Well, that's it for another year then - Christmas, birthday and New Year all over and done with. Perm any two out of the three and you're bound to find that at least one of these celebrations could be described as enjoyable. Whoopee - jackpot time - they were ALL great!!
Christmas started a bit differently in our house this year because Jo decided that she wanted to wake up in her own home with Thomas on Christmas morning so that meant we weren' t comitted to staying up on Christmas Eve until the early hours waiting for Thomas to go to sleep so that Santa could deliver his presents. But it was very, very, very quiet in the absence of childhood anticipation.
The cat obviously thought we were a bit sad so he thought he'd cheer us up by inviting his little furry friend in for a game of football. This was a surprise because we'd rigged the cat-flap so that he couldn't work it if he had any of the local wildlife in his mouth but he'd used his feline inventiveness (after about 5 years!) to overcome this problem. He's very thoughtful, is Mitch. During my recent involvement with Ottershaw Players' production of The Wind in the Willows I would often arrive home late at night to find Ratty or one of his family waiting on the back doorstep to offer advice. Usually they had found the wait too tedious and had died of boredom. The cat looked much too innocent to have wished them any harm.
Christmas morning arrived at last, the turkey (which we were very lucky to have, because when the butcher said he was open for 2 or 3 hours on Christmas Eve for collection of said bird he didn't mention that he started at 6am!) fitted well into the oven, Jo was bringing the vegetables, Kathleen was bringing the pudding, Thomas was bringing himself!! Lunch was almost on time and voted to be one of the best ever, I think. Present opening lasted throughout the day, thereby proving just how grown up Thomas is getting. Wonderfully hilarious end to the day with a challenging game of Balderdash. Not laughed as much for hours.
Boxing Day was a blur of bacon bagels for breakfast, followed by regular snacks throughout the day of all the fruit, nuts, chocolates, drinks, etc bought especially for the occasion. Of course we also had the turkey to finish up, ham, salad, cheeses, etc, etc. For exercise we had a walk round the block and up to 'the ruins', where Pete took some photos and reminisced about his childhood.
There then followed a brief hiatus of a couple of days (spent not doing very much at all) before my birthday celebrations. Although it wasn't a 'special' one with no zero on the end or anything, I was having TWO restaurant outings. This was all thanks to Pete who was off, on my birthday, to spend New Year in Lincolnshire. So we had a family meal at a local Indian restaurant and then the next evening it was scrummy Italian food with two good friends.
What should have been two relaxed, enjoyable evenings were spoilt by ***NOISE***. Now, I'm no killjoy and am usually happy to see others having a good time. But I'm also out to have a good time with my companions and really don't want to be forced to be included in someone else's idea of having fun or even excluded from having any fun at all. I've also noticed that a growing number of restaurants are being refitted/furnished with lots of hard surfaces (stone floors, no soft furnishings, table linens, etc.) and therefore noise is not absorbed. After that massive moan about my birthday I'll just have to make it a priority to find a little intimate restaurant locally and do it all over again!
Christmas started a bit differently in our house this year because Jo decided that she wanted to wake up in her own home with Thomas on Christmas morning so that meant we weren' t comitted to staying up on Christmas Eve until the early hours waiting for Thomas to go to sleep so that Santa could deliver his presents. But it was very, very, very quiet in the absence of childhood anticipation.
The cat obviously thought we were a bit sad so he thought he'd cheer us up by inviting his little furry friend in for a game of football. This was a surprise because we'd rigged the cat-flap so that he couldn't work it if he had any of the local wildlife in his mouth but he'd used his feline inventiveness (after about 5 years!) to overcome this problem. He's very thoughtful, is Mitch. During my recent involvement with Ottershaw Players' production of The Wind in the Willows I would often arrive home late at night to find Ratty or one of his family waiting on the back doorstep to offer advice. Usually they had found the wait too tedious and had died of boredom. The cat looked much too innocent to have wished them any harm.Christmas morning arrived at last, the turkey (which we were very lucky to have, because when the butcher said he was open for 2 or 3 hours on Christmas Eve for collection of said bird he didn't mention that he started at 6am!) fitted well into the oven, Jo was bringing the vegetables, Kathleen was bringing the pudding, Thomas was bringing himself!! Lunch was almost on time and voted to be one of the best ever, I think. Present opening lasted throughout the day, thereby proving just how grown up Thomas is getting. Wonderfully hilarious end to the day with a challenging game of Balderdash. Not laughed as much for hours.
