Festive time off

 

Tuesday 23 December 2025 - 

Some issues at work, and I’m still not feeling tip top. I’ve been taking a lot of Anadin and Ibuprofen at work, because of the pain I’m getting with the face. 

I did try on Monday morning to book an appointment with my doctor, but they aren’t available until January 28th - almost five weeks away! 

I got in from work at 8:40am, which isn’t too bad to be honest. I had taken some tablets before leaving the office to go home. They started working while I was on my way, and then I was nicely surprised by Louise waiting for me with a cup of tea to take to bed with me. 

I woke up at about a quarter past twelve, so that’s probably around two or so hours of sleep before I go and do some bits. 

Film - It Happened on Fifth Avenue. 

Two episodes of a Christmas cookery programme with Fanny Craddock - a famous tv chef from the sixties and seventies. 

Wednesday 24 December 2025

Up at 8am. 

Visited our friend Andy’s grave, and tidied it up.

Went into Sutton In Ashfield town centre for Louise to get some Christmas bits. 

We watched a recent episode of Gogglebox. 

We watched a Julia Child episode about Boeuf Bourguignon.

I can’t remember what else we did. 

Thursday 25 December 2025

War is over, if you want it! 

Next year I hope to be out of the security industry, and then I will be simply having a Wonderful Christmas Time.

Back to work for the night shift. 

Up until then…

Woke at 8, dropped back to sleep about a half hour later, and then finally woke up at a quarter past nine. 

I had fallen asleep relatively early Christmas Eve night, and was woken up to get properly ready for bed. Then it was chatting time, which meant properly sleeping later on. There is a lot of talking lately, especially after the incident at work ten days prior. 

The discussion went from the job being unsafe, and basically with Louise saying that obviously money was more important to the company I work for, and the industry itself, than the staff’s wellbeing. 

Let’s just say that a part of the subject was that we hope that I will be alive for another Christmas time together, but without saying that directly.  

Louise got me some lovely presents for Christmas, with the second  Ozzy Osbourne autobiography, Last Rites. I loved the first of them, I Am Ozzy, which still has one of my favourite anecdotes, where prior to fame he tried to rob a shop, but it was pitch black where he was. He went in through a window, took what he thought felt like some quality clothing from a clothes shop. 

He went back home, only to find that he had broken into Mothercare, crom which he he had baby clothes. 

The police arrived at the door asking Ozzy’s mum for John Osbourne (Ozzy’s name). They mentioned about the robbery, to which Ozzy said he had been nowhere near. One of the police officers looked down at Ozzy’s hands and said, “next time try not to wear fingerless gloves!” 

We watched To The Manor Born series 1 episode 8 The First Noel. 

Tuesday 30 December 2025 - 

Scrooge starring Albert Finney, a version of A Christmas Carol that many people do not like. To me though it’s a nostalgic thing, because I watched it with my mum many times, as she loved it. 

I sort of watched it with her this time as well, as her ashes are at our house. 

I think the rest of the day was basically me listening to songs to record Toppermost later on. I can’t remember what else happened. 

Recorded Toppermost of the Poppermost January 1966 Side A (UK). 

Wednesday 31 December 2025 - 

Woke up at 8am

I went to pick up some bits from the laundrette.

I did some blogging. 

We watched Inside The Christmas Factory: Gingerbread on BBC iPlayer. 

We watched Top Of The Pops Christmas 1986, also on the BBC iPlayer. Songs featured - When The Going Gets Tough by Billy Ocean. Don’t Leave Me This Way by The Communards. The Sun Always Shines on TV by A-ha (a superb song). The Final Countdown by Europe. Spirit In The Sky by Doctor and the Medics. Living Doll by Cliff Richard and The Young Ones. The Chicken Song by Spitting Image. I Wanna Wake Up With You by Boris Gardner. Chain Reaction by Diana Ross. Take My Breath Away by Berlin (an interesting fact is that only the lead singer actually features on this song. All of the instrumentation is by Harold Faltermeyer). Holding Back The Years by Simply Red (great song). Every Loser Wins by Nick Berry. Amadeus by Falco. A Different Corner by George Michael (heartbreakingly beautiful). West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys. True Blue by Madonna. Papa Don’t Preach by Madonna. Lady In Red by Chris DeBurgh. Caravan of Love by The Housemartins. Reet Petite by Jackie Wilson. The Edge of Heaven by Wham (actually my favourite Wham song, even back then. They just weren’t my cup of tea back then, and even now there’s a slightly saccharine pop sheen that sometimes I can get past and sometimes I can’t). 

We watched the documentary Julia Child’s Kitchen Wisdom on Amazon Prime. 

We saw the New Year in with BBC One. The drink I had was the Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey with Lemonade, but I wish that I had opened my gift of the Johnnie Walker Black Ruby, and had seen the new year in with that. 

We watched the film The Christmas Letter on Amazon Prime. 

Thursday 1 January 2025 - 

Ring out the old, ring in the new! 

Awake eventually at 10:15

Listened to Greatest Hits Radio. 

More blogging. 

We watched All Creatures Great and Small season 6 episode 7 (Christmas episode). 

Back to work that night.