A Christmas Smile

Blog comments

Three in last 5 posts thats impressive - find it touching to know that some people are enjoying the chronicle and and find it stimulating. Will write more in 2007 - but only if people comment more. Tonight I am tesco shoppping blogging and doing some photographs. Guts are sore through eating chocolate. Chocolate makes me fart.

I am totally disrientated too my calender tells me it is saturday 30th December sure as hell dont feel that way.

Happy Christmas from Sue

Nannas Dog

Rabbits in the dog house.

Since the fence blew down we have taken to bringing the rabbit into the house to warm him give him a change of air and get him used to being held etc.

Regular readers will know of the boys enthusiasm in the hip department. But last night he excelled himself. Sat on my lap mostly innocently (ie no thrusting of any type) he seemed content. After I put him back in the hutch - I should have been suspicious when the first thing he did was light a fag but no.

I strolled into the living room whats that on the floor says I, looks like cold tea. Odd cause I was drinking diet coke. In a moment I had whipped out some quilted kitchen roll (extra absorbent) and scooped the offending stain up - as I proffered to my nose I realised this was a mistake it was pungent and had an animal air. Obviously Shakespeares boy juice. Interesting I thought how did he transmit it there whilst leaving me unsullied. It was at that point that my wife and I noticed what can only be described as bilateral soiling on my legs just below the knee. I removed my kecks in a thrice andthe rest of my togs on the way up the stairs. All bundled into a pile and given the straight in the washer treatment. Dirty little fecker - not impressed.

Bloggers gone to sleep

Or is it the blackberry. I wanted to check where I am up to but can't get on. Today is me dads birthday he would have been 85. I would usually mark it with a glass of something. For now I will celebrate 4 months sobriety (29th August).
Yesterday george and ann (niece and goddaughter) came up from the smoke. We had a larf at me mams. Top stuff brother was missing (get in touch if you read this).
Played a chocolate deal or no deal game. Hampered by george (the banker) never having seen it. Still a hoot. Went to tesco then enjoyed Dracula on beeb 1.

Boxing Day

Sod all traditionally in the am, ally gets up real late I have disturbed sleep. i the evening off for Tea at Ruth and Pauls. Good family evening.

Christmas Day

Started way to soon - hand up a birds bum armed only with a lemon and an onion. It cooked well and tasted good as did the beef.

Nipped to Ruth and Pauls for some pre dinner drinks and present exchange.

Dinner was a success I think and mum kept still and seemed to enjoy it

she was chuffed with the pressies.

Me mam

May end up being posted twice

Merry Christmas from me

In the toon army Christmas hat.

So here it is.....

Merry Christmas to both of my readers. What a year - I cant remember half of it but I am still here and I have some coils in my noggin. I have made a lifestyle choice to be sober and for today I have achieved it (since end of August). Christmas seems a challenging time to me - but will an interesting one not stuffing the turkeys bum with a hangover (think I will use paxo this year).

Been a rollercoaster year with real peaks and troughs - but the medication has kept me fairly stable and the self management and lifestyle stuff has helped.

Heres to a good 2007 - and if anybody does read this - feel free to comment - it would be an encouragement to the author. Lord knows I need it as I have a book to write this year (thats a 1000 words a week). Still the blog has been flowing more and my plan is written and the idea sold to a publisher which is a big issue for a lot of wordsmiths. I have a lot of sorting to do in the coming year and making progress towards contentment.

Anyway all the best and an apple in your ear (as my father in law used to say.

Twas Christmas Eve in the Workhouse

A peaceful day and the back ache which had troubled me has subsided. Most preparations underway for calorie fest tomorrow. Beef and Turkey forming the protein with spuds for carbs, carrots sprouts and peas and winter roast veg. Pavlova and christmas pud for afters. Tonic water for me.

Watch the end of apollo 13 on the box. Jean goes visiting cousins I wrap pressies Ally out with her cousin Hannah at Damons in speke.  Not my sort of gaff but I stay in and feel guilty that I havent bought Jean enough presents - Ally made the feeling worse by telling me Jean had got me loads. Off to a meeting tonight gonna pop into me mas on the way. Got some M&S belgian chocolate biccies off Eleanor and eat too many. Check out the christmas cards - good news from Sandra and Mike (and Orlaith) she is expecting again. She pops in the blog now and again. I shall where my toonarmy christmas hat tomorrow in her honour.