Boxing Day was a blur of bacon bagels for breakfast, followed by regular snacks throughout the day of all the fruit, nuts, chocolates, drinks, etc bought especially for the occasion. Of course we also had the turkey to finish up, ham, salad, cheeses, etc, etc. For exercise we had a walk round the block and up to 'the ruins', where Pete took some photos and reminisced about his childhood.
There then followed a brief hiatus of a couple of days (spent not doing very much at all) before my birthday celebrations. Although it wasn't a 'special' one with no zero on the end or anything, I was having TWO restaurant outings. This was all thanks to Pete who was off, on my birthday, to spend New Year in Lincolnshire. So we had a family meal at a local Indian restaurant and then the next evening it was scrummy Italian food with two good friends.
What should have been two relaxed, enjoyable evenings were spoilt by ***NOISE***. Now, I'm no killjoy and am usually happy to see others having a good time. But I'm also out to have a good time with my companions and really don't want to be forced to be included in someone else's idea of having fun or even excluded from having any fun at all. I've also noticed that a growing number of restaurants are being refitted/furnished with lots of hard surfaces (stone floors, no soft furnishings, table linens, etc.) and therefore noise is not absorbed. After that massive moan about my birthday I'll just have to make it a priority to find a little intimate restaurant locally and do it all over again!
New Year was spent, as always, with the lovely David; very low key, watching Jools Holland and his guests on TV and thanking our lucky stars that these days we're not forced to watch people in kilts playing bagpipes. (OK Jools did have men in kilts playing bagpipes but they weren't on for long and I hid behind my drink).
So now back to normal, whatever normal is.
This morning I had to shop for a few essential bits and pieces, because food bought for Christmas doesn't last forever, and had to make a momentous
decision: will it be Sainsburys in Chertsey or Tesco in Addlestone? I don't like going to Chertsey on Tuesdays because the local auction house holds its weekly sale and car park is full of white vans and their men. As you may have gathered from previous posts and comments I HATE Tesco but it's easier to park there so I went for that option. BIG MISTAKE. I realised that mistake as soon as I entered the car park, passing four spaces where because other people had parked so badly nobody else could take advantage of the gap. To be honest I thought I'd entered some sort of time warp and I was in pre-Christmas mayhem again. But no, just the everyday mayhem that's the joy of Tesco in Addlestone. Luckily Jo phoned while I was in there and suggested lunch at the pub so that was a good excuse to get out of there at double speed. New Year resolution: never going in there again.
decision: will it be Sainsburys in Chertsey or Tesco in Addlestone? I don't like going to Chertsey on Tuesdays because the local auction house holds its weekly sale and car park is full of white vans and their men. As you may have gathered from previous posts and comments I HATE Tesco but it's easier to park there so I went for that option. BIG MISTAKE. I realised that mistake as soon as I entered the car park, passing four spaces where because other people had parked so badly nobody else could take advantage of the gap. To be honest I thought I'd entered some sort of time warp and I was in pre-Christmas mayhem again. But no, just the everyday mayhem that's the joy of Tesco in Addlestone. Luckily Jo phoned while I was in there and suggested lunch at the pub so that was a good excuse to get out of there at double speed. New Year resolution: never going in there again.I was sorely tempted to buy a limited edition plastic filter water jug. They may be antiques of the future. Who knows in a few years it might be worth something (yeah, 10p I hear you say). How many, do you think, did they limit them to? This Tesco had a big display stand full of them and I bet all the other Tesco shops have too.
Got to go now as I've just spilled half a glass of red wine down my cleavage, the cat's giving me a funny look and NYPD is on the telly.
5 comments:
You forgot the 6 hours (or did it only feel like it...?) of Pirates of the Caribbean Monopoly!
I didn't forget - I'm just TRYING to forget!!
Sounds like you had a great time.
It's good to have you back though.
There is a verys tarnge smell in this room; I hope it's not me.
Just who is this Verys Tarnge, Liz? You don't want to be associating with pongy people, y'know.
What's wrong with Scottish people playing bagpipes at New Year?
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