Is it really nearly two weeks??

I was amazed when I discovered that it has been nearly two weeks since the last post. How on earth have you all survived without your regular dose?

The run up to the Christmas festivities put you in a position in which you need a couple of weeks off to get a rest!! I assume that you all have been busy busy busy so I will not go on about how flaming busy I have been. Just not enough hours in a day. Tried to go without my regular sleep earlier this week and that didn't work at all!

Big news of the moment is that Ches has got herself a job. Like London buses she had three turn up at once. Why does the Universe work like that eh? She started her first shift in her new employment yesterday evening. She is working with vulnerable adults. I reckon it will suit her down to the ground, but I must admit to being biased. She has another shadow shift on Monday then straight into the deep end. She starts 10 ish Monday morning on her shadow, then 15.00 hrs she starts her normal shift. Finished a 22.00 hrs and goes straight into a sleeping shift. Finishing at 07.00 on Tuesday morning. She certainly enjoyed last night so hopefully all will be well. 6 months probation. Al was chuffed to meatballs. Her first reaction was "great mum can save for her Disney ticket now" As a matter of interest Al has already saved her money for Disney. Sitting in a building Society account building up interest - a chip off the old block!!!

For those of you interest Operation Hall has been put on hold until the New Year. Christmas decorations and ripped off wallpaper just don't mix!!

Does anyone know how the Mighty Green Army got on today ? They were away to the League leaders - Watford. No way are we going to do anything up there. Ooops NewsFlash. The Hornets have been stung. 89th minute goal gave the Greens a 1-0 lead. Wonder how it ended? Oh, there you go... that's the final score!!!! I hear the tractor boys dragged out a home victory against lesser opposition, they conceded goals again? (note the use of the plural there).

Talking about tractor boys let's see how Brown Fingers the Chutney King is getting on.

"Suffolk Sojourn 30/137. Greetings - as we career towards the silly season. Firstly - gross apologies to your 'lil Sis Clare for my typo in the last - it's Korimoko - sorry. Still, it's nevertheless Paradise by the looks of it.
No updates from the Blogmaster of late - hope all is ok and you haven't fallen off the ladder reaching the parts Val couldn't on the landing. As I scribe - the Tractor Boys are preparing to defend their unbeaten home record against Leicester, a team your renegade ex-Pilgrims manager is now inspiring. (Don't mention Ipswichs' appalling away record). This is the game in hand match that will take Ipswich one point above Plymouth if they succeed. I'm not holding my breath though - still, early days!!
Anyway, apologies for comms silence - been laid up with major back problem and unable to focus on anything for more than 2 minutes (Nothing new there then)!
Chutney's in the post - mind you, Customs legalities were a real pain.Blue Skies. "

I must admit to be looking forward to the Chutney delivery. At the moment the postie is making a daily delivery to us. HMV have a daily offer DVD wise. Have picked up some cracking bargains recently. Busy replacing videos with DVD's. Al now has all my old videos and is planning a car boot sale.

We haven't heard from HR from a while. Well he has made up for it now. As usual he can't hack the technicalities of the comments system so I post his e-mails - less the juicy bits!!