Feeling kind of Humbug

I know its me, I feel unable to enter into any of the faux merriment that is all pervading at this time of year. I will confess to getting secondary gratification from Allys delight when she was small and small kids wonderment in general. But for me - Christmas Sucks. I am sick of Oliver Ramsay Lawson and even Gary Rhodes having their hand up a turkeys arse. I am sick of Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys et al telling me to be finest, taste the difference or whatever crap. Ally wants cheese on toast for christmas lunch. I am kind of heading that way. Still not sure how many we are having though by my shopping if a company of Gurkha rifles turn up I should be able to feed them till August.
I am essentially an ungrateful miserable lazy sod, blessed with a face the resting posture of which is abject misery, I abhor the Christmas doo. Work closed yesterday and I shouted bye with the minimum of fuss. I dropped Lesley off in Crosby and scooted to Formby Tesco - one posh gaff that. The yoof on the coffee till proffered a mince pie I said i dont like Christmas ......I was going to say fayre but the tosser cut me offand barefacedly accused me of not liking Christmas -I confessed said I liked him even less. Tosspot. Still the blow was softened by a vienesse butter finger.
Overwhelmed by the politeness of the people in Formby if you bumped into them they said sorry smiled and wished you merry christmas. This just did for me I started driving my trolley like Ayrton Senna on speed. The grumpier I got the nicer they got - smug gits. Interetingly a range of products not available in our local stores just in case we thought we were worthy. Which of course we are not.
Bah Humbug
Cheered my self up reading this My Miserable Christmas

New Blogger

They heard me beefing yesterday and as a result I am on the new blogger. I dont know if I am ready to change my template etc but I am headed that way.

Chanukah

I forgot to say the post was prompted by picking up a leaflet in Tesco. It explained about the Maccabites and the Menorah and how to "do"Chanukah. Me its Friday Morrning I am off into work to sort a few loose end telephone calls etc.

From a roof in Queens New York

Up on the roof 

Eeyore and friend

I feel like Eeyore some times 

Happy chanukah

Thursday am spent waiting for the Telewest. He eventually arrives and swaps out thr box. 4th one he has had to do sinced the national problems on Saturday. I nip to take hannahb's present round and end up picking ally up and dropping her off. Hen its off to take me mam for a day out. I opt for new brighton. Imagine morecambe with the beating heart and pizzaz ripped out. One arcade a chippy and a cafe cling to the promenade in defiance of the developers. It is undoubtedly shit. It would be better as a Morrisons toilet as well as smelling better and being better cared for. Anyway its cheap even if its not cheerful. Big crash and traffic jam at the fiveways and busy town centre make me choose a dodgy cabby route home. Once again I am gutted that I haven't got a camera with me. The gulls, the caff the girls serving with santa hats and lacking christmas spirit. Best of all was a beautifully warm sunset.
Bad news playing with my camera last night. I have a dusty sensor. It says its easy if you are steady handed. I may ask David to do mine. As an enthusiast he probably has dusted his own and his hand is steadier than mine. Even if he hasn't I am sure he would have a go. So now, sat in tesco bit of blogging a,d a coffee. Girls out shopping I shall arse with camera after a bit of shopping.

I notice Kieran has been upgraded to the new blogger which is good but I aint. Grrrrrr.

SPAM the official UK web site

SPAM the official UK web site SPAM fritters - yes I know I shouldnt have but I did - I have this urge to try one with brown sauce - odd coz I dont like brown sauce.

Wednesday

Monday didn't do much tuesday went to work and had christmas dinner. Embarrassed by christmas cards. Done three meetings. Inspired as ever and realisation about childhood comes home. Been to see peter k my psychologist this am. Top bloke says I am doing well. Feel like I have made progress on the bipolar front this year. Settled on meds coped with crap and only a couple of blips. The challenge of sobriety at christmas looms large. I feel certain it will be helped by the driving licence. I suspect this may be my first christmasw sans booze since about the age of 6. I can remember how in the monochrome 60's colour was injected at christmas. Babycham pony calypso snowballs glace cherry watneys red and bullseye brown. Even the tot glasses my mum served the booze in were swirling patterns of orqange and violet and blue and yellow. I think ruby port and lemon was my first drink. We had a decanter. More for visual effect than port sieving reasons. Other names that were evocative of the season cherry B whiskey mac green ginger wine then there was all the weird coloured drinks that now form the basis of cocktails. Blue curacao, green creme de menthe (as favoured by the pope). My mum has always sought a liquer that she enjoyed de kuyper ammaretto tia maria drambuie shandy,

Online/Telephone Meetings

Online/Telephone Meetings Look at the bird image - someone once sent it to me on a card (or something very similar) I must try to find a better copy.

