af 27 December

[treetops]

Just a quick start off before I wind down. I am really really tired after driving most of the day and dodging maniacal drivers. Compensation was that we bought lots of fresh cherries and stone fruit from the orchards on the way.
Hope all are doing well and I hope to reply to you in a more individual way soon now that I am home.

[Mick]

af 27 December

Morning all ..and how are we this fine?day..actually over here it aint so fine ..weather is really bad ..winds and rain..stuff getting blown all over the place...just been out to check on the wabbits ..they are all snuggled up.So now we are at that in betweeny stage Chimbo has gone ...but the New Year hasnt landed.

ok on with the show ..tea n coffee on the go just now Im on cup 3!!

Hiya tt ...welcome back ... take it when you said wind down ..you meant unwind..not wind after eating all that fruit!!!!hmm doesnt explain very well in the written word!!

hiya G..hows you my friend? yep we had a beeyoot..but now its back to normal ...except the tree and decs are still up ..(not my choice!!) and we will be eating turkey till Feb

Mornin Lav ...and how are you today..,?did you get your nap?well here we are nearly the weekend already!!!You any plans or just a steady recovery now the masses have left?Watched bi more of that documentary ..mentioned the massacre of the kids at Nickelmines?Is that anywhere near you?the community attitude to it was amazing..forgive and let God give judgement...dont think I would have been able to let i go like that..anyways ..Big cawfee here for you..Are you babysitting or is that an out of the blue possibility?whatever you have a good one

Hiya Pauly ..hows you today?the blues gorn yet?its weekend time ...you any plans?well done you ..still get into your jeans after all that food yaay

Hiya Kradle...here you go :lgreat to see you..hows things doing with you all?..hmm 2 cats and a dog ...if you havent got one ,then reckon fish or a bird must be next on the pet chain!!!Great to "see" you ..dont be a stranger!

Hiya SL...and how are you? yep they reckon thats how boxing day got its name...So hows things in Sam Franks then?you enjoying yourself?

Hiya Narilly ..loadsa food and chocs?ha noticed the turkey soup..take it that turkey curry is next..then turkey/broccoli bake ..then spiced turkey wraps, then turkey salad ...by that time it should be about June!!!Went to the outlaws too//was the only one not drinking ..and tbh didnt even think about it!!Have a great time

Det ..wow what a lovely pic..thanks for posting..now when you look at that do you not think to yourself ..hmm booze ..you lose this is better?You have got one pretty lady there..wonder why its called Red Rock??:H

Hiya YAH..merry Chrimbo to you...Firstly ..well chuffed that you made it through without al ..yaay great stuff..As for the family bit ....there is a saying you can choose your friends not your family..maybe its best just to accept that its not all you wanted it to be..and emphasise the good points, not the bad...Sounds like you and daughter are pretty close..and in your last line you say concentrate on your life..yep totally agree..but dont dwell on the bad points ..sorry if I am sticking my nose in where it aint wanted..just tell me to butt out if so!

Right peeps ..tis time to go ...have a great weekend ..I am out early Sunday again ..maybe one day will tell you why....

cya..





Are you ocd?try this...



So I come home early one day and the wife is sitting cross-legged on the bed, completely naked.

"What's going on? Why are you naked?" I ask.

"Oh, it's just that I haven't got any clothes to wear," she replies.

"Bollocks," I say, throwing open the closet door. "Look, you've got tons of clothes. Here's a red dress, here's a blue dress, here's Fred, here's a flowered dress..."

Every time the wife goes to give me a kiss, she can't because the puppy I bought her for Christmas tries to bite me.

Easily the best five hundred quid I've ever spent.

The wife got me a pair of black boxers for Christmas.
They beat the hell out of me and ran off with her.

Best Christmas ever.

When I was a boy my mum used to tell me off for playing on my old games console too much.

She'd say, "What are you going to do when you grow up?"

I'd say, "What do you mean?"

Nodding towards the joystick, she'd say, "Well, do you think anyone will pay you loads of money for sitting around all day, pulling a stick, pushing a button and doing a little bit of work whenever you feel like it?"

