|
Post by Claire on Dec 29, 2008 21:39:07 GMT 1
Hi all, Normally go to a family get-together on New Years eve but this year I am going to be by myself as still not recovering very well and will not be fit to travel. Just wondering if anyone else will be staying in on New Years eve and be around for a chat?
|
|
|
Post by zoe on Dec 29, 2008 22:06:03 GMT 1
I'll be in, I don't tend to go out for new year although will only be able to chat the old fashioned way as can't suss my computer. I think I've caught your lurgie, Claire, (it must be one of those computer virus' hoho!) hope you start getting better soon., I'm starting on the lemsips.
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Dec 29, 2008 22:47:07 GMT 1
Hi zoe glad you will be around. No luck restoring the computer then I take it?
Hope you shake off your lurgy quicker than mine. Cant seem to get shot of it at all. My own fault should have got a flu jab but didnt get round to it.
|
|
|
Post by cally on Dec 29, 2008 23:07:23 GMT 1
NY's eve is THE WORST night to go out on. It was such a big thing when I was young and you HAD to be going somewhere or you felt like a social leper, but I never ever had a good time. One of the reasons is that you have (or in my case, had) huge expectations that you were going to have a great time because it was NY's eve. Secondly, every one else feels the same way and then when there's no 'magic' at all about the evening people drink too much and get grumpy and/or desperate and it all goes wrong. I now go out of my way to stay home, not drink and go to bed before midnight- it's only an artificially created system anyway, the calender. Solstices etc are closer to nature and therefore more meaningful. Besides, I can feel smug when everyone else has a hangover!
|
|
|
Post by garej on Dec 29, 2008 23:40:33 GMT 1
I wont be going out as I feel ill and am liable to be spending most of it recovering (still recovering now). I was really bad yesterday.
|
|
|
Post by Buster on Dec 30, 2008 1:24:00 GMT 1
Right um well I have a few parties to go to but if none of my friends are going then ill prbs decline the one with the family and stay at home with Smudge so I may sign in for a chat. I expect ill discover what im doing on the night haha
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Dec 30, 2008 13:46:34 GMT 1
Sorry to hear you arent feeling well garej - have you got the bug or something else?
Cally I agree with you re. New Years eve being an artifically created celebration. I have been to my fair share of those parties where everyone ends up drinking too much and arguing. But normally just go to my nans for a small family gathering and its quite nice to see some of my relatives who I rarely see, as the family is scattered all over. Also I like doing the food. Makes me wonder what they will be eating this year! ;D
|
|
|
Post by garej on Dec 30, 2008 14:03:30 GMT 1
Sorry to hear you arent feeling well garej - have you got the bug or something else? I think I have caught some sort of bug, I have been having terrible headaches and stomach aches. I have also had diarrhoea and vomiting (though thankfully not at the same time).
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Dec 30, 2008 14:21:43 GMT 1
Poor you that is not nice. I hope you feel better soon xxx
|
|
|
Post by exmoorfan on Dec 30, 2008 18:16:18 GMT 1
Well so far so good with bugs. I did have the flu jab claire as i have slight asthma and its free at my Docs then. I never go out so will be on as usual..
|
|
|
Post by zoe on Dec 30, 2008 20:18:06 GMT 1
My lurgie has disappeared today and had a lovely day taking my daughter and her friend on a ride - the only downside was I had to walk but it was lovely and out of the 3 vehicles we met, 2 of them stopped to chat and compliment the ponies behaviour. It made a nice change not to have white van man (or similar) whizzing past at the narrowest bit of road possible.
I used to love new year as a kid when we had a big family party at my nans and all us kids would go to bed but be woken before midnight to go downstairs to count down the new year then sing auld lang syne. Then we would try and escape before loads of drunk relatives kissed us.
|
|
|
Post by kunuma on Dec 30, 2008 22:20:25 GMT 1
I'll be at home and hopefully won't have to spend the entire night out in the field with the horses so will be around too!
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Dec 31, 2008 13:32:00 GMT 1
Well hope to 'see' a few of you tonight. I will open the chat room as well for those of us who can get on it. But if you cant and want to chat feel free to post on this thread.
|
|
|
Post by susanb on Dec 31, 2008 19:07:14 GMT 1
I'm in too....also feeling a big flu-ey (yikes, the bug has made it over the pond! Well, really, all it takes is a couple of people on a 6 hour flight......sigh). Just about dragged myself into the city yesterday to spend that gift certificate to the bookstore that was burning a hole in my pocket.
Wouldn't have managed that if not for the second reason I'm in tonight....big snowstorm going on right now....forecast for my area over 8 inches of snow, and wind chill below 0 (it's at 5 now, and it's only 1pm here)...the celcius translation of 5 is -15 (burr!)
Heat turned up, champagne on ice, some Walker's shortbread laid in (goes so well with champagne) a few good movies awaiting....I'm set. You'll all be celebrating 5 hours before me (well, the Aussies and Kiwis are already there!), but am more than happy to welcome New Year twice!
