27 December 2017 (Wednesday) - Back to Work

In the end we had “Dog Christmas” late last night. It wasn’t a success. Rather than playing nicely the dogs fought over their new toys. Over the last few days and weeks they have had s few spats. If this continues one of them will have to go…

I slept like a log (for once); over brekkie I watched an episode of “Dad’s Army” that the SkyPlus box had recorded for me, then I sparked up the lap-top to see if much had happened overnight on social media. It hadn’t, so I set off to work.

As I walked to the car I felt somewhat resentful. "er indoors ^TM" is still off for another week. At this time of year there is always talk of “holiday season”; I had a weekend spent shopping and visiting relatives, and one day off. I do like my job, but once a year I’d like to have a Christmas like everyone else gets.

As I left the house I met an ex-colleague. We exchanged pleasantries, then I drove off to Maidstone. As I drove the pundits on the radio were having something of a "different" day. Because it is the Christmas season, Prince Harry was the news program's guest editor. He started with an interesting article about all the plastic in the sea. But he then rather ruined the show. In theory something about the plight of the children in Syria caught in the local conflicts would have been fascinating. However in order to get the inside story on this, they chose to interview someone whose spoken English left a lot to be desired, and they interviewed this chap over seemingly the world's worst telephone line.

"Thought for the Day" was then presented by some Muslim who was crowing about all the good work he'd done after the Grenfell Tower tragedy. But he then scored something of an own goal when he admitted he'd done good stuff because it said in the Koran that he had to do so. Can't people do good because it is the right thing to do? Do we only do decent things for fear of what a vengeful God might do to us?

I hadn't felt one hundred per cent when I got up; as I got closer to work I felt progressively more and more ill. I got to work and suffered through the day.

As the morning wore on I watched the now falling outside. It didn’t last long, but was pretty whilst it was there.

Once home "er indoors ^TM" converted yesterday’s left-over vegetables into bubble and squeak. It was rather good. We scoffed it whilst watching the Christmas “Bake-off” and then the second episode of “The Orville”.

“The Orville” – such an odd show. It could be *so* good but it is as though the writers are determined to r the piss out of it.

Oh – and I’ve made another video compilation based on my rantings on here.

26 December 2017 (Tuesday) - Family Xmas Bash

I’d not slept well on Sunday night; I was falling asleep yesterday at Glenn and Matt’s (I *hate* that!) and so I had an early night last night. I got an hour’s sleep until nice-next-door started having noisy sex.

Eventually they sated their base urges and I slept like a log. I woke, looked at the clock and distinctly remember seeing it was 7.27. I thought I’d had a few minutes more sleep, and after a few minutes I saw it was three o’clock. Was I dreaming previously? I must have been.

I went for a tiddle, and as I was in the loo I heard the most pitiful whimpering from Fudge. He wanted to go outside. I let him out, he shot up the garden like a bullet from a gun, barking and shouting as he went.

I finally got him back in and settled. I went back to bed where I lay coughing for two hours before giving up and getting up.

Again I’d spent much of the night wide awake, knowing full well that I will be fast asleep later when stuff is going on.

Over an early brekkie (five o’clock) I had a look at the Internet and saw all the spoilers for the TV shows that I had been intending to watch over the next few days. I wish people wouldn’t give spoilers about popular TV shows. Not everyone spends their holiday time staring continually at the telly. I have mentioned this to specific people who are particularly bad for this, and every time it just causes offence. I decided not to rattle any cages today, so (seething) I then spent an hour wrestling with a geo-puzzle. My trigonometry isn’t what it once was.

"er indoors ^TM" and the dogs got up, and we spent a couple of hours re-arranging the living room. I then took the dogs round the park (supposedly to wear them out). As we walked we met "My Boy ^TM" and Rolo. Together we wandered to where I’d left my car yesterday afternoon. The idea was that I would drive "My Boy ^TM"’s branch of the tribe back with me, but they weren’t quite ready so I came home without them.

