BACK

First day back after nine days off not impressed .
Having roast pork and roast veg including sweet potatoes and parsnips.
Playing "The last of us " made a lot of progress finally game play is falling into place .

Watching " Luther " all episodes

BOWLED OVER

Friday.
Meet my twin sister and her husband Alan in Leeds city center at the Apple store in the Trinity centre , looked in Apple store at iPad mini my sister is thinking about one.

We went to Costa cafe had a vanilla latte Helen had tea as always and a slice of lemon cake , for some reason we got two pots of tea but paid for only one.

Queued up at Pandora for the second time in a week to get a charm for Helens birthday amount of money they must have taken over the last week must be in the millions.

Bought a 2014 page to page diary in black from the pound shop .

Saturday
Helens birthday another year older she not a happy bunny she thought she was a year younger than what she is , she did the same last year , i bought her some Jimmy Choose perfume and a safety chain for her Pandora and another charm.

Sunday
Helen drove her Suzuki Swift for the first time after we went to visit my son Guy in York we meet him at the cottage he lives in he gave me my present he had bought me a crystal head vodka bottle just what I wanted couldn't have picked a better gift.

We went ten pin bow!ing something I have not done since my youth , I got a couple of strikes and a couple of spares and a few down the gutter , still it was great fun must do it again .

BOXING DAY

The Christmas dinner that we cooked yesterday was exceptional amazingly nothing went wrong it all cooked good ,
 we soaked the gammon overnight to get rid of the salt and it was covered in honey .

Today we went to visit my eldest sister and her partner Ged we stayed for a coffee her Son Andrew  had put her loads of pictures spanning generations on to a terabyte external hard drive that was connected to the TV pictures trigger memories  we called before visiting  friends Kath and Wayne who moved to Pudsey not long before we moved house they had invited us for boxing day  dinner so  we ended up having another roast dinner two days running again with all the trimmings.

Later we visited my twin sister Anne who lives on the other side of Leeds she gave Helen some  silver bangles one with a turquoise stone and to me a gents silver curb link  neck chain my other chain broke which Helen gave to me years ago it was very fine but finally did snap.

Listening to - 30 Seconds to Mars "Lust Faith and dreams" and "This is war".

Watching  - "Closed circuit".

Eating - Turkey sandwiches and mince pies .

Drinking - Port and Magners not in the same glass.

CHRISTMAS PAST .

Woke up too early like half four got up at eight prepared the turkey crown and gammon joint peeled the white and sweet potatoes parsnips made the Yorkshire puddings whilst having a glass or two of port , no cigar.

Text loads of old friends and family checked Facebook and remembered Mum and Dad specially when Bing,s white Christmas came on the radio reminiscing of Christmas,s past when I was a lad we always had a box of dates Turkish delight and figs and nuts loads of satsuma's in tissue paper.
 Dad would have a bottle of lemon hart rum and Mum a bottle of Harvey Bristol cream and a case of babycham ,we would have a tin full of home baked mince pies and a Christmas cake full of sherry and spirits with marzipan , there would always be after eight mints and matchmakers in mint and orange and our dinner would always be turkey but it would be a full bird the wings and legs would always be dried out and we never really eat them .The table would be extended fully chairs borrowed and there be christmas crackers ready  to be pulled .

Now its all iPads , iPhone ,face book , text messages , sky TV and computer games thank god

EVE

My daughter called to visit us with her boyfriend Lee and his son Lewis.
She liked the cottage and stayed around a hour from visiting us she was then  going to visit her brother and her mother my ex wife near Pocklington.

The weather here as caused a lot if chaos winds and torrential rain has canceled trains and flights 150,000 houses are without electric some are flooded a lot are not going to have a Christmas that they had been planing .

Watched a short film on Vimeo  about a puppet maker steampunk artist Zina Nichole Lahr  i came across it by chance it was only a month ago .
Today I found out that she had died  she was only 23 years old so sad .
We all need to enjoy Christmas and the new year it might be our last so enjoy every minute ,so here's me , wishing you all the best Christmas ever, and a tremendous new year.

FiRST DAY OFF

Was up just after eight as I am on leave all week ,I drove down to the local Co - op store and bought some Christmas food a turkey crown a fresh chicken and a gammon joint and a bottle of port along with veg and snacks .

