Christmas past

It's over now! The Christmas tree and decorations have been taken down and packed away for another 50 weeks and we are into a new year which for us, and myself in particular, will be different. Also, we have resolved that next Christmas will be different and it will.

This year, or rather last year, I worked at one of the local supermarkets in the run up to Christmas. When I was offered the work I decided to take it as supermarkets don't allow their staff holiday during December which means that it is unusual to be offered it and the atmosphere is usually good. There will not be the opportunity again, from their point of view, or mine. It was bitterly cold, even though we had additional heaters, because there was some problem with the supermarket heating. Years of working in these conditions have taught me to wear thermals to keep warm but I find it hard to concentrate when they insist on playing music to get shoppers in the Christmas mood. If they stuck to Christmas music it would not be so bad but at times it felt like a disco. However, I shall remember this work stint for two things. Firstly, the fact that by lunch time on Christmas Eve we had sold out of packets of Paracetamol tablets. The afternoon delivery included 200 packets! What do the British public do with them? And secondly, at 7pm on December 30 the printer stopped working and I had to hand write the labels. Something that I used to have to do when I first qualified but have rarely done since the requirement for labels to be printed was introduced. That's enough about work.

Husband and I had a pleasant and relaxing Christmas Day. Then we had my Mother for the afternoon on Boxing Day which went well apart from when it was time to take her back to the home and she wouldn't or couldn't walk. We ended up putting her on an old wooden chair and Husband carried her out to the car. If anybody had seen us we looked like a clip from You've been framed! The next day we both had pulled muscles from struggling with her. The following morning we left about 11 am for what should have been at two hour drive to Husband's family in Northampton. The southbound traffic on the M6 motorway was dreadful for no apparent reason. There had been an accident on the northbound carriage way and there was the mother and father of all traffic jams on that side of the motorway. After three hours we were no more than half way there, so we turned round and came home via the A41, stopping at a garden centre near Telford for a rather expensive sandwich and arriving home, from our circular tour, about 4.30 pm.

New Year's Eve was spent at home keeping warm and watching neighbouring fireworks. Then on January 2 we set off again for Northampton. This time we left earlier and made it to our destination in reasonable time but as we drove through a sleet storm just south of Warrington we both thought that we might have to turn back. It was black as night and visibility was only about ten feet. Husband has told his family we shall not be attempting to do that trip again next Christmas/New Year.

Now it is back to normal and I just need to wish you all

A Happy New Year!