Christmas Night out - a photoset on Flickr

Christmas Night out - a photoset on Flickr

Canon PowerShot G5 Digital Camera Review: Intro and Highlights

Canon PowerShot G5 Digital Camera Review: Intro and Highlights Another review of the adorably funky Canon G5

Sat in the vet

While shakey boy gets seen. I have just hoofed it to the iceland and the pharmacy for me chrimbo pills. Let me explain how paranoid I can be. On the way out of iceland I remember there is a script for jean for which I pay. I think that I have taken her pills away from the chemist without paying in the past. I sweat and get palpitations I feel the need to confess to the ppa in newcastle. Then I get to craig and erics and I am relieved they have separated the pills and ashe has a little bag with money owing written on it. I have a binbag with mad man season ticket written on it. Nice. :-).
Lunched at abbey sefton with lesley extremely pleasant. I enjoy driving.

Thursday night Friday morning.

Turned up at support group expecting not many and pleasantly surprised. Small numbers but mighty strong positive vibes. A new member always good to see. A christmas gift from someone too - I was touched. Home sees us sitting down in front of the telly me with chilled tonic and lemon and the girls with some pink fizz.
Off to bed and I wake up late. Ring mum lesley mary and off for lunch with lesley. See noreen and ann. Then off for motorway drive to speke. See new morrisons getting built. Or Speke district centre as its called. Will bring long overdue produce to people of speke. Into wh smith and Borders. Sit reading mags and supping triple americano with a nice relaxed feeling.

PowerShot G5 Index

PowerShot G5 Index will need this soon. By the way I can legaly drive from midnight - hee hee. DVLA gave me the thumbs up result.

Wednesday filming

Did some stuff for Trevor McDonalds Tonight programme to go out on the 8th jan or there abouts. Presenter was Ricky Grover a top bloke stand up comedian actor and writer will look his website up. Got home and was v tired had a kip rang dvla licence received. Then it was off to St Hildas to watch Daisy pulls it off. Ally and Jess were doing stage management and had put heaps of work into it. It was good.

Edvard Munch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edvard Munch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Happy Birthday Eddie - fellow Bipolar Boy

Thought I had posted this already

Musn't have worked. 

Back in the saddle

Well very part time - protected work - 8 hours per week. Did thursday and friday was whacked did next to nothing at the weekend. Worked on Monday - Elm Hall drive meeting in the pm. Tuesday bus to town pasty on cold cathedral crypt steps. A classic building in its own right the crypt is recommended for anyone interested in brickwork. Nice bit of the cathedral Here . Always had a soft spot for the wigwam and crypt - I remember the tower cranes when they were building it ( I must have been  around 4-5).

After the meeting over to the Whelan building number 11 on the precinct plan. A brisk cold walk back to the 86 bus top by the Phil and then a bus to Penny Lane pop in to see Adele at Tony Salivas airdressers. Seems to be too many tourists at Penny lane - these lads look south american.

Scary House by Jeans Mums

 

Adobe Photoshop CS2 Classroom in a Book - $34.99

Adobe Photoshop CS2 Classroom in a Book - $34.99 What I am working through at the minute to be a better post image manipulator.

Canon PowerShot G5 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

Canon PowerShot G5 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review Eventually snapped up one of these on e-bay. Needed a compact that was versatile - this is the dude - 5 meg full manual and RAW settings. Coolio

Adobe Bridge and Fickr

DesignGeek 51: New Source for Bridge Tips, Use Flickr for Off-Site Image Archiving, Find Fonts Used in InDesign Style Sheets; InCopy/InDesign Workshop in May
May not look very sexy but its important to me (sad I know).

exactitude.nl

exactitude.nl

Festive Cheer

At the German market 

Wednesday morning

Great group in North East. I wasn't sure if I was in wqashington sunderland gateshead or newcastle but I arrived. It was newcastle caught a meal at rthe taipan. Shanghai fried dumplings (3) and some duck and rice. Duck cooked go perfection I thought. Got a taxi with the maddest hackney driver in the toon. He installed a sat nav as he was driving and somehow we found our way to bupa washington. Joanne does sterling there and full respect for that. I was latebut I did my best. At the end of my talk they gave me a toon army hat with bells on which I believe is the local team. I got a lift of a lovely lady called ursula to my billet at the A1(M) northbound washington services travellodge. Got my key wewnt to garage and watched ramsay transforming morgans in woolton. Night night

Blogger by email

Not working it would seem. A train and coffee post extolling the virtues of head moisturiser and yorkshire goes adrift in cyberspace. Though it can't be my blackberry because several catch ups get thro. I text jane dva and commisserate that she is off to join the barmy army next week.