We went back to the garage and picked up the Ugh boots , we went yo Helen's mother and fathers house to drop cards and presents off.

We found a Asda on the drive home , and bought more food and snacks another turkey crown and a joint of pork which we will have with roasted pears , I also bought a bottle of Jack Daniel's barbecue sauce to go with the pork pies and quiches and something i did not get at the Co - op is sweet potatoes its been my tradition for the last twenty five years is to have sweet potatoes I had them when they was not that popular in the UK.

We have a fridge and freezer full of food and cupboards full  of tin food. Plus plenty of bread and breadcakes we are lucky we have plenty I know plenty don't have nothing we are grateful

WAS THE WEEKEND BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Saturday
Trade in day we swap cars and get the Suzuki Swift it took only thirty minutes before we was driving away in our little beast it is metallic black with a very and black interior only thing I don't like is it does not have electric door mirrors but apart from that not bad.

How can Helen leave a three hundred pound pair of Ugg boots behind the seat in the Beetle that we traded in yesterday, and not realize until this morning . Because she is blonde or because her feet were cold and  wet perhaps all three.

Sunday
We are going to the Hospital for a echo scan this morning at ten so we can call in to the garage and hopefully retrieve them.
Seeing Helen's heart beating and  plusating on the echo scan monitor was unbelievable seeing the valves opening and close was amazing it looked so delicate,  how it continues to work every second and in some cases for well
 over a hundred years is truly remarkable and scary because it is so finally engineered.

We called in the Suzuki dealership to retrieve the boots the car keys for the Beetle  were looked in the valeting Section of the garage which the showroom staff did not have the keys we need to call back Monday.

We drove over to Penistone for a breakfast at a little cafe and fish shop it was after twelve.
In the afternoon we bought some presents and Christmas cards we went to Dobcross to see the lights after we had a Chinese meal noodles duck curry crispy pork in honey and lemon and of course the sweet corn and chicken soup which is one of the finest I have tasted

MAD FRIDAY

Break up today for a full nine days heaven . I can not wait for tonight's shift to end and the drive home for Christmas sound like Chris Rea don't I.
I received eight bottles of Magnets cider from the secret Santa would of preferred Koppaberg but will make do.
Helen had her mobile  ECG monitor that has been taped to her for the last seven days taken off .
Anyway I am looking forward to the holidays I know it will go far too quick be 2014 before we know it.

STAY OR GO

I have a interview today for a bench hand joiner working for a display and design company based in Elland which is closer to where I live,the hours would be eight until half past four the money is slightly better too.Only thing is they have just won a contract from the phone company O2 which last they said for two years which could be for eighteen months or even twelve months so then what happens they would I am pretty sure be ruthless and lay people off , I don't want to be jobless and be signing on .

The interview went well later the called me and asked if they could approach my employer for a reference I said yes , if I am offered a job I have a big decision to make stay or go if I go I am not even sure what happens with the car that I lease through work , then there is my pension and sick pay to think about and in another eighteen months i should be at the top of my pay scale if I stay were I am ,boring and mundane as it is.

Helen has her portable ECG machine taken of tomorrow on Sunday she has a echo scan and hopefully all is well .

SWIFT WEEKEND

Swapped Helen's VW Beetle for a Suzuki swift in black that's has  got less than 25,000 miles on it . All we had to do was to pay £100 upfront and £125 road tax for the year .
It will have a full years M.O.T and will be totally valeted and serviced and will be ready to pick up next Saturday.We have lost money on the Beetle this car was £5495 but will be cheaper to insure and   be cheaper to tax and it will use less fuel.
We will both be driving black cars .

How can the Indian restaurant that delivered our curry tonight forget to include the pilau rice last time it was the poppadom's.
Got up this morning Helen cooked breakfast only to discover that we had  no baked beans , i ask can life get any worse than this .

Sunday
Went to Trafford center bought two bottles of Jimmy choo perfume and a bottle of Bobbi Brown foundation for Helen that is as i dont use it for Christmas and birthday presents .The lights and decorations where very good the brass band playing Christmas carols was atmospheric.
Cleaned both aquariums out washed the gravel totally changed the water and cleaned all the glass and cleaned the  filters and pads as well as the artificial plants and both heaters it was a  total start again as we had  green algae growing on the surfaces of the tanks and it was spreading we should look at getting some solution to add to the water to prevent this happening again.

