Over and out...

An informal way of saying 'bye'. 
Often used in the armed forces, followed by a salute. 
Also works well with a wink... ;) 

So: Over and out... ;) 

Next Christmas already...

With this Christmas fast disappearing - even more quickly than the leftover turkey - I am already beginning to think about next Christmas.

Well, time on my hands does that to me and between now and mid-February I am going to have plenty of that. Yes, there's a void to fill until my new shop opens next year and I need to find ways to fill it.

Of course there will be some gardening, a bit of decorating, and the daily chores, but I also want to develop a new product range for next year.

I still have a head full of Christmas though, so today I had a play with my next year's charity bauble and came up with this. You can see what it is so I won't insult you by describing it, but I have to tell you that it isn't easy getting that pine tree inside the glass globe and it's even harder getting the glue in place to stick it firm so that it's upright.

Anyway after much thinking and swearing I managed this one, and once you have done one the rest will follow... I hope.

Boxing Day - Marley's visit...

So here it is another Boxing Day. A day for cold meats, bubble and squeak, and pickles; not that I need a pickle this Boxing Day, I’ve had enough of those, even, a couple of years ago, a visit from my own Jacob Marley.

Yes, Boxing Day, a poor cousin to Christmas Day itself - a relaxed day, a not to worry day, a day for reflection.

Sometimes I’ll dip into a book and often it’s A Christmas Carol by my good friend Charlie Dickens. I’ve read that book a dozen times at least, so usually I just flick through reading my favourite passages. It seems to me that A Christmas Carol contains everything you need to know about being a decent human being, everything you should aim for, not just at Christmas but at any time of the year. There is so much truth in it, so much to take note of, it might be a blueprint for happiness. Of course happiness isn’t easy but we all have to strive for it, or at least I do. So I just flick through reading my favourite passages and think about what they mean to me.

A long time ago I was asked to think about what people would say about me at my funeral, asked to imagine the conversations they were having. At that time I wasn’t sure that I liked what I imagined hearing and I’m not sure when I hear them in my mind today that I like them still. But at least my imagined comments are a little better these days than they were back then.

Of course it’s all in my mind, and I could be wrong, but I’ll keep working at it. After all, who wants people pleased and relieved at your demise?

Who indeed Jacob, who indeed?

So, if you take my advice begin with the end in mind and remember Marley’s warning. Oddly, I think I may have a lot to be thankful to him for - poor, hopeless, devil.

Happy Boxing Day, try to find a little time for reflection and remember what Scrooge said to the spirit of Christmas to come: "Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead.”

Christmas Day 2014...

Each year Holly and I squeeze into a supermarket photo booth and make a Christmas photo for Gaynor - Holly's mum and my wife.

Years ago it was easy, years ago there was Woolworth's and their booths were pretty big. Mind you, Holly was much smaller then and so was I. We've been doing this since Holly was two, but these days we really struggle to fit into the booth. Either the booths are smaller or we have grown, although I think it a combination of the two.

It has become a tradition, like ringing the silver bells became a tradition today. Sometimes we get funny looks as we don our Christmas attire, and the sight of a really fat bloke and a tall stick of a young woman emerging from behind that little grey curtain has at times led to a few puzzled faces.

We have all sorts of photographic quality and we've taken them in all sorts of booths. It can be very hit and miss. It's worth it though and I really like this one. We look happy, don't we.

Yes, what a record we all have of Holly and I at Christmas - and why not?

Yes, why not?

Happy Christmas Day everybody. I hope it is a happy one for you.

Advent calender 24 - Christmas chores....

Noel!

So that’s it, Christmas Eve is upon us and with it a chapter of my life ends. The Emporium on the Downs (nee Trader’s Outlet) closes today. Yes the poorest management I have ever encountered eventually managed to mismanage the store out of business.

Still, every cloud has a silver lining and in the New Year I open my new shop in the old Altrincham Post Office. Do not fear, the glass painting will continue.

