To wear a silly hat

Third day and it's still all about "charidee sweetie". Today we've been asked to bring a silly hat and £1 to school for the cause of Children in Need. I have to admit I didn't fully engage (as spent Thursday evening with an old school friend who happened to be in London) but luckily I could dig out a few things from my daughter's "dressing up box" last night without too much effort. She said she would have preferred one with pom poms and why didn't I make one... Hope it's silly enough or else she will be a child in need.

To do a bit of good

As we're not seeing family over Christmas and staying in London I decided to finally do something I have wanted for 20 years - signing up to volunteer for a homelessness charity over Christmas. I will spend 2 days at one of CRISIS' centres for Rough Sleepers. Watch this space!

To feel a bit British

At this time in November, not only is it bonfire night and fireworks, or Diwali (which M has been talking about all week as it's the theme of the week at school) , it's also the time when you see a lot of people wearing a red poppy on their lapels. It took me a few years before I felt British enough to sport one as well.

Most of them are made of paper which you fasten with a needle which I tend to drop after just a few days. But this year I found a knitted version, as a brooch. The the sweet elderly man who sold it to me said his wife had made it.  And very environmentally friendly too as I can now wear it year after year. Perhaps not so good for the fundraising, even though I'm sure I will spare  a few pounds next year as well, to feel a bit British. And for the good cause, naturally.

To make a lot of soup and not having much else to say

Had butternut squash and some sweet potatoes that had been around for some time. Don't like wasting food and ended up with two different kinds of soup that will last for a long time. One of the best things with autumn - soup (and candles of course).

To long for Christmas

Couldn't resist these little cuties in Sainsburys(!) - the little reindeer found its way home last time we went shopping, and now we decided that the little one needed a Mum/Dad. Might change the gingham ribbon to a white one but will have plenty of time before Christmas to decide. I have already now started to check out our "Christmas stock" to ensure we have got everything we need. This year we'll celebrate Christmas in London; we tend to alter between London, Sweden and Portugal.

 

I have always loved Christmas, and the time leading up to it. As a child I was obsessed with Christmas (my brother and I even had a Christmas Club located in one our wardrobes - more to explore on that one). One Christmas my parents had to follow Astrid Lindgren's Christmas in the Noisy Village by the book, literally. The "Bullerby Christmas" was my ideal Christmas. For example,  the Christmas tree had to be decorated by my parents, so when I came down in my nightgown on the morning of Christmas eve (in Sweden this is the big day) the tree would be ready in all its glory. We didn't do that again as I missed decorating the tree...and hiding my brother's ugly homemade stuff as low down as possible.

 

Only about 6 weeks to go. And I still have the book. It was, and still is, very loved.

 

To have apple pie

 

 

My Portuguese in-laws are here for dinner.  I didn't have to cook as my mother in law brought her lovely homemade lasagna. So I hope I can impress them with my homemade Swedish Apple pie ( I sneaked in two pears as well, will see if anyone notices).

 

 

 

To have a sweet tooth

The weekly food shopping done and it's time for dinner, wine and chocolate - highlight of the week.

We said to M that she could choose a bag or sweets or some chocolates in the supermarket but she said she didn't need any as she had already picked out some (i.e. dried fruit snacks). How healthy! We haven't been very strict when it comes to sweets but then she prefers olives, cucumbers and fruit...Don't get me wrong, she has sweets as well but somehow it doesn't seem as important to her as After Eight is to me. Or cheese.

I have a special relationship with After Eight. Must be something to do with childhood memories as my parents always had After Eight at their parties in the good old 70's. They used to have friends over, and I remember one of them clearly as he was a dentist, always wearing tartan trousers, and only ever allowed us (the kids) to chew sugarfree chewing gum (Sorbits, just the name...) that he brought in big tubs - meanwhile the adults were having After Eights. The next day I always foraged for that last hidden After Eight thin in the box and how lucky I felt if I did find one. If I wasn't as lucky I just had to comfort myself with the smell of the wrapping paper.

To now to be able to buy my own box of After Eight is one of those little things I get pleasure from. (It's the same story with Cadbury Fingers). And I haven't had Sorbits since. I'm also making sure history is repeated minus the Sorbits.