Mrs Hudson has just been up to have me try on something she's making for L for Christmas... Should be interesting.
This is our last Mycroftless weekend for a while - he's home on the 6th, although their mum called today to say she might take them on a trip if L and I going away somewhere, which would be lovely for everyone, especially Mrs Hudson, who will probably be thankful for a little peace and quiet by then. It's funny how we always think the flat feels so empty when Mycroft leaves, when of course it is - there's double the number of living beings in the flat, and the dogs count for two people each in terms of chaos. Or about 13 degus each. Whichever unit of measurement you prefer.
Plus Anthea, of course, but she's a sort of...chaos sink (like a heat sink for chaos). Everyone's better behaved with her around. Especially security. I suspect them of telling urban legends about her while she's away.
I've promised Sherlock we can go and buy tinsel tomorrow. I'll let you know if I survive, but at least it'll get us out of the flat so L can get some rest. Right now, Sherlock's online researching Christmas traditions. I've already had to veto the one about actual candles on the tree.
Did any of you actually go out and shop on Black Friday? Got your Christmas shopping done yet? Ready to hide under the bed and wait till the holidays are over?
This is our last Mycroftless weekend for a while - he's home on the 6th, although their mum called today to say she might take them on a trip if L and I going away somewhere, which would be lovely for everyone, especially Mrs Hudson, who will probably be thankful for a little peace and quiet by then. It's funny how we always think the flat feels so empty when Mycroft leaves, when of course it is - there's double the number of living beings in the flat, and the dogs count for two people each in terms of chaos. Or about 13 degus each. Whichever unit of measurement you prefer.
Plus Anthea, of course, but she's a sort of...chaos sink (like a heat sink for chaos). Everyone's better behaved with her around. Especially security. I suspect them of telling urban legends about her while she's away.
I've promised Sherlock we can go and buy tinsel tomorrow. I'll let you know if I survive, but at least it'll get us out of the flat so L can get some rest. Right now, Sherlock's online researching Christmas traditions. I've already had to veto the one about actual candles on the tree.
Did any of you actually go out and shop on Black Friday? Got your Christmas shopping done yet? Ready to hide under the bed and wait till the holidays are over?
72 comments:
I'm for hiding in the bed, not under it...too much stuff under it ;)
Sherlock's (and your) 'surprise' is on top of the wardrobe. If you can find an adult to reach it down for you ;)
It's as if you don't want anything but coal in your stocking this year...
What is it?
Ha, so cruel!
Not telling you. You'll have to look! Sherlock is probably scaling the north face of the wardrobe as we speak...
Sherlock said something about carol singing. I didn't know if it was his own urge, or school-related.
Advent strings! Did you do this last night? Sherlock is wildly excited. :)
I did. Was trying to reset my sleep schedule. And was watching the news come in about the helicopter crash.
He'll have to contain his excitement until tomorrow morning :)
Miss you.
I miss you too. How's it going?
He's lobbying to stay up until midnight...
Boring. Cold. He's currently in a pub.
Tell his he can't have his first advent chocolate until he's been properly asleep and woken up again. And no, he can't have Mycroft's.
I have, I am. Bed time is...proceeding. He wants to know if you can call?
yeah, give me a minute, It'll have to be quick though.
That was the shortest bedtime story I've ever heard. Good one though.
I did in fact shop on Black Friday. However we were in a really little town shopping in boutique clothing stores where I spent most of the day watching my friends try on (and purchase some) exorbitantly expensive dresses that I would never wear even if I could have afforded to. It wasn't exactly how I'd wanted to spend my birthday, but as they'd flown across the country to see me I feel kind of guilty being cranky about it. Either way, it's definitely not the image of Black Friday most people have in their heads. So at least there's that.
Hard to tell a good murder story while lurking on a street corner.
KHolly - you didn't spend your birthday beating someone with a cake pan to get a cheap telly? ;)
Kholly - happy belated birthday :) I'm sorry it didn't go as planned. That doesn't sound ideal.
I went grocery shopping, but that was more because I had a car, and time, and needed groceries. Not because of any mad food sales.
My shopping is mostly done in the sense that it's in my amazon cart. I just haven't paid for it yet.
Happy birthday, kholly!
Ella
And Sherlock, since you are researching--in my family, we are allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve. My dad's also did it when he was a kid. And we would have waffles for breakfast and ham for dinner.
Ella
It probably would have raised the entertainment value if fights had broken out over the dresses, but everyone was remarkably friendly in the shops. It's a friendly sort of town.
I have no Christmas shopping left to do because my family decided to get creative. Everyone in all 3 generations took photos and one of my dress shopping friends compiled it into a photo book for us. So none of us have seen it but we've all bought a copy. On Christmas eve we'll sit around my Mom's house and open them together.
