Friday 26 December 2008

Christmas Decimation

What an unusual and yet highly rewarding Christmas with very little stress. Dins cooked dinner with some excellent stuffing, Darren cooked Christmas Pud that was gifted by Beth as her sister had baked one extra. It also had a pound coin in it that nobody found. Darren also brought home baked mince pies and I performed the baking of Baked Alaska to a captive audience. The table had been decorated with the innovative use of wrapping paper as a table cloth. Darren was concern as to the lack of boat movements in the harbour and speculated as to wheter any of the boats out there had a Christmas Tree on board. I refrained from telling my Calamity MacBrayne Christmas tree story. All was well with the world. Down town after 11pm there was no one we could scag some tobacco off of despite our attempts to entice them with Darren's mince pies in a pink fishing net suspended from the window. The people who were about, were surprisingly nice but didn't want any mince pies. Except for the skateboarder who went past with his ipod on.

At several point during the day there was speculation as to whether the Colt BB 40 gun that Dins had gifted to his daughter and nephews had been confiscated or injured anybody yet. The news has yet to come in. The Dark Knight was really good and Heath Ledger is still dead, even though we then watched him in Casanova.

My favorite gift for the day were my knife sharpening blocks, that I hadn't asked for but were on my tick list or something I had to get soon. Melwyn also gifted me a jumper which is very nice indeed and suits me. Wayne and I never managed our Christmas breakfast for reasons I won't go into and a very strange coincidence happened that I would not indulge. I'm just writing that so that I can remember to write about ti later in a non public realm.

My non caffeine drinking has been thrown out of the window as sometimes and especially half way through Christmas day you need a proper cup of tea. I have failed. I should have brought some decaf teabags with me. All in all we've done quite well, there is still some 'Old Speckled Hen' and I suspect Darren has snaffled away all the remaining mince pies. I wonder if Nick (who is now my friend on facebook) has anything to say: "it's over and my friend said 'Christmas a bloody bally troublesome season' and something about a Iraq girl's blog being read out on Radio Four from when the nation's infrastructure collapsed, no electric, no work that kinda stuff. Queen Melwyn has arose..........

My most disappointing moment has got to be midnight Mass. I went to St Mary's the Catholic church on Killigrew Street, well it was religious. The mass it just stuck to usual party line - be more Jesus like, there was not so much f the think of those less fortunate than you and all that. Last year I had gone to St. Gluvias and there was loads of the world peace, world unity, less fortunate, mentally ill, the bereaved, the starving, the homeless all that and it made you feel like you had done something good although we had only sat under a roof thinking about all of that super useful? Yet lets not underestimate the power of prayer.............

So I still have the majority of a small bottle of Southern Comfort, which I will be taking home with me. Melwyn reminded me to tell the tale of Christmas farting, no one can remember who was the first but at some pint the farting commenced and they were all stinkers. Incense was lit doors and windows opened, while Nick mastered the art of fart lighting. Yes they do go on fire and no we didn't catch it on film. It was very entertaining and was performed more that once. Melwyn and Dins tried to collaborate. Dins held the lighter Melwyn farted but Dins' aim with the lighter was to high and the explosion failed. Melwyn's mary was warmed.

While I have been logging our Christmas 'event' the rest of the team (bar Darren who left last night after I had fallen asleep on the couch) have jumped into cleaning up action. Nick has taken full control of the kitchen sink having not cooked anything yesterday. Melwyn has removed all the cushions from the couch swept underneath them with the "D&B", replaced the cushions zipping them back in place, covering with crocheted throws ( that her mum makes) saying "One day I'll have a sofa I don't have to cover with throws, then I'll know I've made it". Melwyns other astute observation particularly of Christmas is "it's a holiday where it doesn't seem rude to fall asleep".

Other highlights and in fact one of the funniest was Dins' and Melwyn's attempts and success at the 'After Eight Game', which was stolen from 'Triffle Gathering' a local am dram group aka thespians. The game consisted of 'After Eights' being placed wrapper free on one's forehead and manoeverd and manipulated down into one's mouth with a number of facial twitches and head slanting. Melwyn won and Dins came a close second. There was also discussion over the very bright street light on the building opposite that means that 'The Hotel Arwenack' never have to turn on the lights in the front rooms (which is the bedrooms upsatirs too). Apparently Emily phoned up the council to complain . The council mentioned that several others had complained also, thus far no action has been taken. Scott claims that the light has killed his plants. Melwyn's best present was that of a crochted cushion cover with the Cornish flag on it. A white cross on a black background. Dins was very excited straight of the bat with his 'Pink Panther' reading light.

'Harry Potter: the Prisoner of something or other' which started when we sat down to dinner, that was on the table late yet excellent. After returning to Harry Potter, Dins sporadically would shout "Potter" just as I nodded off.

Melwyn is still very excited about her rejuvinated sofa and is also sharing everybodies concerns about toilet paper supply. Darren left without the mug I bought him with the Saracen Head on it and the the qoute 'Proud of Penryn'. Admittedly I did drink out of it first being to lazy to get up and get a mug/glass/receptical from the kitchen. I mean who wants to take home a dirty mug?

All the tidying up is down now and i've tried t cover my back by claiming that I have immortalised our christmas day in text, as we do not have any photos. I'm not sure they've fallen for it and I feel a little bit guilty (big bit actually). However this is not my definitive Christmas story of 2008 only the second half.

Friday 12 December 2008

A Penryn & Falmouth Day

Yesterday was a little crazy, I had to get up at half past eight for about the first time in six months. Thinking I was going to go promptly back to bed after a short meeting at the fish cafe I left my pyjamas on under a large cardigan, I should have known even before I had made this foolish decision my attempts would have been foiled. On leaving the fish cafe I started to make my way.....


Published on 22/06/2018 Spiral Bound
Original Published in Kimberley K. Stone 

Monday 8 December 2008

The year is almost up

Lets hasten to add here that that does not mean to suggest that my life is any nearer to being under control. The last week I have spent in hospital asa result of fitting which can not be scored of the list from being the result of a ny neurological problems. This is a good thing and yet no leaves me somwhere in no man's land. Hey hum. Christmas is coming to greet most of us fast and having been signed off on the sick for nine months it's easy to say I am quite simply skint and my benefits didin't get paid this week!!! I should be frustrated by this but some how it comes to be almost complete par for the course. Be under no illussions being on benefits takes almost as much daily work as full time job. Well I hope everybody is doing well and not feeling the credit crunch to badly. Maybe I'll get more than one of these up for the months of december? What do you think?