After we went for Sunday carvery at the Fox house again .We was thinking about booking Christmas dinner but only sitting available was at 11.30 a.m way to early so we are going to cook our own dinner.


watching - The giant mechanical man .

THANK CRUNCHY

Friday comes around again and another week spent in a job that I don't want to do anymore , for me it is working in a place that i don't want to be and guess what everyone i work with feels the same .
I am sick and tired of paperwork for the sake of paperwork that is filed away and never looked at , and sick and tied of having my workload increased ,along with working in a office that has no windows so no natural light and no air con to boot and is way too warm and stuffy even in winter.

That is why i live in the country it is always changing it never stays the same it evolves and adapts just like nature and it evokes a sense of belonging and a sense of peace and tranquility i wish we had  open fire in our tiny cottage we could forage and burn  and a veranda to sit out on when it is getting dusk  and look at the stars  or dawn and look at the sunrise , i can't wait for spring and summer to have three weeks of annual leave and go walking.

Least we have Christmas to look forward to i can't wait not sure what plans we have not sure if we are staying in the cottage or will visit family and friends in the city not even sure what the weather will do .

Eating Jello's crunchy nut cornflakes with ice cold semi skimmed milk poured on top with a splash of double cream poured on heaven.

I want to buy a diary journal or note book like a moleskin to pen my days events and thoughts , i shall keep it up to date with daily thoughts and ideas what i have watched on dvd or t what i have spent what i have eaten etc will photograph the entries and post them on here.

Loaded the IPhone up with a changes of albums the Killers , and Keane's new albums and Nickleback along with the Manic street preachers and James Arthur to name but a few.

Got The world's End ,Wolverine and Man of steel to watch.
and Call  of duty and Killzone 2 for the Ps3 which is a brilliant game it just picking up weapons and killing the bad guys.

Bought Christmas edition of Stuff magazine to read.

STAY OR MOVE ON

So far the weather as been quite mild slightly wet with some sunshine , the cottage feels damp when walking on the downstairs carpets you can feel the dampness the sofa a chair feels cold and damp although there is no evidence of mold or mildew that  is not so true regarding the bathroom as the walls on  either side of the window which is set back a good 450 mm have pores growing if not cleaned away this is also slightly true about the bedroom window but to a lesser extent.

The heating is on and through the day and night the cottage is well ventilated , and when we have showers the windows are left open mainly because  we don't have a extraction fan fitted which is also true  when we cook as we don't have one over the cooker another thing missing that we don't have is a tumbler dryer for our washed clothes , and  would be a big plus to have a log burner wood stove as it would burn better and give out more heat which would then transfer upstairs easier.

The lease for the cottage will be up by the end of January , I would like to spend summer here as it will be totally different and would mean my first summer that I would have lived in the countryside in my life time as I have always been in the city.

IT WAS

Boring boring boring highlight of the week was a KFC supper .
Playing Killzone 2 like it lots and watching Halo on Netflix apart from this sleeping working and eating have done little else.
I really need to get a life hopefully 2014 it will all come good going to do a twelve month plan and will see what comes of it.

FOXED AGAIN

Saturday
Went to Halifax to Piece Hall to the Friendly dragon Helen wanted to buy a sage smug stick to cleanse the house.

Bought a second lot of mince pies and the Christmas edition of Stuff magazine to read later we had fish and chips before driving over the moors to Uppermill , the Christmas lights were being switched on there was a brass band playing and fireworks we also drove through Dobcross to see the post office and pub all trimmed out and light up .
Got two DC films to watch the latest Wolverine and Superman .

Sunday
Its was way after one in the morning when we went to bed.
Need to get some fresh air need to clean the fish tanks out.
Went for a drive it is amazing what you can find buy altering your usual route places and scenery do change i should have taken my camera.

We went to the Fox house again for our Sunday carvery had turkey again .

Thought my Nexus had died it wouldn't power up after being on charge all night it had totally drained down had five blinking lights or FBLOD ,it was OK after I had recharged it , I think if I had to replace it I would get  IPad mini.

