jackie. Paul and Jan showed up a bit later but I didn't get a photo

Christmas Day was 16 of us, all Brian's family, at Fiona and James's which was lovely albeit 'cosy' and loud. James cooked ridiculous amounts as usual, which meant lots of leftovers which they had no space for as they were doing it all again for 14 the following day. I've fed us with what we took home between Christmas and now, and frozen two lots of pie filling.

Ready for Christmas Day

Boxing Day we drove down to Jonathan and Lucy to have a day with them and Charles and Caroline. Lovely to catch up. Caroline has started doing some close up magic so she kept us well entertained with card tricks and all sorts, very impressive.

Tonight we'll be at H&I's and then it'll be taken down the Christmas tree and pack and off to Portsmouth for the 4th. I just hope the forecast snow doesn't cause us problems.

Christmas dinner self service at Fi and James'. LtoR: Denise, Paul, Nick, Matty & Jessica

Leave some roast potatoes for me!

11 of the 16 of us sitting down to Christmas day dinner LtoR: Paul, Nick, Jessica, Abbie, Matty, Rory, Ivy, Becky, Jenny, Denise & me

The other 5 making up 16 for dinner. LtoR: Jackie, Sam, Steph, James & Fiona. James cooked the whole dinner with help from Jackie. Well done James, it was amazing!

Two of my lovely granddaughters, Becky and Jenny

Eldest granddaughter Abbie with boyfriend Matty. At 27 she thinks she's getting old - how does that make me feel?

How about that for a photo! My daughter Fiona in the middle, Abbie and Matty on the left Jenny and Becky on the right

Sam presenting prizes for the Secret Santa presents we bought each other. We each bought a present from a secret draw and we each had to guess who bought it. No-one got it right!

James enjoying a well deserved rest with his Secret Santa present

Me and my sis!

Silly after dinner games. This might look easy but it wasn't. I had a go and missed every one!

Boxing Day at Jon (Jackie's brother) and Lucy's. LtoR: Lucy taking the photo, Jackie, Veronica (Lucy's mum), her husband Ron, Caroline, Charles, Jon and me

Boxing Day afternoon games. C/w from me: Charles, Jackie, Jon and Caroline

I think we were being enthralled by Caroline's new magic tricks here. Ron and Veronica (known as the two Ronnies) in the background

Afternoon hot chocolate in Ritual cafe in the village with John on 30th. He'd just got back from hospital after his second chemo treatment so he needed food and the cream and marshmallows on the hot chocolate!

Meanwhile Phil and Sue and Ian and Helen were out on a pub crawl ready for our evening meet up for beer and curry 

More drinks in the Attic Brewery in Stirchley before the curry. LtoR: Ming, Jackie (just!), Helen, Sue, Ella, Mike, Phil, Ian and me

Don't forget the person taking the photo, Manu, Ming, Jackie and Helen

And the after beer curry at Akram's in Stirchley. Neil (Sue's son in law) is taking the photo then c/w: Emily (Sue's granddaughter), Phil, Jackie, Manu, Ming, Ella, Mike, Ian, me, Sue and Helen (Sue's daughter)

Last photo of 2025 (but there may be some more tonight before midnight on the next blog). Ming and Manu on the platform just as their train pulled in. We live at almost opposite ends of the same railway line, us in Alvechurch, them in Sutton Coldfield. We were standing on the opposite platform waiting to go the other way, our train 3 minutes after theirs. Happy New Year, see you in 2026!