Happy belated birthday, KHolly :-)
Luckily work prevented me from seeing whether Black Friday had hit the local high street, but after I'd gone to bed I remembered I'd spent all day complaining about needing some new refills for a pen, so I got onto Amazon on my phone... and bought jeans and a Blu-ray as well :-p
Not sure if shopping in bed is sad, or Living In The Future, and not sure I mind either way :-)
Nameless - I looked up vacuum cleaners (well, I am chief of glitter-clearing...I think we need a new one!) But didn't buy one. So...
KHolly - what a lovely thing to do with your family.
Nameless - definitely living in the future!
stop talking about beds. it's cruel
You don't want to hear where I am then.
Mm. Well, glad you're in it. One of us should be. Especially the one who'll be carrying a tinsel mountain through town tomorrow.
I bought some sour cream for nachos. And filled my sister's car's tank with gas. But otherwise I avoided stores.
Sherlock, in my family we opened ALL our presents on Christmas Eve. Well, very very early Christmas morning. We usually didn't get home from church until midnight. And then everyone but my grandmother would sleep in. She got up early to put in the turkey for the massive Christmas luncheon with all the relations.
L - don't remind me... Still, it won't be as bad tomorrow as it would be later.
True.
leave me sunglasses by the bed if I'm to wake to the flat being decked out with Christmas cheer...
No decorating until...I don't know, whenever I give in. Not tomorrow though. No need for sunglasses.
I can remember when tinsel was made out of lead foil. In fact, my mother still has a box of the stuff she kept in storage for years. Unopened!
Do degus try to eat tinsel?
They try to eat the whole tree.
Danger, want me to ring before you go to sleep? As for decorating - believe it when I see it. I'll wake to find you trussed up in tinsel and the flat looking like santa's grotto.
L - yes please.
ok. I'm with someone in the car, so, you know... can't talk much.
I love you.
I know. I love you too.
A belated happy birthday, kholly. It's nice that your friends came to visit for you birthday--although it would have been a little better if they had remembered why they came to see you, I'm sure! And the photo books sound lovely.
It's nice that Sherlock is interested in Christmas traditions--traditional things have a nice weight to them, don't they? Have fun tinsel-ing, John and Sherlock--it sounds so holiday-ish!
I did not actually go anywhere shopping for Black Friday, I never do. But I did pick up to portable hard drives for backup at a major discount, online. (I'd been pricing them out, so I got a notice their price had dropped so I checked out other sites on them, too, or I'd never have known.) Definitely online shopping is a great part of the Future, IMO!
Mmm. Bed. Still warm from my husband...
My chocolate was bubbly chocolate this morning and we're going out shopping but the stupid shops aren't open yet and COME ON SHOPS I'm ready and John says I have to be quiet and it's BORING.
Reading the start of your post again J does that mean L's getting a festive jumper?
I'm blanking that part of the post from my mind. shhh.
I'm sure it will be very festive, if that's what it is, L!
Have you bought all the tinsel there is yet, Sherlock?
KHolly, the photo book idea is great.
I stay home on black friday. I did do some shopping on Saturday, but made sure to visit local places rather than all big-box stores. In general my gift-giving tends to be randomly distributed across the year, rather than focused on a list at this time. I think I'm allergic to obligation.
I did get a swag of greens for the door, and a decoration (also greens) for the table, which is as close as I come to having a tree.
S
I ended up having to go to the big box store on black friday. My daughter neglected to tell me that all of her pants had holes in, or were too small, but one pair. So, yeah. Last time I stood in a line that long was for my convention badge. NEVER AGAIN.
KHolly, happy birthday!
Sherlock, did you learn anything about the origins of Christmas traditions? A lot of people think that many of the customs were 'borrowed' from older religions. Including the actual date!
Off topic: my bike ride to work takes me through one of Denver's older neighborhoods. Apparently this weekend there is a walking tour thing where you can go inside a lot of the historically-accurate homes and look around. There were signs up advertising the "Victorian home tour."
Now, I know Victorian can refer to fashion or architecture, but I've read too much 19th century British fiction, so to me Victorian means "Victorian England." In the late 19th century, Denver was basically a cow town with big dreams (I think we got our first library in 1897?). The idea that late-19th century Denver has anything in common with the center point of the British empire is...weird. To me.
Ella
Ellla, when my mom first came to Denver in the forties, there were a lot more of those homes to look at. All the silver and gold barons built mansions along Pennsylvania and Pearl, and they'd all turned into rooming houses by mid century. Most of them got torn down for apartments. Molly Brown's house was saved, but mom says it wasn't even close to being the best of them.
In Boston they'll say they've saved a building if all they've done is save the facade. I don't know it that's enough though. What counts as "historic preservation" in London these days?
I think I said goodbye to Kohn and Sherlock earlier. It may just have been a pile of tinsel and paper chains with skull motifs...