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Dec 31, 2008 19:44:23 GMT 1
Sounds like all the ingredients for a great night in susan. Hope you manage to shake off the lurgy. Its a bit cold here too altho no snow at the moment. Apparantly we have had the coldest December for years. Coincides with the highest heating bills we have had for years too. Maybe I'm getting paranoid in my old age but starting to wonder if the energy companies have some secret machine that controls the weather!
|
|
|
Post by susanb on Dec 31, 2008 21:07:12 GMT 1
We're in the hunt for a record here in Massachusetts too...snowiest ever on record...we'll see if we make it (not something I'm rooting for, frankly). Just as happy to stay in too....in years past, I've done First Night in Boston, which really was FUN, but it was almost too fun....started to draw bigger and bigger and bigger crowds, which made it less fun...a victim of it's own success. Still, if I lived closer to the city, and it was a nice night, I'd still do it again....or, better yet, if I got a hotel room just for the night. Here's a link, in case anyone has any interest in doing New Years abroad some day: www.firstnight.org/Boston's celebration was first, but other cities have followed...Washington D.C. does it now too, and that one is terrific as well. Basically the idea is that you buy a button, which gets you admittance to events all over the city....dancers, singers, theatre, puppet shows, magic shows, storytelling, massive larger than life ice sculptures, light shows, etc, etc, etc..... hundreds of events...both outdoors and indoors, running from 1 in the afternoon till the huge fireworks display at midnight. They press pretty much every inch of available indoor space into service...convention centers, theatres, churches, college auditoriums, so even with the lousy weather, they'll go forward with most of the events (fireworks and the parade are a bit iffy for tonight though)
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Dec 31, 2008 21:16:43 GMT 1
That sounds pretty interesting. Better than the orgy of drunkenness and sentimentality we have over here
|
|
|
Post by susanb on Dec 31, 2008 21:41:04 GMT 1
It can be fun, and I think it was started up to offer an alternative to the drunken orgies that went on here too....they've made it a point to have it a family-friendly event...no public drinking allowed (bars are open though), anyone obviously drunk is basically pulled in to sleep it off (it may sound harsh but, appearances aside, in -15 weather passing out in the gutter = death), and the early in the day events are geared towards children, so families with young kids can celebrate early and then head home.
The event in D.C. continues into the next day, which is fun.....I did it in 2000 with a friend who lives in the area...she was pregnant with her first, and didn't feel up to traveling, her husband was away on business, so she was basically going to be stuck in alone, so said "of course, let's go, it will be fun"...and it was. I particularly remember the jazz band playing in the blocked off streets, and the older couple joining them in an impromptu jitterbug....
|
|
|
Post by zoe on Dec 31, 2008 21:42:29 GMT 1
That sounds great but talking of fireworks - I'm hoping kunumas neighbours have cancelled theirs. If the weather is like ours they won't be able to see them anyway it is so foggy.
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Dec 31, 2008 21:56:02 GMT 1
Hi zoe moved over here from the skewbalds thread as it would have degenerated into silliness ;D
I am starting to feel a little better thanks will probably be back to normal when everything is over. Been a funny sort of Chirstmas tho.
Yes I am hoping kunuma doesnt have to spend the whole night in her horses field, poor soul. Its freezing here. They must be mad if they want to go out and set off fireworks in this weather.
|
|
|
Post by zoe on Dec 31, 2008 22:08:55 GMT 1
Good plan moving - it's always hard once you wander from the original thread to know where to write. Glad you're starting to feel better but a shame it mucked your christmas up although I'm almost jealous thinking of the reading you managed to do. - only managed 1 chapter of beedle and not impressed so-far, in fact it says loads that I'm not glued to it!
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Dec 31, 2008 22:14:54 GMT 1
Oh I had heard rumours that it wasnt as good as the harry potter stuff. What a shame. I am reading Merry March ponies at the minute. Somehow I have never read it before. Must say am getting a bit sick of reading and watching DVDs now tho!
|
|
|
Post by zoe on Dec 31, 2008 22:23:42 GMT 1
The first story was quite poor but,as a reader, you are treated like an idiot with "notes by Dumbledore" explaining about muggles etc and the wizarding world but, really, if you are reading Beedle you have prob read at least some Harry Potters so you will have already worked out the different worlds. Ill let you know when I finish it.
|
|
|
Post by kunuma on Dec 31, 2008 22:56:05 GMT 1
Hi folks, unfortunately it is bitterly cold but a beautiful clear night. That sadly makes it so much worse for the wildlife as well, because it is so quiet, and when it all kicks off at midnight it will be such a shock - and those birds who are sent scattering in this temperature will probably not survive. I've got some food ready for the ponies, and I am going down at half past eleven to try and give them something else to think of! In the house I've got every radio set to the noisiest channel possible so the dogs are OK while I'm in the field! I think right now I could def overwork the swear filter!
|
|
|
Post by zoe on Dec 31, 2008 23:02:14 GMT 1
I'm thinking of you and the poor animals - funnily enough I can hear some fireworks now and I suspect Tasha (new dog) will be unsettled.
|
|
|
Post by kunuma on Dec 31, 2008 23:09:39 GMT 1
|
|
|
Post by cally on Dec 31, 2008 23:19:44 GMT 1
When you see pics of Sydney's stupid fireworks, keep in mind that one of the largest Zoos in Oz is nearby: imagine what the animals there go through! I think I'll have a browse on the net and see if there's any info on how the keepers cope with thousands of freaked out wild animals.
|
|
|
Post by zoe on Dec 31, 2008 23:22:51 GMT 1
I've got 2 german shepherds now and they are great - Rosie is a bit of a fruit loop but Tasha is calmer. Prob because she has had a couple of litters. As a kid I dreamed of having an animal sanctuary so perhaps it is my destiny.
|
|
|
Post by zoe on Dec 31, 2008 23:27:23 GMT 1
Hi Cally happy new year I think you're the first of us to get to 09. Re the zoo it sounds about right - "sod the animals we've got to look good on tv"
|
|
|
Post by Claire on Dec 31, 2008 23:27:32 GMT 1
How do you fit them all in?! ;D
|
|