Yesterday was a bit of a blur, it was my son's birthday and is always a bad day that needs pushing through. However I did the run into Pontardawe and spend my hours wait in the usual manner, trawling round Tesco sniffing out the bargains.

I found a few that brought a splash of colour into the end of the day.

This trio came in at £1.80, the Poinsettia has gone to a new home and the other two will be off tomorrow. 

This glorious arrangement was £1 and is staying with me.

I just have to dig out a suitable container, I will probably take some off the stems as it is a bit top heavy.

I found Raspberries and Blueberries for 10p a pot so there are some in the freezer, my trifle will have real fruit jelly in it and there will be Blueberry and Apple crumb cake at some point.

I watched Christmas on the poverty line on Thursday night and have mixed feelings and reactions.

The family from Cornwall really got up my nose, borrowing that amount of money to have a flash wedding and that pile of Christmas gifts was so stupid. The couple were both aware of the cost but went ahead willy nilly. 

The large family were living in quite bad conditions and with the older girls there the house could have been in better order. BUT they incurred no debt although the cigarettes that were in just  about every shot must have eaten up a sizeable chunk of their income.

The single mother who was off work with a lung condition confused me. If her condition was a direct result of hospital treatment she should have been adequately compensated. Once again there were adult children involved who appeared to be drifting around waiting for mum to do everything.

Employment may be at lower levels than for a time but there are still areas that are well behind the average. 

The most memorable moment for me was when the large family were snuggled on the bed with their hot chocolate while Mum read The Night Before Christmas to them. It was a scene worthy of H E Bates Larkins family.

I dare say that they were all very carefully selected to give the most impact. It is a shame that a family who have got themselves on a budget and live quite normally was not included.

I spent a little while today making cookies, chocolate chip and ginger, tomorrow it will be Gingerbread and Peanut Butter cookies. Fran has requested "a few" to take back with her and they keep well so I thought it would be best to get them done. 

I will put 6 of each into a tine for Maggie, she has a sweet tooth.

I am hoping that she will join us on Boxing Day, she is out on Christmas Day and will wait and see how tired she is.

The move has really taken it out of her and she has been in considerable pain with her arthritis. 

I have decided that for January I will be making soup for dinner every day and hope to empty the freezer out. If the weather is half way to being decent I will get some good walks in and get my fitness level back up. If not I may be looking for a Cross Trainer.

My crochet has now been put away and my crafting for the holiday will be a little cross stitch, I found a small kit in Hobby Craft to play with.

That,s it for today I need to get dinner on the go and try to persuade Ben that he really has to get a walk in soon.The last time that I asked him his response was to snuggle down further ans close his eyes.

                                TTFN                                       Pam