"Hiya , I am stricken with a need for heavy music! I saw a You tube item 'a tribute to soviet strategic airpower' or similar and it has a soundtrack with it from Linkin Park .The lyrics immediately made me think of an ex girlfriend, and my time with her, and so is indelibly printed in my soul now !
Oh well.Meanwhile everything else is going fine. I am flying TZ on Friday and have just sent off my FAC to have the Mauser and Mosin Nagant rifles cleared for target shooting. I began using my reloading equipments a few weeks ago and tested my first .22 Hornet rounds on the range without blowing myself up! It really is very satisfying making ammunition !! It also means I can save a bit of money in the long term.
Mum, bless her ,moved from a house to a flat and delivered a fait accompli in that I had to provide the floor covering costs ( that was £420) ; so (having just split up) it inspired ex girlfriend to ask me to give back some of the money she had contributed to 'us'. Her logic was that since we were not together there was no 'us'; so she could have it back to finance the cost of her divorce!
But she has worked her little bum off in the house and there is paint and paper and a home to show for it; so I do not really begrudge it her. She made this place look lovely and I am now over the hill I was climbing before she passed into and out of my life.
Unfortunately I had spent a lot on my visa ,buying these toys and their collective timing could not have been worse! So I am on minimum spend for the next few months ! My pension goes up in october ,when I reach 55 , and I will use that to pay off the loan for the camper van.
Then I will make it work for me I think.I will get out and do things ! The shooting is proving to be good as a way of meeting people and I am learning all the time. Hopefully I will be able to go Deer Stalking at some stage (I hope that is in there just to wind me and mine up!! - ed).
It is quiet on the Eastern Front until next year but I shall not be touching the vodka at all now. My evening with the Poles (bless em) and the falling over a lot and lying in a hedge (and being sick!) have put me off the vodka a bit. Not the Poles though : they were ace! I hope all is well with you and yours?
You have been a bit quiet recently and that worries me because you may be building a space ship in the cellar! I have read and tried to understand the blog ,and tried again to write a reply ( I am loath to say anything after having need described as 'banging on') ! It seems full of lots of interesting people most of whom seem to be called or related to Podgah.It would be interesting to put up a 'hall of fame ' so people can see who goes with what name.
I am thoroughly enjoying the funnies through the email thanks. some are gems and I know that my friends appreciate the ones I relay. I had better trot; I made home-made burgers for tea and stink of cooking ! I will have a bath with aroma therapy oils , mmmmmmm where is that rubber duck?..Have fun. "

You may have guessed that age hasn't mellowed HR. You know those people Ches is working with .......

This is a reply to an e-mail I had sent HR telling him that I was doing the Santa bit again and how one has to be careful nowadays with kids and sitting on knee for photos. Well, last year a tipsy mother brought in her tipsy daughter foe a photo and insisted the daughter sat on my knee. I was foolish enough to tell him!! Incidentally, did the Santa thing yesterday and a fun time was had by all, except the two or three month old baby that was fascinated by the lights and was happy enough until he/she spotted the big weirdo in the red suit in the corner!!!!

"Hi , ta for the reply.oooh the thought of a 24year old on my knee.....!
I have been trying hard to form a picture of the people on the blog and am reading it regularly if erratically! It was nice that they asked about the Firefly but I didn`t feel said any more than anyone else?
It is difficult to be interesting to somebody you have never met. I will get there though. I either say too much or too little !! Sorry that i have not been down as I intended: I shall i promise. I often think back to how Gail and I visited you ,was it at Thorney Island? I remember you tried to help me with a transfer to the RAF and I was really grateful for the support. I know we both came to St Mawgan ! I had a chap contact me this week who was at my "old school" The Franciscan College, at Buckingham. Sounds posh just saying where it was ! It was run by Franciscan monks in the full riot gear! He was as scarred as I was psychologically afterwards He was called Alan Wetherill but is now called Alan Urdaibay. Normal stuff I suppose !!
I am busy writing crimbo cards and reading about "cartridge head-space" when my flowing script gets scruffy ! I had better trot. look after the rein deer .
brief Swedish joke : What is the cleanest animal in the world? The Reindeer. Cos they call it a riendjur (pron : ree-en.yure)and djur is an animal and ren means "clean or pure" so it is the only animal where all you do is take away the "i" and it is clean. Well something like that ! "

And here is the final bit

"Can I wish everyone ,wherever they are, on the blog a very happy holiday and the very best in health and happiness in the new year and beyod (i`m sorry I ev a cold!) . I don`t really ; its a tie po !! PS : I am finding it difficult to get those "deck" high-heels out of my mind !!"

And with that I will end to days wonder through the valleys of my mind. Did I mention that Val has our front room looking like Blackpool on a bad day? Ah well, she is happy so I will just have to pay the electricity bill with a smile. Nearly time for a cuppa tea.
Happy Christmas to one and all.