Shortly after I got home "Daddy’s Little Angel ^TM", "Stormageddon - Bringer of Destruction ^TM" and Sam arrived. The first fruit of my loin and his womenfolk weren’t far behind, and my mummy and daddy were hot on their heels, together with mother-in-law.

Four generations of us (pestered by five dogs) sat down for a rather good Christmas dinner. "er indoors ^TM" did a rather good spread. We all scoffed ourselves silly. And (as predicted) I spent much of the afternoon fast asleep. But I did wake for Christmas pudding.

In retrospect we got too much food in. Three was *loads* left over, and we didn’t cook up the mushrooms or carrots, and the stout, cheese, stolen and Christmas cake went untouched. And perhaps eleven people (and five dogs) was just too many; there wasn’t space in the living room for us all.

But we had a rather good afternoon.

Despite having been told what was going to happen, once the family had departed we sat in front of the telly and watched the Christmas “Doctor Who”. Without wishing to give any spoilers (even though I’m in the minority on this), I liked the program; it catered for the die-hard fans of the show. But it did go on a bit. It could have been twenty minutes shorter, and if it had been it would have made for a better show.

We also saw the Christmas “Trollied”; that was rather good.

The plan was then to have “Dog Christmas”; the pups have received quite a few presents. We deliberately waited until after the family bash before opening their pressies as we didn’t want Sid, Rolo or Pogo making off with their stuff. But the afternoon had worn the pups out. They both spent the evening snoring.

We’ll do “Dog Christmas” tomorrow…

25 December 2017 (Monday) - Early Shift

I woke feeling full of energy and raring to go. I looked at the clock and was a bit miffed to find it was only a quarter past two and I was wide awake. I read my Kindle for a bit to see if that would make me feel sleepy. It didn’t. I lay wide awake until giving up and getting up shortly after half past four.

Over brekkie I watched an episode of “Still Game” and was plunger-ing the bath before six o’clock.

Fudge came downstairs clearly wanting to go outside. I naively thought he wanted a tiddle. He didn’t. He wanted to run about barking. Though (to be fair to him) I don’t know which was loudest; his barking or my shouting at him to shut up. He then went back to bed. Wish I could have done so.

Leaving "er indoors ^TM" and the dogs sleeping I set off to work. As I walked out into the still dark morning I remembered my mother's tales of Uncle Eddie. I never met the chap (he died before I was born), but apparently during the 1950s and 1960s he would walk round the Clive Vale area of Hastings at 2am every Christmas morning, clanging a hand-bell, noisily singing "Christians Awake, Salute the Happy Morn".

I bet the locals loved him.

I decided against following his example.

I switched on the car radio; there was some drivel about how Christmas was better in the good old days when we all had rickets, polio and plague. I turned the radio off and as I drove to work I listened to a CD. "Mr Hanky's Christmas Classics" had me feeling almost as festive as Mr Hanky himself. (For those of my loyal readers who aren't as versed in the genre as I am, Mr Hanky is the Christmas poo.)

Normally when I drive to work on a Monday for the early shift the motorway is a nightmare. Today, whilst there were quite a few cars heading coast-bound, as I drove on the London-bound carriageway to Maidstone I only encountered three other cars.

My hopes were raised when I got to Aylesford. I saw the lights were on in McDonalds, but I was to be disappointed. The place was all lit up, but was closed. McDonalds closed!!

I got to work early; the night shift was glad to escape a few minutes early, and I coughed and spluttered through my shift. As I worked my phoned beeped seemingly all the time with various messages of consolation. Obviously I'd rather not be working on Christmas Day, but (in all honesty) it goes with working in a hospital. I've worked  on Christmas Day before and I expect I shall do so again in the future.

But there was no denying that i was pleased to see the relief when he arrived. I told him about the blood delivery that was coming (some poor chap was having to drive half way across the country with some rather obscure blood product today) and I drove back to Glenn and Matts where I started Christmas about ten hours later than everyone else.

Mind you it was worth waiting for. A vey good dinner, far too much stout, and we played “Family Fortunes” which is nowhere near as easy as it looks.

Walking home was rather cold and windy… Once home I had a look-see at pressies. Not a bad haul.