Not sure what counts as preserved in London. Things can be listed - but that only applies from the day of the listing. In private homes I know lots can change.
Heh--it sounds like there was a very successful shopping trip, then! (And skull-paper-chains should be awesome! Are they sparkly skulls?)
Did you get some rest in there, L?
They weren't sparkly when I left. They might be by now. I assume they were left over hallowe'en decorations really - but who cares?
I got some sleep this morning, and more before I left for tonight. Not nearly enough time in full body contact with my husband though ;)
I'm not sure there's ever really enough of that.
no, definitly not. you surviving tinselmageddon?
Little game for anyone who thinks they know London.
Not trying to brag, but I got 10/10 twice now ;)
http://toys.usvsth3m.com/london/
L - just found tinsel hanging from my ear.
Look on the bright side, it could have been chard ;)
Is Sherlock in bed? Or does he want me to call?
He does, if you're free?
yeah, paperwork time right now. I'll call.
I got the London quiz half right! Which is kind of surprising....
Okay, I got 8 out of 10 on the London quiz, which is bizarre. I've only been to London once... (Of course, in at least one of the pictures, a store actually has a SIGN with the right name on it.)
Now, is there a Manhattan quiz? Or even a New York City quiz?
Danger - I spoke to Mycroft, he says he doesn't mind when I steal you away on a little trip. So...next weekend? Maybe Sunday night, so we see a bit of Mycroft first? But you said something about their mum wanting to do something with them (Mycroft omitted any such mention)...so... I don't know when I'm allowed to borrow you ;)
Sunday sounds good to me! I'll talk to their mum, but if that doesn't work for her, she can always do it later and we'll have some time on our own at home too. :)
I didn't know if she meant a trip away, or just a day trip (however much Sherlock would love to miss some school.) But I didn't want to run out the door the moment we get Mycroft back either. And then Nicky etc. are coming, and then, horrifyingly, it's basically Christmas.
Right...so Sunday. We'll give the bikes a quick service this week then.
and then, horrifyingly, it's basically Christmas.
How is that even possible...
and then, horrifyingly, it's basically Christmas.
How is that even possible...
Don't blink.
yeah, warning: dates on calendar are closer than they appear.
Is Sherlock ready to explode yet, between the holiday decorations, Mycroft about to get home, a trip in the offing with Mrs. H, and his own vacation upcoming?
I did the map quiz, but with three google map tabs alongside, so it took at least an hour, poring over neighborhoods. I did get 9 out of 10, but don't be fooled! :D it helped that I could usually find a street sign on a building somewhere. The only time I was actually in London was on the 2009 trip, just the airport and the car rental place.
I wonder if I could do a Boston quiz without three trots on the side. I actually did spend a lot of time there, when I was much younger.
S
Wow, I got 6 out of 10, and honestly, I was mostly guessing. Though Belgravia _is_ distinctive.... I was also learning from prior questions, because my last question was the same thing I'd just gotten wrong, and I found the same weird building again. This is fun! I've only been to London for, like, 5 days.
AftSO
I hope work treated you ok last night Greg and that you and John have a nice day together today :-)
Have fun at school Sherlock, my little one can't go today because she was ill on Saturday night and she's very sad about missing Christmas play practice :-(
Wasn't too bad thanks. Had a bit of sleep. Have thoroughly checked John for tinsel remnants. We may brave the shops later for some essentials. Possibly...
Hope your little one makes a speedy recovery, AnonyBob, and isn't too miserable.
Being able to do some of your shopping during the week has to be the biggest advantage of night shift I would say, especially at this time of year.
I'm glad work wasn't too bad :-)
Well, we managed some of the essentials that Sherlock wouldn't be interested in helping with. Whiskey, wine, brandy, sherry and port ;)
John also bought me a new shirt, 'just because'. And I dragged him to look at Dysons. Exciting lives we lead!
I had fun, which was not something I ever expected to say about shopping for vacuum cleaners. :)
You looked very serious with one in each hand, literally weighing them up.
It's an important consideration, especially when there's glitter on the ceiling.
They're all lighter than our current one! And suck harder ;)
I would ask how you got glitter on the ceiling, but I suspect the answer starts with an S and ends with a K.
S - Sherlock is becoming more manic by the minute. I'm fairly sure he will just be a blur by Christmas. Possibly by Friday!
I got 5/10, and three of those I got right were wild guesses. I've been to London once, but honestly, if Joe Strummer hasn't sung about it, I probably haven't even heard of the neighborhood.
Except for Chelsea, because of football, and Abbey Road, because Beatles.
Ella
I got 3/10.. which isn't bad considering I've only been to London twice!
I'm currently furious as my bank has gone into some sort of digital melt down. I had a full trolley of shopping and had my card declined!
Bloody RBS!
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