This Is Where I Am

Hi all.

With this blog, I reach a target that I set myself back in January – to post a different number of blogs in each month. So even if the rest of the year was up and down like a pensioners pants when dysentery strikes, I can feel like I’ve achieved something.

Christmas was wonderful.
A joyous end to an eventful year.
I’ll fill you in when the time seems right, but to give you some brief highlights of a momentous ten days:
Sophie has started applying for jobs at the hospital in Norwich. She and her partner Tamara – who is lovely, by the way – are hoping to move back here sometime in the next few months.
I no longer work for a provider of domestic decorating equipment, but Tom gave me a big bonus as a leaving present and a promise of ‘the best reference ever written in Britain.’
Nathan fell over in the ice and broke his finger. Hannah impressed him so much with her nursing that he asked her to marry him. We’re still trying to work out whether it was a genuine proposal, or just the shock or morphine talking. Either way, she's still thinking about it.
On Christmas Eve, we all piled out for a party. After a lecture from both my sisters, I called Philippa and asked her to join us. She did… she looked stunning… we talked about our feelings… and she ended up staying the night.

Happy New Year

RC 31-12-10

Busy, but better

What a day. Why the Hell does everyone want to get wallpaper delivered in the week before Christmas? Not exactly a brilliant present for someone, is it? Tom says everyone is trying to get things cheaply before VAT goes up in January. He may be right. And they may be right... Maybe I should go mad and buy a TV, computer and games console before the prices increase.

Sophie arrives tomorrow, so I may not blog for a while due to exciting family commitments. In case I don’t - have a fantastically Happy Christmas; thank you for reading; and I’ll speak to you on the other side of the Yuletide.

Season’s Greetings!

RC 22-12-10

Counting down

It’s getting near the end of the year, so we’ll be inundated with ‘Best Of’s and ‘Worst Of’s and “Ten best-selling Simon Cowell shitstains of the year” and so on.. So I’m getting in early with a List Of My Own:

5 Best Lines I’ve Overheard This Year:

“Everyone’s body works differently, but if your piss is coming out like golden syrup, it’s time to go to the doctor”
“I mean - Nelson Mandela - what‘s he ever done for black people?”
“If God had meant me to cut the grass, he would have made my penis a Flymo”
“The next person who asks me if I’m putting on weight is going to spend the rest of their life trying to pull my left foot out of their arsehole”
“Cheryl Cole is not a good role model for young girls in this country - she’s just a whining, skanky slut”

RC 21-12-10

Eat, drink, be merry

I had Sunday lunch with Ted and Beryl. She wanted to try out her new gravy idea before Christmas so Ted and I got to be guinea pigs. It was ok. Beryl's recipes nowadays seem to be the same as her old ones, but with huge amounts of brandy added. With mince pies, that's great, but with gravy it didn't really work. "That's awful," she said when she tried it herself, "Thank God I've still got a week to work at it." I have a feeling Ted will be eating a lot of roast dinners this week.
For dessert, we were offered a massive Christmas pudding, topped with golden syrup. God, it was sweet. Beryl said "It's my dear old mum's recipe, but with a few little extras of my own." It's a wild guess, but I think those 'extras' might be brandy, rum and drambuie.

RC 19-12-10

an update..

Minus ten degrees celsius in our garden this morning. Did I fall asleep in Norfolk and wake up in Lapland? At least it's seasonal I suppose, and I haven't got to drive anywhere today so what do I care?
Sophie is travelling down by train, which is the least likely mode of transport to be affected by bad weather, so I'm quite relieved. She and her partner are leaving Wednesday, visiting her partner's parents on the way down and staying overnight, then getting the train into Norwich about 4pm on Thursday 23rd. Yay! It's going to be great to see them. I'm still 'negotiating' with Hannah to try and convince her to spend Christmas Day with us, instead of with Nathan's lot. We shall see.

Everyone at work got a Christmas card from Tom yesterday. The picture on the front is a re-creation of the nativity scene, with Tom and his wife as Joseph and Mary, and poor little baby Summer dressed up as the infant Jesus. It is truly horrible.

Philippa and I have been getting on great. She's got loads to do in the office and I've been helping her out where I can. She's been very grateful, and very sweet. It's strange to think I'll only be working there for another week, and then I won't be seeing her anymore.
Did I say 'strange'? I think I meant 'awful'

RC 18-12-10

The Blue Room

I've gone all festive.
I've decorated my bedroom with some SupaBright LED outdoor-use fairy lights.
They're all blue, there are 120 of them, and I have them all around the ceiling in my bedroom.

I feel like I'm sleeping on the set of TRON.

RC 16-12-10

Invitation

I had tea with Ted and Beryl tonight. I’m stuffed. Beryl is finalising her mince pie recipe for this year so we had to be guinea pigs and try 12 different types that she’d prepared. My personal favourite was the one laced with so much drambuie it burnt your throat out, but in the end we all agreed she should go with the shortcrust, deep-filled option with icing sugar and chocolate flakes on top. Lovely, and she’ll bake about 10,000 of them in time for Christmas, so there’ll be plenty more for me to gorge on.
Ted said “You can say no if you want to, but obviously we’ll be having a big family do here on Christmas Day, and obviously you and Hannah are invited.”
I said it would be lovely, but explained that Sophie would be here for Xmas, and that she might have her partner with her, and that Nathan might be spending the day with us as well, so it seemed a bit unfair to accept.
They smiled at each other and Beryl said “Oh, I’m sure we can squeeze you all in somewhere.”
Ho, ho and ho.

RC 9-12-10

Sh*theads

I watched a TV programme today I’d never seen before. It’s called ‘Eggheads.’ It’s a quiz show on BBC2. A team of quiz enthusiasts from the general public go up against a ‘SuperTeam’ of intellectual people who have won other TV quiz shows before. These pretentious, egotistical, nerdy bumtwits - for whom one on-screen victory in the past clearly wasn’t satisfying enough - all sit together in one smug group behind a table, glowing in their own trivia-spouting importance.

I’ve never wanted to see a hand grenade used more in my life.

RC 8-12-10

Single

I’m on my own, on a Friday night, with a soggy pepperoni pizza, a can of ginger beer, and a DVD of Lee Mack Live that I’m not laughing at in the slightest.

I love being me.

RC 3-12-10

Opening doors

It's Christmas month!!
Happy Advent!!
etcetera, etcetera!!

Work was busy today. Lots of people seem to want to get re-decorating done in time for Christmas, so we had loads of orders to send out. I like being busy though. It makes the day go quicker as I just get on with one task after another, and I can't dwell on the fact that I'm 'doing a job' instead of 'building a career.' Tom asked me today if I'd consider doing six days a week again, starting next Monday, to help in the build up to Christmas. I said yes, then told Philippa and she said "Yay! We'll get to see more of each other again!" and then the atmosphere went very weird again. Luckily I spent most of the afternoon in the warehouse, so I didn't have to think about it too much. But I did think about her.. Bloody women.

I'm going to look at a car tomorrow evening. It's a 4-year-old Mini One, and it's far too much money, but I'd like to take it for a test drive before I tell the owner I'm too poor to afford it.
It's a bit of a pain to think I'll be unemployed again in a month's time. I'm trying to stay positive and make big plans for the New Year, but it's still a bit unsettling. Sophie (via e-mail) has suggested I look at the job market in Edinburgh and consider living up there with her for a while. I told her 'If I'm going to be on The Dole, I'd rather not do it somewhere cold and full of Scotsmen.'

RC 1-12-10