HOWLING

The wind is here the trees are blowing relentless and the roof is rattling for all its worth Yorkshire slate is heavy yet the wind is still getting under them lifting and dropping them. , you don't need an alarm clock when its weather like this.

The electric lights are flickering on and off at times if there is a power cut our fish will die if its off too long.
At least the cooker is gas not wise to have everything electric,we certainly don't need the fridge it is as cold outside.I left some cans if pear cider they were as cold as if they had been took from the fridge.

You don't take too long having a shower we only have two small radiators and the bathroom has none so it is in and out ,there have been reports of snow not far from where we live but so far it has not appeared.

I have to drive to work I know sods law is you will always get to work its getting home at ten tonight if its snowed and laid be difficult at best.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

Went back to the hospital to hand back the heart monitoring machine  that was fitted yesterday we had to be there for nine am we was a few minutes late .We don't think it recorded any thing untoward typical  after we went for a breakfast more calories and cholesterol guess we should,nt have .

Got the stuff i ordered of Ebay the two ps3 games and a Google Nexus 7 blue tooth keyboard I ordered for the 2012 version not the 2013 that i have  ,silly me it still works but does not clip on as a cover .

Helen won a coat from a shop in Uppermill she picked it up and gave it to Samantha  our neighbour who wanted it she was over the moon that Helen actually gave it to her it is nice to make people happy.

Hung some blue flashing icicle lights from the guttering we are flashing .

Back at work tomorrow gale force winds are heading our way one way to get rid of all the leafs   , tonight we ordered a Indian curry.

Happy birthday Mum R.I.P hope your still with us

Playing - Gta 5 on Ps3.

Watching - Wolverine.

MONITORED

At work even though I am off ,as I am  taking Helen to the out patients department to have a twenty four hour heart monitor fitted , we take it back nine o clock the following day , so rather then going backwards and forward I have took two days leave.

Drove over to Rothwell and Called in to the Crown Hair Spa "2Rooms" hair salon where my daughter works she made us a coffee
After leaving my daughter  we went to "Skyliner" fish restaurant , I ordered a halibut it took twenty minutes to cook and it was way too small I was still hungry  after I finished eating not good.

Bought of EBay two ps3 games Killzone and Call of duty black ops ,  I also bought a Bluetooth keyboard for my Nexus 7,sounds stupid getting white finger with all the screen tapping I do.

ASHLEY

Updated Nexus 7 from Jellybean to KitKat Vlc crashed not impressed .
Helen drove her VW Beetle from the Huntsman pub to the roundabout past Dovestone reservoir about eight miles she even overtook a tractor its the furthest she has driven it ever.

We went to Ashley Jackson art gallery  in Holmfirth and bought this print he when asked signed the back of the frame in permanent marker pen for me .
The print is Old Bank Road the lane is below our cottage literally two minutes away.
I also bought a copy of his biography " A  Artist Life" which was signed with a little pen sketch to accompaniment his signature.

I also from Holmfirth market bought a bottle of scrumpy cider potent stuff  made by little Badger best served chilled we also bought some double cream and our first seasons mince pies

To finish the afternoon we went to the Fox House inn for Sunday dinner we had turkey.
In the evening we got out the Christmas tree and put up the Christmas decorations .

VIRTUAL REALITY

Bidding on four ps3 games "Sleeping Dogs" , "Killzone 2" " BioShock Infinite" and "Killzone 3.
Guess what I will be doing if we get snowed in, guess Viagra and pear cider might have been a better option but then reality kicked in better to be disappointed in a virtual world than the real one.

The weather and seasons are changing we have been told by nieghboughs the winter is a nightmare for cars and driving and if the local farmers don't show to snow plough the lanes and roads then forget about driving and going anywhere as you will not get that  far.

Nearly bought a fold up table and two chairs from Ikea for £200 but didn't did buy meatballs mash potato gravy and Lingon  berry sauce plus a dime bar cake which is a lot better value but means we stand to eat. Also got two sticky up battery neon lights for under our kitchen shelve and two new blankets for Pip our Jack Russell she will be all snugged up and warm.
Had a Chinese take away of course i got duck curry noodles fries chicken sweet corn soup gorgeous had a fifteen minute drive home as we was too late to dine in the restaurant so we got it to go and dashed to get home before it was cold  the smell of the food helped me .