busy bee

I'm just as busy as everybody else at this frantic time of the year.
No matter how many plans get laid during the year I'm just as prone to run out of time in December as the next girl.
Yesterday was my last quilt class in Bendigo so we went out for lunch afterwards... always a nice way to finish off for the year. The only fly in the ointment was that the gorgeous Nicki couldn't leave the shop to come with us :[
Next year I'll be teaching that class from home so it would've been nice to be able to thank her properly... but she DID like the santa I gave her. Anyway, we all swapped Kris Kringles and I scored a nice chunky ethnic looking bead bracelet in wood and some sort of pearly shell.
Last night was spent entertaining the ladies of the local View Club [ voice, interest, and education of women ] to some appalachian clogging ... down-home very fast very loud very energetic tap. When I walked in I realised that I knew quite a few of the girls there from quilting /garden club / carer support group and line dancing. Being the shy little violet that I am [ NOT ] I don't usually get nervous about performing in public. Anyway they are certainly seeing me in a whole new light after last night.
At one point everyone with a december birthday was given a rose bud by my friend Alison , so I got a rose too.
SCORE!
Spent the rest of the evening vacuuming and crocheting a face cloth in blue 8-ply [ DK] weight cotton and watching Crossing Jordan repeats.
Today was the final bellydance class for the year and then they all rocked back here for an afternoon of eating, drinking copious amounts of tea, chatting and some more dancing!
After they went, I did some more dance practice until it was time to go get David. Since then we've been for a walk , I've spent half an hour or so lugging water buckets to the garden and I've crocheted another face cloth ... variagated yellows this time.
Tomorrow Nadie and The Boy and The Boy's-parents-visiting-from-Townsville should arrive about lunchtime. The parents won't be staying here because she's highly allergic to cats [ must remember to brush down my clothes extra carefully before I go meet them for lunch ] and Nadie / Chris / the cats are staying here till Saturday for my birthday.
...oh and I'm hosting a BBQ tomorrow night for a group of about 20 disabled young people.
see
busy busy busy.
Still haven't written my chrissie cards but about half the presents were wrapped already so that's one less job I have to do.

Actually I should share that hint with you... I buy for Christmas pretty much all year and take advantage of stores that offer to gift wrap. Then when I get them home I hang a little swing tag with the contents and intended recipient if that's already decided. I also have a list of everyone I need to buy/ make for on the inside of the cupboard door. It has 3 columns for ... bought... wrapped ... and finally ...given.
Now if I was truly organised I'd write the cards out at the same time but no. I don't ever want to be THAT organised. What's Christmas without a bit of seasonal last minute panic?

The current count of ornaments that the cats have knocked off the trees : only 2
but of course that's set to change dramatically once Suki and Sumi get up here. Those two make Whelan the Wrecker look like an amateur.