CHRISTMAS UPDATE

Christmas Eve I drove over to see my daughter and drop presents off  I had a bacon sandwich and coffee before leaving .

Christmas dinner was good the turkey perfect the gammon got a little bit well done the sweet potatoes and white potatoes cooked to perfection , Helen parents slept over for two nights , Christmas day was over in a blink off an eye .
Had a bottle of Jack Daniels honey bourbon with a matching  glass it was  quite nice on its own with ice.
The cats and Pip had plenty off turkey we only ate about half and they had the rest over the following  few days  .

Was sad to hear about the death of George Michael 53 is no age .

Helen had her birthday on the 28th my sisters came over and took us out for dinner , Helen's son Liam and his girlfriend came over to sleep we went to the local Inn we all had different burgers with  fries .

The real Christmas tree is coming down tomorrow we hope to plant it in the garden .Looking forward to  2017 .

Bentley and George are out most of the time Bentley loves his freedom we are also leaving him out in the living room on a night he tends to go underneath the writing bureau to sleep .

Watching "Alaska The Last Frontier " all seasons

TURKEY IN THE FRIDGE

Woke up went to the bathroom turned on the tap no water went into the kitchen no running water went over the road to my neighbour Ken he had no water it took five hours for us to get the water back on . Thank you Yorkshire water .

Well Christmas is looming how fast the year as gone it will be 2017 in a matter of days I am looking forward to 2017 I think it is going to be a good year for lots of people .Hopefully in the first quarter I will have had my hip replacement and will be back at work .

Went out to a farm shop in Holmfirth and bought a turkey breast joint it is just under 6lb in weight and will serve around 8 to 10 people I also bought a joint of gammon to go with the turkey which weighs in at just under 3lb so the animals should be getting plenty of left overs they are chilling in the fridge .

I also bought some sweet potatoes and leek and sprouts all locally grown .

Went to my little green shed for my haircutting it was getting rather long there where a few waiting Helen waited in the car , after we drove over to Skelmanthorpe a small village a few miles from where we live to a boutique shop mainly because we had seen it advertised on Facebook.

Need to buy a few more presents for my grandson and my daughter I need also to get bits of food like deserts and nibbles but all in all we should be full steam ahead for Christmas 2016 .

FROZEN CHRISTMAS

Well Christmas is looming once again and once again we are totally unprepared how this happens every year I have no idea. I say to my self never again next year we will have it nailed and it never happens .We did actually venture  out to day specially to get Christmas cards cutting it fine I know .

I need whiskey and cider a Christmas cake with marzipan  proper loaded mince pies a bottle of port .

I need to buy gift cards and I need to get Helen some brown  leather boots  that she would like .

My Bt pre paid debit card came today with £75 on it will buy a few essentials for Christmas until I get paid in fact it bought us quite a lot I had to register the card to get a pin number so purchases could be made it allowed me to shop anywhere which displayed a maestro/mastercard logo which is just about every major shop or retailer  .

As a result the freezer is quite full bought frozen foods cheese filled bites , meat snacks in pastry parcels ,  chicken satays and kebabs , lamb skewers , larges pizzas , oriental prawns and spring rolls , cheese cakes , mince pies , sirloin steak ,southern fried chicken and onion rings .We still need to get the food for the Christmas day dinner . So it is starting to feel a lot like Christmas .

Bentley our cat went for his last inoculation Friday gone and he is now venturing out . Scary times but so far so good , every hour or so he returns home . He goes off with George our other cat and I do believe George is showing him the ropes and where to go and where not to go , and i genuinely believe he is looking after his welfare , which is great , they usually go out together and return together .

DULL I KNOW

Life is a bit dead one of the reasons it is so  is stale we do nothing new ,  we never go to any new places restaurants , pubs and we don't travel , we have never really had a holiday away  together life is difficult money wise  .

A lot  my wages goes on paying bills and putting food on the table  and the odd meal out .

Helen earns some weeks as little as eighty pounds which more or less pays for her cigs and buys the odd bit off food .

She moans about me having no money and I have a go back about the money she spends on her smoking and the fact that she is not earning  more .

I can only do what I can at the moment I can only earn what I get paid on sick which is a full wage minus unsocial hours money .I cant see us having an outstanding Christmas we have no parties to go to no meals out some old Christmas the highlight will be having  a full blown Christmas dinner with all the trimmings which I know is more than what a lot of people will be having so I guess I should wind my neck in and stop my bitching .

A trip in to work to see the occupational therapist I cant wait .T heir soul purpose is to get means others  back into work by any means necessary. I go this afternoon at half past one they have not asked how I am getting there if I need any assistance or even a  parking permit so I don't have to walk miles , Yet  they know I m off work waiting surgery yet they have not  asked me anything or shown any concerns to my moving ability my basic  ability to walk yet these are working in a health environment and have my interests at heart don't think so. Will continue writing this after my meeting.

Well the meeting went ok it was mainly ticking boxes everything I said I had already told my line manager nothing has changed I am off until I have my operation and I have fully  recovered then when i do go back it will be on a phased return which will be less hours for the first four weeks .

Anyway 2017 is looming and as they say things can only get better so here's counting down to the new year .

THE FOOL

Went to Lincoln Christmas market yesterday it was first held in 1982 with only 11 stalls an estimated 250,000 will attend over the four days it his held on  my hip was suffering half way round I was in pain climbing the inclines and steps really took it out of me I woke up the following  morning in agony I had to take painkillers I guess I did too much walking even though  we did not rush and took a steady pace .

To be honest I went last year going this year it did seem a bit boring the same stalls selling the same goods they had last year which I guess it being a Christmas market you would expect.The park and ride was good value for a car it was £15 and there was plenty off buses laid on to take you to the venue .The bus ride was only a ten minutes if that .

Some of the prices obviously included a great mark up a venison pork and mushroom sausage sandwich which was one standard size sausage in a dry oversized  bread roll £5 no onions  , doughnuts cost £1 each these was t around the size of a standard coffee cup the best value was a brandy coffee for £3.50 , Helen bought pot pourri and two bottles scented burning oil . Oh well  done until next year. When we got back to the car the cars queued up wanting to exit was unbelievable long Lucky we were parked nearly  half way up and got out in fifteen minutes.

THE FOOL ?

THE MEDIEVAL MARKET

The medieval Christmas market cost only  £1 to enter , and  it was extended this year to other parts of the castle the outer sections had canvas tents and straw thrown on to the stone floor to walk on , we bought a small carved little brown oak mouse to go on one of the  inner  door frame of our van .

A REAL CHRISTMAS

Bought a real living Christmas tree only the second one I have every had all the others false there is no comparison real is better  , also got some old fashioned candle lights it is starting to look a lot like Christmas .Even bought some mince pies the first ones this year .

Cooked Irish steak for tea with sweet potato fries potato fries , battered  onion rings and garlic mushrooms , best yet I have some fine horseradish sauce .

Went to see my surgeon surgery is going ahead just waiting for a phone call more than likely in the beginning of 2017.