Day 2554 (25/12/2016)

Christmas Day.

As much as I complain about Christmas I really enjoy all being together and having fun as a family.

The dinner went well and the company was great.

Lee bought us some ginger bread to decorate, which was great fun.

Then we did Christine's annual quiz, which was good bit me & Thomas lost.

Time for a few cheese & biscuits in the evening.

At the end of the day there was really sad news of the death of George Michael.

A terribly sad loss.

Day 2553 (24/12/2016)

Christmas Eve.

Thomas arrived in the early hours.

Then Lee arrived early evening. It is so nice to all be together.

Sad that Rick Parfitt for Status Quo died today.

Day 2552 (23/12/2016)

Just about all of my work is done , so its fairly relaxing now.

Put my wife's giant gnomes out if the garden after putting in fresh batteries so they light-up.

In the evening my wife picked up her mother to spend Christmas with us.

Day 2551 (22/12/2016)

Just about finished work and went into town to do some shopping.

Had a nice paella with my wife in the evening.

 

 

 

It was lovely.

Day 2550 (21/12/2016)

Another busy day in the office.

Still not allowed to start the Christmas chocolates, so having the nuts instead.

Looking forward to a break.

Day 2549 (20/12/2016)

A busy day in the office but I finally got that bloody distance learning course finished (I know I said the same last year).

I am nearly finished in the office and am even planning to do my Christmas shopping tomorrow.

Day 2548 (19/12/2016)

A really busy day in the office.

My wife bought a new tree to save time.

It didn't.

Actually as always I had nothing to do wit the Christmas decorations; normally I'm away but today I was in my office until really later and then I felt ill so had to go to bed :-(

As always my wife made the house look lovey.

Day 2546 & 2547 (17 & 18/12/2016)

The weekend is here but I still have loads of work to do.

This is the least organised we have ever been. We still don't have the Christmas tree down from the loft, let alone up.

We popped into Bridgwater and had a drive thru Costa afterwards and had Christmas cups.

In the evening my wife went on her Christmas do, whilst I carried on working. I think she had a good time.

I made a nice pork roast on Sunday, with a cauliflower cheese.

 

 

Day 2545 (16/12/2016)

Another busy day, with lots of reports that need doing but other stuff to do.

I bought some more stuff for the food bank, to make it up to the full amount I had meant to spend.

Day 2544 (15/12/2016)

Another busy day in the office but in the evening I went to Bristol to give a talk to The Bristol Cable, a group of independent investigative journalists.

I hadn't really checked the address beforehand, so didn't realise it was what we used to call the "front line" in the jungle. The last time I had parked a vehicle in this street was in around 1991, when I had a full firearms team with me and we were going after someone who was wanted for shooting another drug dealer. Whilst I was sat in the van I had so much stuff thrown at me that the van was rocking and was dented from front to back (pebble dashed).

It wasn't scary it was actually quite funny but when we all had to leave (I wouldn't say retreat but others might) I couldn't drive forward (the road was now blocked), so I had to reverse at speed but couldn't see behind me (it wasn't that type of van) and had lost both wing mirrors during the incident. I just put it in reverse, tried to keep the van straight and waited to hit something and was quite surprised when I didn't.

Anyway the areas has completely changed and it was fine.

On the way home there was an accident on the M5, so I had to sit in traffic for an hour.

When I got home I was able to discus my wife's latest purchase.

Day 2543 (14/12/2016)

A busy day in the office but I met up with a friend for a coffee to catch-up.

Apparently the pain in my fingers may be due to gout.

Well there goes my work class street creed.

I don't really care that much if it is gout, as I know my lifestyle has changed and as I will be home from now on, instead of flying off everywhere and staying in hotels all of the time. I will be able to be more healthy and regularly go to the gym, so I should just get better anyway.

Day 2542 (13/12/2016)

Lots to do in the office but at lunchtime I went out to buy so stuff for our local food bank.

I phone them beforehand to see what they are short off and then go and buy them some stuff.

It is just disgusting that in a civilised country people are forced to use food banks to feed their families. If you are in a comfortable position yourself, then you should always try to help others who may not be as fortunate.

In the evening I made a nice chilli.

 

Day 2541 (12/12/2016)

Just a busy day in the office.

Day 2539 & 2540 (10 & 11/12/2016)

A cold wintery weekend.

Most of Saturday was spent in the office catching up with work. In the evening we had some of the leftover Chinese.

Sunday was again spent in the office, sorting out the presentations for some of our trainers up coming courses; hopefully very shortly I won't be involved in the training at all, apart from profiting from it and giving the occasional bit of advice when I discover a new technique.

Did a nice lamb roast in the evening.

 

With a rice pudding for afters (OK I cheated a bit as it was tinned rice with added milk and fresh nutmeg).

Day 2538 (09/12/2016)

A busy day in the office but I had to go out halfway thru for some blood tests (for my bad fingers).

Actual the least painful blood tests I've had in a long time.

In the evening we had Chinese as my wife had been in Bristol seeing her mother.

Day 2537 (08/12/2016)

Busy day in the office.

Saw Richard Herring this evening in Bridgwater (I worked there for over two years and didn't even know they had a theatre).

It was only a small (intimate) room (and smelled of damp) but it was a fun show, even if I was the butt of several of his comments as I was sat in the front and he obviously knew that I would laugh along.

Day 2536 (07/12/2016)

I had a bit of a cough last night but woke up full of a cold :-(

Thankfully it wasn't icy or too cold today as we were having our old patio doors, which hadn't opened for years, with a new set of french doors.

So there was obviously a big gap in the wall for a while but it seemed to OK.

 

The worse thing was the smell of the cleaning fluid they used (imaging a glue sniffer on industrial thinners), which meant when they were finished I still had to have the patio doors open for a while.

They are very nice and much better than what was there before.

Did a nice meatballs & spaghetti for dinner.

Day 2535 (06/12/2016)

Another busy day in the office but I got quite a bit of the distance learning package together.

In the afternoon I had a trip to the tip and to the car wash.

Day 2534 (05/12/2016)

Busy in the office with loads of stuff to do but started the day with a nice porridge and mixed fruit.