Christmas Eve.

It is Christmas Eve and it has been raining hard for most of the day, bringing the water level up by six inches. I feel for everyone caught up in the floods at the moment, I do not suppose they will be having a Merry Christmas, so my thoughts are with them.

Last night Keith and I donned our glad rags and headed off down into the town to Veneto’s the Italian Restaurant for an evening out with Hfm the local radio station who we are very good friends with. It is the first time in a few years that we have been out to a party, so we were both quite excited, so excited in fact we arrived way to early, so had to walk around for a bit whilst we waited for others to arrive. It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces, many of the DJ’s who do an amazing job at the radio station.

There are so few local radio stations around these days and so it is important to support them. Hfm is brilliant with its support for the surrounding area. We had a three course meal and a bottle of wine all of which was very nice. We got to chat with people we already knew and people we had never met before but had heard on the radio. By the time we left it was 11.00pm and I was very much ready for my bed. When we got back to the boat we did not linger long before heading off to bed. There was I thinking I would sleep like a log, but no such luck, both Keith and I were awake at 4am with mouths so dry they resembled the bottom of a parrots cage. There was only one thing for it a nice cup of tea. I know we should have been sleeping, but the dryness of our throats kept us both awake, so there was little point fighting the urge for a cuppa. Cuppa drunk, we did settle back down beneath the duvet for another couple of hours, the alarm then went off at 7am, because Keith had a doctors appoint to go to at 8.30am. Up and about, I lit the back cabin stove, so I could put a gammon joint in the oven to cook. I am trying out something others have done and that is to cook the joint in Coke Cola. I know it sounds mad, but I am told it is scrummy, so I am giving it a go. I will let you know what I think once we have eaten it. Generator went on at 8.45am  to charge the batteries. and whilst Keith was at the doctors I got on with a few things. Once he was back it was coffee time and time to start enjoying Christmas, so the Roses tin came out as did the mince pies. We will not be peaking to soon, after all there is tomorrow and Boxing Day ;0). The TV went on for all the festive films, darn it we have none of the BBC channels, so I guess it will have to be Film 4 or the other channels which do work, as long as I can watch “Downton Abbey” tomorrow night I will be happy ;0). So the Gammon is still cooking slowly and the smell is divine, if it tastes as good as it smells it will be amazing. Dinner tonight is going to be Scampi and Wedge Potatoes, something simple before the Christmas feast of rice food begins. Later it will be feet up and a film, before hopefully getting a whole nights sleep.

I will again wish you all a Merry Christmas and I will see you on the other side of the festive fun, because tomorrow I am not going to pick up my laptop, well that is what I am telling myself right now, but we will see he he. So Have a happy festive time everyone and thank you for staying with me.