And it's good bye to 2019 ... Joy in the Everyday Ordinary - December, 22-31

Hi there everyone 😀

Welcome to the last Joy of the Everyday Ordinary for 2019.

Like this time for the last two years I'm currently feeling a bit 'bleurgh' ... if that's even a word. It seems to take a little while for us to get into the swing of a New Year and for us to build some enthusiasm for getting cracking and making new plans and goals.

Along with washing and ironing, I've got blog posts backing up at a rate of knots and it is all starting to feel just a little overwhelming. We always have a really busy November and December and I think that once it's all over, we seriously wind down and get filled with a great lethargy that seems to quickly become routine.

Last year we made the conscious decision not to worry about this too much and to just embrace the lethargy ... making the most of late nights watching TV, followed by lazy mornings, afternoons curled up in the chair reading or getting lost in social media, only leaving the house we really have to, working our way through the Christmas chocolate and just generally slobbing about.

I think I'm starting to get a bit bored of it now though and conversations are starting to creep in about what we want to do in the garden, where we are going on holiday and there was even a de-cluttering of the wardrobe session undergone this week.

We've got just one Terry's chocolate orange left lingering and I've bought a new Slimming World cookbook so I think it's definitely time for my 56th new start. We are off to Warner Brothers studios later this week with mum and dad ... it's our second visit, but I really want to see Gringotts Bank, so I'm really looking forward to that.

Martin is back at work, following a four week break, on Monday, so I think I will give myself till then to get a grip and get back on it, but for now, here's the rest of our 2019 ...

Day 22 - Today was our second early Christmas get together. This time we met up with Jo, Steve, Hannah (and James), and Meg for our annual Christmas meal out. It's always lovely to get together and there's always plenty of entertaining chat to be had.

Day 23 - I have been a bit rubbish at taking photos for this post and this photo is from the evening we had out with good friends earlier on in the month. Today I spent the afternoon volunteering at the foodbank and it was crazy busy, but so nice to be able to help so many people and to feel so appreciated ... it was a very humbling experience.

Day 24 - My job for the day was to knock up my Christmas Day lunch contribution and I am so pleased with how it turned out. We spent the evening with our very good friends Jackie and Phil having our last pre-Christmas catch up of the season.

Day 25 - We had the loveliest of Christmas Days, spent with all the family. The little man was an absolute delight and has definitely lost any reticence about what to do when presented with a gift to open and it was lovely to get to spend some time all together as a family. Once back home there was no need for tea, but the Christmas chocs came out whilst curled up on the sofa catching up on some TV. A lovely way to end a lovely day.

Day 26 - Boxing Day and another day with no photo taken. It's become a bit of a tradition that we spend it with this lovely lot (and Auntie Dot) eating a turkey and chip buffet ... one of the best meals of the year and the leftover cheesecake went down very well.

Day 27 - I was full of cold and ready for a rest day. We did a bit of shopping and not very much else at all. Martin bought me this William Morris teapot, cup and saucer for Christmas and I do need to find the right spot for it but I love it and am looking forward to curling up with a good book and cup of Earl Grey on a cold and wet afternoon when I am supposed to be ironing.

Day 28 - It was definitely time for a bit of fresh air and gentle exercise today and we met up with Mum, Dad, David, Alison and this little monkey, who is just too cute for words, at Calke Abbey for a bit of a wander.

Day 29 - We responded to a cry for help from my youngest God Daughter today, who asked us if we could provide sanctuary to her cactus collection in the birdcage. Well, as a few of ours had given up the ghost we were happy to find room for them.

Day 30 - At a bit of a loose end and feeling creative we finally had a go at making new candles from the old candle ends we'd been saving for ages. We didn't really know what we were doing but all seemed to work out well and the kitchen smelled amazing.

Day 31 - If we are not away for New Year we always spend it with our good friends Jackie & Phil and this year was no exception. Walking distance, lots of good food, plenty to drink, lots of chat and fireworks on the TV ... It's the best way to bring in the New Year, before wandering home.

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So, that's another year gone ... and oh so quickly.

Like last year I think I will have a break from my Everyday Ordinary posts for a a month or two, to give me chance to catch up with a bit of a blogging bottleneck and to share some new themes with you, as well as doing a bit of an update on where I am with the 50 things I want to do before I'm 60 ... so still plenty to write about.

Thank you all so much for allowing me to share our adventures with you, dull as they may be for most of the time. I really hope you all continue to drop in and follow what we get up to in 2020.

Happy New Year everyone!

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