heritagestanley

Well, this forum seems to have fallen into a deep sleep: no new posts for days! Come on guys - the time for a snooze is after stuffing your face at Christmas, not before. So can I just send everyone on the forum festive greetings, with thanks for all the good advice so far and still to come. Buone feste!

Lorna at Vicenza

And I will be stuffing my face this Christmas because I'll be back in the UK. Already did an internet shop in November to have all our favourite goodies delivered to my sister's house on Friday (no sprouts). Son has already asked if there is a Greggs or another bakery in Manchester airport where he can get his first sausage roll. Sister's kids are age 10 and 6 and her trick when they wake up early during the holidays is to say to them, "go to Aunty Lorna, she hasn't seen you for ages and loves morning cuddles." Morning cuddles usually means jumping on the bed until I get up to feed them and get the bacon on for myself. Dad is looking forward to taking Alex down the local for a few pints and games of pool. The local lads have already asked Dad if Alex is back this Christmas. It amazes them how he only gets to play pool once or twice a year and usually manages to beat most of them. I watch and join in the banter with a glass of decent cider and sometimes have a game myself.

Whatever your plans, wherever you'll be, a very merry Christmas to you all and best wishes for the new year xxx

Geordieborn

Lovely posts... Best wishes to all...

PS Lorna, M&S do some very nice looking (if expensive) chocolate SPROUTs which I'm sure you would like. I tried to get some online (posh Ocado) but they were out of stock at the time, so got cheap old faithful Sainsbury's equivalent for £1 as my youngest also hates yummy sprouts.

heritagestanley

A sprout for Lorna

philat98

I just tested positive for Covid. After 3 years it doesnt seem to have become a lot milder. Hopefully it will have gone by the end of the week.
Buona festa (Covid free)

C.2s

1. Happy Christmas to one and all!

2. Apologies for not having contributed anything to this forum in recent days...I am ashamed to admit that I have been unfaithful to this group, and been contributing elsewhere with other expats ;-)

3. Gregg's. Not sure about Manchester airport but I was in the UK recently and I think it's now law there that there must be a Gregg's within 50 yards of wherever you might park a car

4. It's funny how many of the things Lorna talked about (sausage rolls, cider, pubs, pool tables) that I also miss about the UK... feelings quite jealous that I'll be here having to "survive" without those things <this is a joke...no need to respond in defence of Italy>

5. Covid. I was reading about this and apparently it's like socks. You get holes in your immunities and then your Auntie Bodies have to knit you new ones for Xmas (or something like that) - see
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-67726685 for the real story

daniel_t

Greggs - I didn't see any when I flew into Manchester in August. I was using T3 though, but there's bound to be one somewhere in the airport.

Merry Christmas everybody!

(Send the sprouts this way. I'm a big fan of them.)

brits1

Hi, I think there is a Greggs landslide terminal 1 at Manchester Airport, it was one of the “first” things we bought when we first arrived back home in 2010 ….I have not had one since but it was delish on that cold winters day. The weather news just now have said maybe snow over Christmas in the North of the country…and we’re heading to the south coast!! I have a wonderful time with your family and also to everyone on expats …. Hope you all have a lovely Christmas.

Lorna at Vicenza

Sister has promised to bring sausage rolls in the car with her when she picks us up just in case there is no Greggs or it's closed when we land.

The lady who runs a local bar is a friend and has promised us our favourite tramezzini and panini to pick up before we set off so we won't have to use our pocket money on ridiculously priced Venice airport sandwiches or Ryanair ones.

Chocolate sprouts ok and that singing and dancing one looks cute, plus it would probably scare the bejaysus out of Stupid Cat lol.

I can well believe the covid thing about it being like holy socks because without any more vaccines or boosters our immunity has probably got holes in it. I know quite a few people who have been struck down with it this month. My friend was quite poorly and her 14 yr old got it too. All that heartache, isolation, bloody useless Dad in schools and goddamn expense and now it's all gone quiet. My friend only tested herself because she felt really lousy and her colleague lives with her 94 year old mamma. Testing kit still cost her €5 in the chemist which I suppose is better than the €15 it used to cost.

I hope it doesn't snow. It looks pretty when it stays up on my Italian mountains but I don't need it messing up my Christmas plans and I'd rather not get dragged into the garden to build a snowman when I could be snuggled on the couch with bacon butties, pork pie, Scotch Eggs, bloody good sausages, Quality Street and various Cadbury chocolates. At least one afternoon will be spent drinking Prosecco with the sisters when it's my job to cook up huge batches of ragu and pasticcio whilst screaming over the top of each other and taking the piss.

Right. Off to add more Parmiggiano, Pecorino and coffee to my shopping list and one sister developed a liking for Loacker wafer biscuits of all things when last here. I've been packing cases for over 30 years. I used to start two weeks in advance when the kids were little, adding things bit by bit. Now I know what I need, can use internet to order some things to get delivered in advance and for everything else there is Mastercard. The kids are old enough to screw their own shit up into backpacks or hand luggage. The boy one just needs reminding to pack enough undies and not just his phone and cuffie. Chloe and I can borrow all my sisters' things if needs be but Grandad is 6ft 3 and Alex hasn't quite reached his height yet.

Lugsbug

Merry Christmas!

Me and OH have got the most horrendous coughs, sore throats and runny noses . Been suffering since Friday when OH wanted to lie in the garden and be eaten by wild boar! Hopefully we will be better for Christmas.

I am off to the UK on New Years Day but unfortunately, it isn't a pleasure trip - my dear old dad passed away on 7 December aged 89 and the funeral has been arranged for 5 January. He had been suffering with his health for quite a while so not unexpected and he had a good long life.

I don't fly so will be trains there and back - will be keeping packing to a bare minimum as OH has a list of things he wants me to bring back including marmite and curry powder .

Off to make another hot toddy so best wishes to all and enjoy the festive season

philat98

Sorry to read about your Dad. Mine passed away at the same age almost 30 years ago.
Do you take a sleeper train from Milan to London?

Lugsbug

Hi Philat, the direct Paris-Turin-Milan route has been blocked by a landslide so I'm having to use alternative routes. I went back to the UK in November to see Dad and travelled from Milan through Switzerland to Paris, however, the timings have since changed making this not feasible , Instead I am going down to Savona and round the coast to Nice and travelling on to Paris the next morning. (Before we moved to Italy, we spent many holidays here and loved catching the sleeper)

Geordieborn

Sorry to hear about your loss Lugsbug. Do you ever get bored with the train journey? Our trip were a lot shorter, but many. I loved my trips up the NE coast of England and never tired of it.

Lugsbug

Hi Geordieborn! I love trains! These days we would normally drive to the UK but OH is staying at home to look after the house and cats and I don't drive so train it is. I buy a first class Interrail pass which gives nicer seats on the trains and a big discount on Eurostar - worth every penny.

daniel_t

Sorry to hear about your loss, Lugsbug. If you're into train travel, Mark Smith, aka The Man in Seat Sixty-one, has created something useful - https://www.seat61.com/.