Frankly, not much of anything is going here on except lying around eating cake.

In the last week I have:

• finished the back of Mr Stitches French holiday sweater, and cast on the front;
• made a further arm and leg for the doll I’m making my great-niece for Christmas (I’d rather stupidly only cut the poor creature one arm and leg initially)
• baked two batches of cupcakes for friend’s birthdays
• tidied the workroom
• started stitching birthday cross stitches for next year (too organised, but they do take a while to complete)
• had a lovely supper with Rick and Julia (just the loveliest people – and Charlie is besotted with Julia and pined for her all day Saturday after they left)
• spent 4 hours trawling the Internet trying (unsuccessfully I might add) to locate the last few Christmas presents for the difficult family member (you KNOW who you are!)
• made the Christmas pudding.

All fairly mundane and innocuous and uneventful.  Indeed.  Except for the making of the Christmas pudding.

Now I realise that Stir up Sunday was last weekend, but I couldn’t stir myself, never mind a pudding.  So this Sunday I gathered Ma and Pa Stitches-in-law in person, and Ma and Pa Stitches via webcam, and commenced the annual ritual of the Making of the Christmas Pudding.

Normally this is a charming event which heralds the beginning of the fun of the Christmas festivities.  We all gather together for tea and cake.  We all stir and make a wish.

This year didn’t go quite according to plan.

Firstly, the webcam software was doing weird things, taking 30 minutes or so of Mr Stitches’ genius (and some inventive cursing) to resolve.   As he was busy with this I was measuring ingredients into a bowl.  

And attempting to make breadcrumbs.  

Attempt number one resulted in the catch on the lid of the food processor snapping sending the lid and the bread within spinning into the air and across the room.  It’s amazing how much breadcrumbs look like snow when you’re laughing till the tears flow.

So out came the blender.  In went more bread.  On went the switch.  Out came a horrible noise and a huge puff of black and pungent smoke.  End of attempt number two and much more hysterical laughter.

Third time was the charm.  The blender worked and lo, there were breadcrumbs that we could use.  And (if you ignore the exploding packet of suet) Seasonal goodwill was restored.

I just wonder if virtual stirring counts?????

Today is no better.  I’m writing this at 12.52pm and all I’ve done is some post, some emails, two loads of laundry, and put the pudding on to steam.  I’m supposed to be making Christmas cards, but then they were supposed to be done yesterday.  

And I’m feeling flatter than a pancake as Social Services have closed submissions for the 7th January Panel date, so the earliest we’ll get now is the 14th January, and this won’t be confirmed until the New Year.  The only blessing on this is that they are focusing on getting children through the system, which can only be a good thing, and we really don’t mind waiting if it means they are safe and happy.  But a date would be a good thing.

So enough of these ramblings….I’m off to think about doing something.  I shall report back when I have done so.  I wouldn’t be holding your breath!