Well, that was weird!

Yesterday has to count as the most surreal Boxing day ever, as usual we all congregate at mum's. usually she has been so busy faffing about that the guests have to pitch in with the cooking - but this year there was a twist. Not only had mum invited her partner's mother in law, sister in law and brother in law (not as odd as it seems, both mum and Pete are widowed and have known each other for years) without saying anything until we got there, due to her collapsed shoulder Mum had taken industrial amounts of narcotic painkillers, so we were in the position of arriving at 1.30, with lunch due at 3, nothing actually prepared apart fro the roast , and 3 extra guests , taking the total bodies to 14! Mum was doing everything at half speed and apparently didn't give a monkey's about how the meal was actually going to get on the table.
My OH only goes visiting grudgingly(that includes his own family ) and only talks to people he knows, when they talk to him(no I wasn't aware of the social phobia when i met him) so he just sat blankly in the conservatory, playing with ella so he didn't have to mix (did I also mention he says he won't help out when someone's invited him - I know , he's a real charmer -no?)
We did eat eventually, though it had to be stretched a bit and all the workers had to eat off their laps