Anyway, now I'm a Tube driver.

Google translate does make some odd mistakes, after using it to make my welcome banners for all the Romanian people arriving on New Year's Day, it managed complex words like "Parasitic unhygienic criminal freeloaders" yet struggled with some simple four-letter words.

Daily Mail online: "Every week it seems another Lotto winning couple splits."


That's me buying an extra ticket this Saturday.

I f.cked my girlfriend's cat last night.


Bought a dog.

Got a pair of boxers with the London Underground tube map on for Xmas.

Already had to change twice

I love charades.

Every year I give my Gran the made up film "Shaking salt onto your tongue". GO ON BE HONEST..HOW MANY PEOPLE IMITATED THIS TO SEE WHAT IT MEANT!!!!

I hate it when my girlfriend is hoovering up and she makes me lift my feet up.

I always feel like I'm going to fall down the toilet.

My girlfriend said, "If one day, you want to run away, just let me know."

Turns out she meant together.

When I was a kid, we were so poor, me mam used to sit up all Christmas Eve, stitching a turkeys head on a kipper...

"You're a bombshell" I said to this hot girl I saw.
"Well thanks!" She blushed, "It's always nice to get a compliment from a stranger."
"It's not that", I replied "You look like you've fallen out of a B-52."

[Lavande]

af 27 December

Good morning Abbers,

Is everyone else as tired as I am? :H
Never did get my nap yesterday but probably just as well :H

Mick, Nickel Mines is about a 40 minutes drive north from here. That was such a tragedy & proves that no one is exempt from the craziness of a madman. I was just up in that area yesterday with YB. He likes to shop where the Amish & the serious farmers shop for some reason We stopped & had lunch in Quarryville - woo hoo :H
Sorry about your wet weather - chilly & sunny here again today!

Hope you are home safe & sound TT!

Greetings to everyone & wishing a great AF Friday for all!

Lav

[YoungAtHeart]

af 27 December

MAE all.

Happy for you that you got some fresh fruit, TT. Enjoy. I am vicariously enjoying your summer. It will be good hearing more from you soon.

You're not sticking your nose in, Mick, when I put that stuff out there, it is open for commentary. It just makes me sad, and I think it will just take me a bit to put it in perspective. I am feeling better already now that I am back in my own space. I hope the weather improves soon for you. I'm glad the bunnies are all snuggled up in their little nests.

Lav, I'm glad you have a good Christmas. So your grandson has learned to text? Did I read that here? LOL You will be busy for some time to come! LOL I haven't heard about the new chicks lately. I imagine they are pretty filled out by now. How are they dealing with the cold? Nickel Mines was such an awful tragedy. It still breaks my heart to think about it.

Back to work today, but I'm not complaining. It will be good to get back into the routine.

Hugs to all and to all to come.

:l
YahYah

[Samstone]

af 27 December

A quick check in. Off to work and I'm late I'm late I'm late. Hope everyone has an enjoyable day. One holiday down, another to go. No hangovers and it's a wonderful life,
Sam

[paulywogg]

af 27 December

Mae all,Mick i spotted the tile! i could use a little ocd though so my house could be spotless haha,lovely pic of you guys at redrock Det,shoot ive lived here since'99 never been,only valley of fire which isnt very "firey"at all,still feeling a little beat here,meh just get me through new years and hubs stupid court date and i can get back to reality,no im not drinking,i just mean back to feeling more normal i hope everyone has a good day

[narilly]

af 27 December

Morning everyone.
Well I caved on Christmas and yesterday and did drink. I did not get drunk but I know that is just around the corner if I keep on. It sucks because I had 55 days. I can't even really explain why I did drink. It's like I just got tired of fighting it. Next time I should just go to bed. It was 8pm when I drank and I was in bed by 11 anyway. So stupid!
Anyway, today I am AF.