Holiday Inn Express

Thats why it was cold , the vent was taped over. 

Saturday and Sunday

Committee meeting so I am off to nottingham central trains. Uneventual journey. Arrived in good time to a barely unrecognised Jackie. My how people change in this game. Useful meet sort out some practical stuff. Steak sandwich for lunch and surreal experience of christmas dinner on a night when the mgowners club seem to be having their annual bash. 300 couples in evening dress me in boots and scruffy kecks. Trot home to holiday inn express where we are staying. I manage to walk through a mile of mud and vegetation -n pitch black and howling wind. When I arrive I discover I have been walking paralell to a gravelled path. Doh. Lousy sleep turning things over. No heating in hotel bad wind outside and in. Late almost missed breakfast amid other residents complaining. Get nice volvo taxi to nottingham grab americano then train home. Girls are out for lunch. I will pick up a pie at m+s at the station.

On return from docs

Ally and I have a serious father daughter conversation. That'll do for this year we resolve. Nannas christmas gift arrives and we are impressed. Out to Beas and home to prep for tomorrows meet. Fall asleep watching nigella lawson last memory is her chopping a chorizio in her dressing gown.

Friday reflection

I cruise along to see Frank. As ever he dispenses wise words good medicines pills and sicknotes. Hope I mentioned I am back on the benefit. My self employed plan was pie in the sky. It was getting too stressful in october Lord help me by year end. I resolve to return to permitted work at a very gradual exposure. After Franks I trip to see Nanna who seems on good form. The dog too now on super vits seems lively. Frank tells me tramodol is a mood suppressant maybe why I feel like pants at the moment. Resolve to cut down tramdol substituting the codeine where required. Need to tart back at the gym too.

On the way

After picking up tickets from the fastticket machines (hiddenaway in the virgin office on platform 7 I am away onn the 8.52 to nottingham on time jolly dee.

jamesjlee

jamesjlee Some breathtaking reportage from the warzone from this embedded photojournalist.

County Asylums

County Asylums Some memories on these pages. Really where I grew up - 18-22 the catholic chapel ws the view from my bedroom window.

Me helping the constabulary

On Broadway actually 

Its Actually a service centre

Not a post office 

Copperas Hill Post Office Car Park

Where mail to the charity comes - and I or me mam colect it.

PS

Forgot to mention on Thursday I scored the charity post and a bowl of scouse in the mission cafe.
Notes must write to college, publisher, do some e christmas cards and get my B12 done. Also got some photos from yesterday to load.

PS

Forgot to mention on Thursday I scored the charity post and a bowl of scouse in the mission cafe.
Notes must write to college, publisher, do some e christmas cards and get my B12 done. Also got some photos from yesterday to load.

Wednesday Thursday Friday

Headaches no licence low mood. Thursday sees some productivity and I bang out the annual report of the charity. Also spend the afternoon in a back and forth with an interesting bloke from the website. Real youngster and highly skilled in photoshop. He thinks some of my photos are really good. Friday I arrive slightly late to see Frank (buses) he is sporting a new hair gel look. He advises me to cut the tramodol and together we knock together a plan he wants to see me in 2 weeks. Settle myself into not getting licence back till new year and coping with sobriety in that period. Tough but not as tough as some have it at this time of year. Got some prep to do for Saturdays meeting and I am planning to head off to Newcastle on Tuesday for their meet. Hoping the social will let me start some permitted work ASAP as I am missing the social element.

Tis the seaon to make money

Humbug. The local tesco has its marquee on the car park a sign that mr leahy and his helpers will help us part with pounds. I have 35 squid in vouchers so may use them tonight for starting the traditional christmas stash of goodies. All highly calorific, intoxicating or both. Need to get my flue swept as well (the chimney). Santa will struggle in the current passage.
Top news - singing jimmy the trolley stacker at tesco has done away with his combover. It was so good I never realised he was bald. Why do bloks bother with a combover especially where their occupation involves working in the wind. Bobby chqarlton what did you start?