Me on the Monday before Christmas

Today finds me ...

Wrapping those last presents.  You know the ones.  The ones you bought long before the proper Christmas shopping started.  The ones you put in a safe place that no one would think of looking.  The ones you find quite by chance when looking for that pashmina with the gold threads that you need to wear to a meal out.  (The pashmina that you wore only two evenings earlier to your work party and which now seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth.)  Do you have a certain place you do your present wrapping?  Mine is at the top of the stairs on the landing outside the spare bedroom. It kills your knees after a while and I'm not sure it's ever so good for your back but it's convenient and means that you can have a break at any time without anyone saying 'you need to move that lot away if we're going to eat dinner at the table'

 

So while giving a big Monday wave to Sian and the rest of the Monday crew, I'll bring you up to speed on the weekend. 

• We broke up from school at lunchtime on Friday which was a fab feeling.  No work until 4 Jan {she says with a huge grin on her face} So Saturday saw me wrapping most of the presents that I had stored safely in the spare bedroom.  Shopping early in Tesco to get the food for the next few days - still a bit too early for those fresh veg we need for Christmas Day.  Cooking Mary Berry's beef casserole with horseradish and Dijon mustard ready for the next day.  Batch baking some chicken casseroles for mother in law to stock up her freezer.  Out in the evening with our group of local friends.  Had a lovely meal in Cote restaurant then back to ours for prosecco (the ladies) and beer (the men) which ended up being a very late night indeed.

 

• Imagine then the scene on Sunday morning.  It's about 9am and a very bleary eyed me is cooking a nice full English egg and bacon breakfast, still in my nighty and dressing gown.  Phone rings.  Hysterical Rachel on the other end of the phone.  Coco can't walk.  Come over NOW!  So with a prosecco fuddled head I stumbled into some clothes and ran round.  (Times like this I appreciate the fact she is only just around the corner!)  Coco is laying on R's bed with one leg bent up towards her chest and every time she tries to roll over and get up, she collapses back on the bed and cries.  Not as loud as her mummy is crying but a definite 'I'm in pain' whimper.  A trip to the emergency vet is imminent but that's not local and means a 30 min drive to Saffron Walden.  Rachel goes to get her dressing gown to wrap Coco in to carry her downstairs to the car.  Coco is still whimpering and trying to stand up, then gives herself a shake, tentatively stands up and looks like she is about to jump off the bed.  We all look at her as if a miracle has happened and it is obvious she is about to jump.  James reacts first and picks her up and carries her downstairs where she runs around the lounge, heads for the patio doors, demands to be let out, runs round the garden at 90 miles an hour, has a wee, comes back inside and looks at us as if to say 'what are you looking at?' 

When Rachel rang the vet back she said that obviously there was no point in taking her in, unless it happened again later that day, but it should probably be checked out to see if there was any obvious cause, they need to rule out a seizure even though there were no other symptoms of that.  So guess where I'm going later?  Yes, got it in one, Coco and I are going for a little trip to the vets for her to be looked over.  I'm getting too old for such drama first thing on a Sunday morning especially when I'm feeling a little fragile! 

 

I know that everyone is going to be having a busy week ahead, I have a dozen lists for all manner of things but when you're catering for 14 people aged between 3 and 88, one with a nut allergy and one coeliac, organisation is key!

Right, the sellotape and wrapping paper is calling me back.  Have a brilliant Christmas; rest, relax and enjoy yourselves!  Looking forward to cruising around blogland seeing what everyone else is up to!