Lav, Pauly- I am feeling beat myself. At least I don't have any hangover and can continue on my AF path.
Mick- turkey curry sounds good. I've never cooked that. I did brine this turkey and BBQ parts of it after I marinated it in Tandoori paste. That was good.
Morning Sam and Young at Heart.

I will not drink today.

[paulywogg]

af 27 December

Aww Narilly,it sucks but it happens at least you are back on the trail,btw TT what the heck is "stonefruit"

[Lavande]

af 27 December

YahYah, it does take time to figure out the family stuff but there's no rush, right?
My hens are just fine & quite happy today. I got YB to remove yet another rooster who was hiding in the flock. I noticed his presence about two weeks ago because he suddenly got so big!!!! of course he was already starting to give me the evil eye & nailing a hen whenever he got a chance. He's now residing on the Amish farm ~ until they decide to have him for dinner

Hiya Sam & pauly!

narilly, I'm sorry that you decided to drink after 55 days. Your statement about 'getting tired of fighting it' makes me think you hadn't removed the option of drinking again at some point
That's a choice we all have to make & it's a personal one. I had hit the wall myself & there was no going back for me. I knew I had to bite the bullet & take that leap into the unknown - life without AL. Turned out my fears were completely unwarranted, life is good without AL, very good
Glad you are back on board now.

pauly - think peaches, plums, fruits with a pit

[paulywogg]

af 27 December

Oh thanks for explaining Lav,on the taking the option off the table i know it is for me each time i quit,i know it will just make me sick,but theres just those moments,not planned where i zone out,i dont know how,what or why,makes me sad to know ill be fighting this for the rest of my life no matter how strong my resolve is

[YoungAtHeart]

af 27 December

Well, I am doing better and not as sad as I was earlier. My new year's resolution is going to be to keep up with my house better than I have this past year. I spent all day culling and sorting and cleaning, and it has helped my spirits. If I am working too much to do it myself, I will pay someone. :H

I'm not surprised that you found a little man hiding in the group after all, Lav. Glad to hear the girls are doing well. I guess you will have some eggs come springtime.

Narilly, not all of us are as strong as Lav. In the past, I have done fine having one or two drinks. Within a few weeks, I was back to my old tricks, however. My last relapse lasted 3 1/2 years. I can't afford another one for sure. I am glad you climbed right back on the wagon. I have had enough slips and relapses to know where a drink will lead, and that is what I keep in mind when a drink starts sounding good to me. If you would like to read some inspiring stuff and haven't been there already, go to Long Term Moderators and read Bridgid's threads. She just celebrated 8 years sober in November and has been through the wringer with other things. She is a real inspiration.

Pauly, I am proud of you. I hope you don't hear that as condescending, because it is the last thing I mean. I have seen you struggle in the past, and you seem to really be getting your act together with your sobriety. Hugs, girl!

Anyway, I can't believe how late it is already. I'll be doing more cleaning tomorrow, so it's time to rest and relax for the evening.

Hugs, all! :l
YahYah

[Determinator]

af 27 December

hidy ho ABers near and far!

Mick, thanks much and you're so right. Actually Dx hates that picture since her hair is in a bun and she forgot to take off her shades. i like it anyway, it's indeed a great reminder of what 'the good life' really looks like for us.

Paully, I've been to Valley of Fire, it's on the way to Mesquite as i recall. Immense place. Red rock is much closer and really fun, even though I've only seen a small part of it.

why do we relapse? I certainly don't have decent reasons for why I've done so in the past. the fact is those days are in the past and when I woke up this morning I was and continue to be very thankfully for the sobriety I have right this minute. If I'm not perfect and I'm AF only 95% of the time it still beats the hell out of saying 'screw it' and going down the dark spiral to an early death. My goal however is 100% and I KNOW it's doable. I really feel that and see it all around. We just have to want it like it's the biggest grand prize we could ever dream of.....because for us, that's exactly what it is.

be well m'loves

[treetops]

af 27 December

Thats a great attitude Det - as that corny Meatloaf song goes '2 out of 3 ain't bad"! (actually it didn't console me when an ex played it to me years and years ago)!