A Christmas Eve news round

The week has flown by at a supersonic speed. I have been off work for most of the week, which was nice. I had some work on Wednesday, which was ok. We have the house full of guests now, which is nice, too. The little creatures are in bed, probably awake but too worried about making a sound in case Santa is in the neighbourhood. My mother just drank Santa's Baileys. Jack chewed up the reindeers carrot. It is all going rather well. Below a few random snippets of my week for those who need a bit of a distraction from Christmas.

:: I went to the primary school Christmas service. It was at the local church. There was the usual eclectic mix of choir, funky Christmas songs, violin playing and a new poorly choreographed interpretation of the nativity story. The singing was lovely, it really was. The rest was excruciatingly boring. Still, I spotted James in the sea of children, singing with all his might. It made me happy.

:: I have been enjoying leisurely runs with Jack. My plantar fasciitis seems to have run its course after many months of excruciating pain. I ordered new shiny purple runners, wore them for a few days to ensure they were comfortable and then, one blustery morning, I took Jack for a walk. We walked leisurely down to the canal, then I started jogging. And I jogged and jogged, with bouts of walking because, lets be honest, after sitting on my backside for such a long time, my fitness is rather appalling. My daily bike commute is not strenuous or long enough to boost my fitness. Still, Jack and I were out for about 90 minutes. I didn't take a watch, nor my phone, it was just us, and other intrepid dog walkers. Dog walkers are a friendly lot. We stopped for chats and sniffs (I didn't sniff). It was tremendously enjoyable. Jack is a fantastic companion. He jumped and frolicked like a leggy foal on its first outing to the meadow (despite his short legs).  He ran about four times the distance I ran. I swear I could see him laugh with joy. Jack has a very expressive face. 

:: I spent a pleasurable half hour in the cheesemonger queue. There were seven shop assistants in a shop the size of a double bedroom! The queue went out of the door and up the road. There was no sense of urgency, plates with small samplers were passed up and down the queue and conversations between complete strangers ensued. It was still morning time, in the afternoon there is sometimes mulled wine, too. I had a pleasant chat with the lady behind me. There was a very old and frail woman just two behind me. She looked terribly fragile, bent over her walking stick. It transpired that she didn't actually want to buy any cheese, just a small Stornaway black pudding. In true Christmas spirit she was ushered to the front so she didn't need to wait too long. This is Glasgow for you. 

:: For work, I recorded a lecture about alcohol abuse in Uganda. I also listened to a lecture on global mental health. The two go hand in hand. Both were eyeopening. 

:: I bought myself a ridiculous fabulous Christmas jumper. It was one of my secret ambitions to be the owner of a sparkly, cheesy jumper, preferably one with lights or bells. I found one with bells that also had a music button to press. I am immensely pleased and plan to take it to the Christmas jumper competition at work next year. I may have to organise it.

:: I have been gazing into the light of our Christmas tree. It is bushy and smells lovely. It is decorated with lots of colourful baubles and figures. There is no theme but it is cheerful. I read a news item the other day about renting a living Christmas tree. I quite fancy that. They come with care instructions and you need to pay a deposit in case you treat your tree badly. I also read that you need to re-use your artificial tree for a minimum of ten years to equal its carbon footprint to a real tree. Do they last that long?

:: I watched an episode of Kirsty Allsop's 'Homemade Christmas'. It made me cringe. I found the table setting and gift wrapping competition particularly pointless. So was a cocktail with a gazillion unobtainable ingredients. Seriously. I like a nice table but my standards are quite low.

:: Sam and Annie spent the entire Christmas Eve at the supermarket packing bags with their Scouts groups. Scouts are fundraising to participate in the jamboree in Iceland next July. The lines at the checkout were ten deep. I 'supervised' for three hours. My feet are aching. It was quite cheerful, particularly because I didn't need to do any shopping myself. I managed to loose my borrowed neckie. 

Nothing particularly exiting but it is always worth remembering the trivia in case I fall into the glorified Christmas memory trap. The only job left is to fill the stockings with little bits and pieces. Annie reminded me that 'Santa' had bought some small presents in the Welcome museum shop in London back in October. Richard spent some time looking for the fourth chocolate orange. I found the chocolate coins in a grocery bag dangling from a bike helmet hook in the porch. Waiting for the house to go quiet. 

I am wishing you a wonderful Christmas! xx