Up until last year I used to work between the two holidays. Nowadays as a customer focused organisation we are closed . There is some irony in those two things but unfortunately nobody else in my organisation seems to get it. As always I am on the outside looking in.
This enforced holiday is not unwelcome necessarily- but if I had a choice I would work- and this year at least it has got me out of answering the telephone to the customers with burst pipes and frozen roads and pavements (not that these last two are anything to do with us).
Not that this holiday has been uneventful. On Christmas Eve my son went to the local NHS Walk In centre because he has an ear infection. On Boxing Day my father-in-law slipped on the ice and badly cut his forearm. I spent two hours in the General Hospital Walk-In centre with him and he had four stitches in the cut. It left him a bit shook up but luckily there was no other damage. On Sunday my mother-in-law went to the Walk In due to a severe chest infection which hasd been developing since Christmas Eve . My son was back at his GP today as his ear infection has left him a bit deaf in one ear. He got some antibiotic eardrops.
If any of you reading this are from the States- this is Public Health care as it should be i.e. free at point of use. None of these visits cost me anything up front- we even got the antibiotics without prescription. It has its shortcomings but the NHS is a great British institution and something that all us Brits should be proud of.
Not to be outdone by all this, my brother-in-law who is a terrible hypochondriac, took to his bed on Monday claiming to be suffering from a severe sinus infection. The consensus of the family was that he was faking it for attention, which of course his wife- my sis-in-law gave him in spades. I like my brother- in- law but he is a terrible baby and behaves-and is treated by his wife- like a 5 year old. He finds the Christmas visit quite fraught because he doesn't have his wife's full attention.
We went with our son to watch Newcastle v Derby last night. Absolutely freezing cold and a terrible match as well. It's strange that after years of refusing to go and watch The Toon , my wife has been this season quite happy to go along. She says it's because the pressure is off and she can enjoy it.
Music wise it has mostly been the usual Christmas music. But today whilst walking the dog over the frozen tundra that Nuns Moor has become this last week I took my MP3 with me and this song came on. Standing amidst the white snow and ice covered Moor with only me and the dog in sight I sang this at the top of my voice. This is indeed one of Embrace's best ever songs. This version was available on download only.
Glorious Day- Embrace
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Friday, 25 December 2009
Christmas Day
I am having a blindingly good Christmas Day. All the wife's family round. Lots of drink, good food - mostly cooked by me- and no arguments or bad temper.
Life doesn't get much better than days like these.
Life doesn't get much better than days like these.
Thursday, 24 December 2009
Christmas Eve In The Workhouse
Well really the Workplace but sometimes it feels like a workhouse. Anyway enough of this Bah! Humbug. It's Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you all. I hope you have a good one. Things are more or less set in my house. It will be a White Christmas as well which is always a bonus.It's time to overindulge and get sentimental.I am already thinking about how I ended up being 48 with a wife and an 18 year old son and sixteen year old daughter.
My wife has decided to not think about jobs for a few days and just enjoy the time with her family. My Sister- in- law and her husband arrived safely from Surrey so we are altogether.
My Mum and Dad drove from Norfolk to Stratford to spend their Christmas as they have done for the last 10 years on a SAGA holiday and then go to my sister's in Didcot. My brother and his family are settled and well so it's all OK for the holidays.
Not everyone will have a good Christmas due to illness, death, relationship breakdown, domestic violence or homelessness.So I urge you to make sure if you are lucky enough to not be in any of those situations that you enjoy yourself and thank whoever, or whatever, you believe in that you can enjoy this time of year.
For me, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without Phil Spector's Christmas album. If you don't already own it, then go and buy it on Boxing Day.You can buy it from most decent record shops or from here. It is well worth the fiver or so you will pay for it.
This track is not one of the usual ones you hear from the album but I like it and talk about a voice!. Enjoy your holiday!!