Meanwhile my chosen one has cleaned our house from top to bottom and even the upstairs lounge, which we rarely use, is dust free and sparkling. It’s the biggest and lightest room in the house and we really should use it more, maybe we might play a Christmas game of Scrabble on Christmas afternoon.

Christmas is a funny old motivator. I suddenly need to do all those jobs that have been hanging over my head for months. loose carpets get nailed down, wonky doors get unwonked, old candles get thrown away, even that piece of hallway paneling that keeps dropping off gets fixed.

"Hot dog!"

So many chores, so little time. But hooray, we are ready at last! The chores are done, the final Christmas tree, the one from my shop and tree number six, has been re-erected and decorated; the Christmas presents have been rescued from their hiding places and wrapped; we even have the smell of homemade mince pies wafting from our very tidy kitchen.

Life is good and all is well, Christmas can safely come now. I really hope it’s quiet one.

Noel and God bless us, every one!

Advent Calender 23 - Lost Christmas cards...

Ah, the humble Christmas card. They say almost nothing when you receive them, but speak volumes when they don’t arrive. Not getting a Christmas card from somebody who you have known for a long time can mean any number of things. They could have died, fallen on hard times, or maybe even fallen out with you.

I think my mother used to measure her popularity by the number of Christmas cards she received, may even have pitied others who didn’t receive as many as she did. I don’t get cards from her any more. I don’t send her any either. What would be the point given the man she lives with and the fact that I have been ordered to have no contact with either of them?

A lot of my family have stopped sending me cards since the man I mentioned pushed it just a little too far and showed his true colours again. He’s not a man to disagree with you see. Funny the way people side, even when they must know the truth about his behaviour. It isn’t exactly a one off and everyone must have seen it at some time or another. Why use not sending a Christmas card as a weapon though?

Oh well, we still have plenty of cards to hang along our stairs; cards from people and friends who know us, even some from people who like me for who I am.

And that will do for me.

Merry Christmas.

Advent calender 22 - Aunt Fanny on a rock bun...

I am reliably informed by my wife that when it comes to wrapping presents I am about as much use as her aunt Fanny on a rock bun. Now, I have never met my wife’s aunt Fanny and I have no idea what possessed her to sit on a rock bun (I’m not ever sure what a rock bun is or if aunt Fanny exists) but when it comes to wrapping presents I have to admit I am less than thrilled by it.

There was a time, many, many moons ago, when wrapping presents seemed like an enjoyable and worthy way of spending a few hours. The paper would fold, the ribbons would match, and even the sellotape behaved itself. These days though, I have become all fingers and thumbs, my time is more limited due to a need to sleep, and they don’t make sellotape like they used to (other brands of sticky tape are available).

On the subject of sticky tape, why is it that it always curls back on itself and sticks to my fingers instead of the paper, just where does the end disappear to every time I put it down for a moment, and why does it fold back on itself, sticking tape to tape, rendering it useless?

Square boxes I can just about manage at a pinch, but give me anything that has curves or even a few uneven sides and I may as well be trying to wrap an elephant. Sometimes I feel that I am wrapping an elephant. I overstretch the paper making it tear so that I have to patch it back together with sticky tape and I always cut the paper to the wrong size. If I cut it too big I have to cut off the ends which always seems to make them ragged and if I cut it too small I find myself joining on another piece which is rarely satisfactory.

Labels are another problem. I start by writing nice loving messages with a festive flavour ‘Happy Christmas darling, from your own special Santa’ and then (after the first ten or so and a few more glasses of wine) end up dashing off meaningless nonsense – Blinky, winky, winky, woo – love snogger xxx.

Then there’s those stick on bows that really aren’t stick on.

No matter how I try I can’t get the backing paper off without removing the sticky as well. I usually end up sticking them on with doubled over sellotape which means that they invariably fall off as they sit patientlyy under the tree waiting to be unwrapped.

Maybe this is why for the last few years I have delegated most of my present wrapping to my daughter (God bless her).

Well, if it’s good enough for Santa…