ITS COMING TOMORROW

 FRIDAY - Coming up to the end of the year time to take down the Christmas tree and lights back into the loft until next year hopefully I will be dragging the box out of the loft next December  2024 .I know there is no guarantee but fingers crossed all my family friends are celebrating another festive season.

We also had a major clean up took a load of rubbish bags to the local tip there was queuing up to get in took fifteen minutes to get to the front and dispose of  my refuge  .

Cooked steak for tea with garlic battered mushrooms and onion rings and mini cheesy baked potatoes .

SATURDAY - Lazy day Helen had a couple of readings to do went out later for a few provisions nothing major serve weather warning again for where we live ,  losing track of the names as they keep happening  every few days , guess global warming its happening in real time  . Be glad when this year is over .

SUNDAY - Went over to see Helens parents last visit this year on the way home calle din to see my sister had a couple of drinks at home stayed up until after midnight watched Andrew Tate on You Tube at least he is not in prison for the new year a better start for him and his brother  than last year  .

Its coming its 23.33 bye bye 2023 

HAPPY BDAY

 THURSDAY - Helen's birthday today I wont reveal  her age but it is the seventeenth we have celebrated  together and she is younger than me ., I also reported my concerns for my son missing to  West Yorkshire police  I phoned them up from my house phone . No family members including myself have had any contact with him since the 13th of December the day that he was released from prison we have heard nothing from him via email , text , phone call nothing what a great son   . The Police rang thirty minutes later to inform me that  they are not treating him as a missing person and gave me no hindsight to his where abouts if he had been rearrested dead alive nothing what  a total waste of time .

I bought the wooden stand for Helen from Wentworth garden centre along with the wooden bread cup  coasters that are situated on the bottom shelve I also bought her a glass candle cover for her moving artificial candle .The photo to be honest doesn't do it justice she also bought one for her desk and a Emma Bridgewater porcelain cup to go with the others she already owns,

For tea we drove to the local chippy and ordered two fish a large bag of chips  plus two long battered sausages and  a carton of peas for Helen and curry sauce  for me with a bag of  scraps we buttered our own  bread we had to stop on route to get tomato sauce life's a bitch sometimes .The shop already had their shelves stacked with easter eggs its never too early for chocolate .

DAYS AFTER

 CHRISTMAS DAY - Took the dogs out after I had a shower once back I started preparing our festive lunch peeled and chopped the parsnips , carrots and potatoes peeled the cross cut the fresh sprouts .

I made the mixture for the Yorkshire puddings which were cooked first and put to one side .preheated the oven and banged in the turkey crown it needed cooking for two hours forty five minutes it was covered in goose fat and covered in foil .

The parsnips and carrots with honey drizzled on and garlic salt I  cooked  them in the air fryer along with the roast potatoes with parsley and garlic salt which cooked in the first drawer .I also made the stuffing which I cooked at the same time  with the pigs in blankets whilst the turkey crown was resting all in all everything was cooked good no disasters .five o clock in the afternoon I drove to work at the hospital .

Had no contact from my son no call,  text message or email , nothing so much for his promises .

BOXING DAY - Visited Helens parents at Acaster Malbis I received a very nice wallet a tin of short breads and alcohol thank you .Helen got a picture locket on a chain she will put photos of her mam and dad in she also got a bottle of Baileys Irish cream .We had to leave early in the afternoon so I could go to work .

WEDNESDAY - Got home just before 3a.m no work now until next Monday which will be New years day 2024.

Went to Sainsbury and Asda bought a few things pate , sausages , bacon , gastro chips , and crisps bought some mini note books for work and finally managed to buy the magazine Computer Active its been years since I have had any reason to buy it but now I have a windows laptop thought I see what I have been missing 

FISH TANK NO FISH

 SATURDAY - Went to my twin sisters house I also saw my daughter there and my grandson the rest of the family was there including my nephews and their spouses .There was a big bowl of slow cooked chilli with jacket potatoes cheese and sour cream , plus cheesecake cream and other deserts it was all very nice they had just got the kitchen dinning room extension completed it looks very nice it transforms the whole house .I noticed a new Sage coffee machine that takes coffee pods might have to invest in one next year I do like fresh ground coffee .I  like the existing external window reminds  me of a fish tank its a great focal point to the extension  

On the way home we called into Asda to buy more food and other bits like curry , frozen meals for Helen bacon and sausages and baked beans I also bought a bag of chicken legs and a pizza .

SUNDAY - Went to the co-op bought milk and coffee and bottled water tried to get turkey gravy granules to no avail the fridge is full the freezers are full the bank account empty . Next year I will be prepared no kidding .I have the new Walter Isaacson's book Elon Musk I have read the Steve Jobs one when it came out I think I read that at Christmas time as well .

Later in the evening cooked a fresh pizza i had pastrami and chorizo on my half and extra cheese with chips cooked in the air fryer .

AT LAST A CROWN

 TUESDAY - I am working Christmas day and boxing day at the hospital I work at .I am still working 18.00 to 02.00 Monday night  to Saturday morning .It will be quite its not the first time I have worked Christmas day it might be the last .

We are not prepared for Christmas in any shape or form we have not bought the Christmas items for dinner yet which is not too bad seeing we still have six days until the big day .

WEDNESDAY - Completed my Hpv training at work I can now use the new machines which cost £60 k each we have three the training was done in five hours and i now have my electronic card to start the machine .

FRIDAY - Morning went Asda bought two turkey crowns and all the trimming's for Christmas dinner  I could not get turkey gravy so ended up buying chicken gravy instead also they had sold out of Christmas puddings 

Took the car in for an oil change waited in reception will it got worked on it came back washed and vacuumed out .