Marshmallow World-Darlene Love
Merry Christmas to you all. I hope you have a good one. Things are more or less set in my house. It will be a White Christmas as well which is always a bonus.It's time to overindulge and get sentimental.I am already thinking about how I ended up being 48 with a wife and an 18 year old son and sixteen year old daughter.
My wife has decided to not think about jobs for a few days and just enjoy the time with her family. My Sister- in- law and her husband arrived safely from Surrey so we are altogether.
My Mum and Dad drove from Norfolk to Stratford to spend their Christmas as they have done for the last 10 years on a SAGA holiday and then go to my sister's in Didcot. My brother and his family are settled and well so it's all OK for the holidays.
Not everyone will have a good Christmas due to illness, death, relationship breakdown, domestic violence or homelessness.So I urge you to make sure if you are lucky enough to not be in any of those situations that you enjoy yourself and thank whoever, or whatever, you believe in that you can enjoy this time of year.
For me, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without Phil Spector's Christmas album. If you don't already own it, then go and buy it on Boxing Day.You can buy it from most decent record shops or from here. It is well worth the fiver or so you will pay for it.
This track is not one of the usual ones you hear from the album but I like it and talk about a voice!. Enjoy your holiday!!
Marshmallow World-Darlene Love
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
Let It Snow
The second time I have used that title for a blog entry.
Well it's not so much snow falling more the existing snow refusing to melt. Today the temperature was 2degrees centigrade when my wife dropped me off at work.That's the warmest it has been all week.So Friday night's heavy snowfall is still present on the side roads and all the pavements outside the centre of Newcastle. This is making walking to and from work quite arduous , hence me getting lifts from the wife.
She is not too hopeful about her interview yesterday with a leading Registered Social Landlord for a one year contract Change Management job. Still she is in a for a further interview in the New Year.
My son arrived home last night. He seems much the same only more grown up, he seems a bit taller as well.He's got a nasty cough so his mum is already fretting about him.
My daughter was out for another meal last night. Monday night Scalinis at the Three Mile Inn and yesterday evening she was at Unos in town.The Quayside was eerily quiet and some bars didn't appear to be even open.
Christmas is around the corner. Yaaaaaaaay!!!!
Well it's not so much snow falling more the existing snow refusing to melt. Today the temperature was 2degrees centigrade when my wife dropped me off at work.That's the warmest it has been all week.So Friday night's heavy snowfall is still present on the side roads and all the pavements outside the centre of Newcastle. This is making walking to and from work quite arduous , hence me getting lifts from the wife.
She is not too hopeful about her interview yesterday with a leading Registered Social Landlord for a one year contract Change Management job. Still she is in a for a further interview in the New Year.
My son arrived home last night. He seems much the same only more grown up, he seems a bit taller as well.He's got a nasty cough so his mum is already fretting about him.
My daughter was out for another meal last night. Monday night Scalinis at the Three Mile Inn and yesterday evening she was at Unos in town.The Quayside was eerily quiet and some bars didn't appear to be even open.
Christmas is around the corner. Yaaaaaaaay!!!!
Monday, 21 December 2009
Christmas No.1
So Rage Against The Machine beat little Geordie Joe to No.1 in the Nation's Chart. I am pleased with that. His Miley Cirus cover The Climb is an abysmal tune.A Disney pop song by numbers.Does it mean anything that RATM are number 1.Probably not. I did download the song Killing In The Name from Amazon (for only 29p!!)but i doubt it will feature much on my MP3. Never liked RATM much musically although they had their moments. Liked the politics though so I am happy they are No.1 especially if gets some more young people to start to question the world they live in more. If they do we will see some real change.
Still snowing here in Newcastle today but very lightly. My walk to work today was a winter wonderland as snow was falling, all around me. There weren't any children singing though. (Thank you Shakin' Stevens for that thought)
Still snowing here in Newcastle today but very lightly. My walk to work today was a winter wonderland as snow was falling, all around me. There weren't any children singing though. (Thank you Shakin' Stevens for that thought)
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