STEWING

WEDNESDAY - Had haircut at HD7 . Bought some wholemeal subs and cans of tuna we are going to do tuna and melted cheese subs for tea .Which we did they turned out really good will have to get some sweet chilli chicken and some meat balls .Cooked some chicken thighs in the air fryer they turned out well nice crispy and moist and tender for some reason I thought they would be dry eventually we will get the Ninja cook book from Amazon .

FRIDAY - Not heard from my son he was supposed to be ringing me he never did this was Wednesday I have not heard anything from him to say I 'am totally pissed of with him is an understatement .

WEEKEND - Went to Fox Valley bought some essentials went early evening so they would be less shoppers  and there were always a blessing easier parking fewer people at the tills    .Over the weekend Helen did work on her scrapbook/diary journal she is a few pages in its looking very detailed .Sunday I did a beef stew in the slow cooker with the usual carrots , swede onion and pots also did dumplings and pancakes not a traditional Sunday fare but very tasty and filling .

Still using the Ninja its great for chicken thighs impressed so much better than I though bacon also cooks pretty good it was a good investment a slow cooker and Ninja is a must for snyone leaving home and setting upon their own . Above what's left of the stew why does it always taste better the day after .

WHITE NINJA

 SATURDAY - Storm Fergus the storm from Ireland left us with rain all day .We was going for a Christmas meal to the Dam Inn at New Miller Dam on Barnsley road .On the way a tree had blown down which had brought phone wire down into the road the police was there and men with chain saws cutting the tree up into pieces .I t wasn't a major delay and we reached our destination in more or less on time .

For starters I had the chicken live pate the toast was cold and a couple of extra pieces would have been nice Helen had mushroom soup for mains we both had turkey roast dinner which was ok no Yorkshire pudding and a little ball of stuffing the sprouts where under cooked but it was ok for desert I had lemon cheese cake with sorbet and Helen had traditional Christmas pudding the drinks where reasonable I had a Inches cider and Helen half a lager and lime .Set off home tyre pressure warning light came on drivers rear side I stopped when safe to do so and inflated the tyre the dust cap was missing I thought someone might have messed with it we got home without stopping again .

SUNDAY - Checked the tyre flat it was as a pancake i reinflated it and went to the tyre shop the one I went to the previous week to get two new front tyres they inspected it there was a nail in-between the tread  , I got it repaired for a tenner next year I will get two new back tyres .Took Helen to Currys PcWorld she wants a Ninja two drawer air fryer they had loads £179 with 10% off when you got to the checkout .Been checking out some recipes out on You Tube today just cooked some roast potatoes to be fair they were a 8/10 need to be a little more crispy but fair does a lot better than frozen roasts ,we will carry on practicing but it seems pretty straight forward you can sync or match each drawer easy to programme so far impressed .

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

 My son is still in jail for not doing his community service order of eighty hours , like I said before totally  his fault he should have complied . Can only guess what his cell is like cold and small with  bars on the window a heavy metal door that locks and is unpickable .Also guessing the heat is on very low and can imagine how cold it is on a night and staying warm not that  easy .I just get under the duvet put the electric blanket on or turn the heating up , go to bed with a hot drink its easy when your free . The constant noise of doors slamming shut keys turning would do my head in hope its been a great deterrent for my son he says in his emails its been a learning curve hope he s learned well so he never goes back .

Christmas is looming cant see this Christmas being that great I will settle for a decent pig out Christmas day dinner got to be the best meal of the year no doubt will be up super early to start prepping and cooking the food .

Was thinking what would I want for Christmas and as always there is nothing really I need a new Leatherman , new water bottle maybe a diary for 2024 .On the dearer end a Ps5 and a iPad pro with keyboard .I do need new jeans and some new hoodies and socks a decent aftershave would be nice and a silver bracelet maybe . I would like to buy Helen some perfume and a watch to go with her Samsung phone but i wont be getting in to debt its still Christmas its what you make it guess a lot this year will be on a budget thanks to mortgages and inflation .

I think all I want for Christmas is for all the hate and  the wars to stop and  for money that is being spent on weapons to go towards fixing the world  issues that we all face concerning the state of the planet and the mess and pollution , I want  food for everyone no famine no one going hungry and homelessness to be non existence and for affordable housing for everyone and a cure for cancer  would be nice .

ITS WHITE AGAIN

 THURSDAY - Woke up to a thin layer of snow doubt it was even 5mm but it was cold and it was white it was definitely snow .I was glad I invested in some new tyres yesterday.

I went to the supermarket bought dog food and cat biscuits along with to packets of diced stewing beef a couple of packs of bacon,  milk and coffee bread , baked beans and sausages as well as fresh baby pots and a swede , I also threw in some chocolate biscuits hash browns and mini breakfast waffles  if you have always got food in for breakfast you will never starve .The slow cooked stew with dumplings and pancakes was the best yet the dumplings turned out perfect the gravy just right .

FRIDAY - Up early walked the dogs there is still snow and the car windscreens where all frozen over for the second morning running .Received a hand written letter from my son think its the first ever letter I have ever had off him he didn't really go into great detail and most of it i could have guessed it would be what he would have to say hopefully he puts in to practice what we all want him to do.

SATURDAY - Not doing much went to the fish shop got battered sausage and chips after we did a bit of shopping got more chicken and chorizo and fries as long as I am stocked up on these items I will never go hungry it started snowing later in the night they will be a covering in the morning not sure how bad will see tomorrow .

SUNDAY - Snow is back its not too bad more than the previous day but it should clear quickly hopefully by Monday if it gets any worse there is a good chance I wont be going to work even with new tyres need to go to the farm shop for the Sunday roast what ever will do Yorkshire puddings and mash pots .