Yippee! Christmas

After the success of the Boaters' Gathering  (it looks we'll finish up with a profit of damn near 500 quid for the hospice) it's s  been a funny old week. I started in good form full of the joys of Christmas and then the dreaded gout returned for the first time in a long while and a very severe bout of gout it is. I don't like to bring such matters of misery to the blog as essentially these pages are for noting down total nonsense with the odd picture so shall not mention my gout bout again. Ouch! It has considerably curtailed activity and as I am off to sunny Oldham on Tuesday, via Peak District on Monday, I would like to have had working legs. Instead I am hopping about swearing violently as I do, calling down curses on everything from the Almighty to the England Cricket team.

Arrived in Derbyshire mid afternoon Monday in mild but very wet weather. My arrival was delayed by a flat tyre on the M1 and the necessity to get the spare replaced. After a wander round Bakewell I had half hour to kill before I could book into my b and b so I went to Monsal Head where the Inn of that name is one of the best places in the world. A quiet pint, a ponder on good times past in and around Monsal and back down to Ashford on the Water and the Ashford Arms. to book in. A lovely pubby hotel at 65 quid a night for a room. I decided I would try the other pub in the village -The Bull- for a pint before dinner. In the end I ate in the Bull attracted by a Game Casserole which accompanied by a glass of Merlot made for a very pleasant meal. Back to the Ashford Arms for a nightcap and a sound sleep.
I awoke in the morning to a sunny frosty day. I half de-iced the car before going for a walk/limp to get a paper and returned for breakfast. I had a very pleasant surprise to discover that apart from the full English breakfast other options included smoked haddock and poached egg or smoked salmon and scrambled egg. My favourite breakfast and probably in my top ten favourite meals. ....and it was very good.

The head cold is developing nicely to accompany the improving gout but I had a very pleasant ride through to Buxton, then Glossop and onto Moorside nr Oldham where Tom and Moira live. We were joined in the evening by Martin and Valerie and their son Tom for a roast beef dinner; all most convivial. All I contributed was a box of crackers and that meant we all had silly hats to wear. I must take a photo of this for the blog I said. The next time I remembered was at 9 a.m.next day so no photo then. Ran a few errands in the morning and Moira and I went for a drink in the excellent Navigataion, Uppermill by the Huddersfield canal. The barman asked if he could have all my change as they hadn't been able to get to the bank. No problem I said there's 300 quids worth of raffle money in the car! He only want 65 quids worth in the end but it got rid of some of it anyway.
It is my hope to get a few days boating on the nearby Huddersfield Canal next year. Have to bring more change....A very pleasant visit to see T and M both seemingly in rude health and keeping the faith.

Back to Cowroast in glorious sunshine and preparations start in earnest for Christmas. I have sourced (as they say in modern parlance) the turkey and the gammon and as always enough booze to refloat the Mary Rose (another nice source(sic)) although too much can make you sick (sic).
The central heating on the boat has decided to play silly buggers so another smutty sooty stinky day is necessary but don't know when.
And the weather has turned mild again but very wet and windy-I feel sorry for anyone travelling on the canals in this weather-the worst for boating.

I was invited on board NB Valerie by Jaq and Les for a cuppa and they gave me a marvellous cake. I've cribbed a picture from their blog.



It  formed part of the table for Pam's Mulled Wine evening on the Monday before Christmas  Friends from the Lamb and elsewhere and neighbours and their offspring came on the foulest of nights to have a glass or 6 and a very convivial evening it was. That Mulled wine can creep up from behind and surprise you if you're not careful. I slept well.

Yum-Good cake

Christmas Eve and I'm getting excited. I'm afraid I am a big kid at Christmas (just Christmas?) and I love it all. The day starts well with an intensive bash at the central heating stove and Lo! A Warm boat is born. I have a traditional fire as well but when one is popping backwards and forwards not sure where one might be sleeping it is nice to know whatever the weather the radiators are bubbling their paint off.
The day is improved further by an email from Ollie. He has recorded a Christmas Message from his ski chalet. Only problem is that he has now mislaid his IPhone so if he can't find it can I read it out at Christmas Dinner.
Here it is.......

 " A Fairy Tale in Gossoms End"
Merry Christmas and greetings to one and to all
Nicklin, Rourke-Hudson, Urqhart and Wall!

May this brief verse find all in the finest of folly
Are you Decking the halls with presents and holly?

Mum's sipping bubbles looking ever so glam
Whilst Caz, Flo and Philip just returned from the Lamb

Joe’s counting down to the new Dr Who
What time did Nat say her and Gaz get to you?

Mike’s in his trusty red santa Claus hat
Did anyone remember a gift for the cat??

Whilst this year it appears I’m amiss from the table
I’m sure that you all are most willing and able.

My Chalet this Christmas is ten guests for dinner
They’re Belgian not Muslim** so should be a winner.

So If I may raise a toast to the gathered collective
Looking back on a christmas at home retrospective

I’m missing you all and I thought you’d best hear it...
Whilst I’m not there in person, I’m there in Christmas spirit


Only one problem.....I was nearly piping my eye reading the email so God knows what I'll be like reading it out loud. I am a soft sod. New Years resolution. Stop being a soft sod.

** I should point out that this is a reference to the last time Ollie ran a chalet at Christmas and the Guests comprised an English couple and 8 Muslims. Not the merriest on record.

Christmas Day and Pam is so organised. Absolutely nothing to do except go to church and wait for the pub to open (12 to 2 Today just like when we were a proper country -when I'm Queen etc)  Of course there is always something to do and the pub was so full of amateurs, children, nuisances, dogs and ordinary people that we only had one and adjourned to our friends Janice and John who had kindly invited us in for drinks. A very jolly gathering with John dispensing bubbly like there was a sale on. Marvellous. Returned home in good form and resolved not to have another drink till wine with dinner. Well, maybe just a beer then. Or two. And another glass of bubbly when Phillip, Caz and Florence arrived. We were also joined by Joseph who had already had one Christmas Dinner. Then Santa arrived which was very exciting-apparently, so I was told. I missed him again as I had to go to the garage for some milk. Just my luck.
 

Cousins Florence and Joseph have a bop

There's always one badly behaved child at the table

Joe deafens Florence with his present from Santa

Phillip doing his O T with Florence's hat

Where's Joe?

Ah. There he is

The Dinner was a major success and I was especially pleased with the gammon-well juicy and the turkey was good too. Well done Pam , brilliant spread.Oh and I nearly got all the way through reading Ollie's poem before sobbing like a big girl's blouse

Here comes Santa....and I missed him again!

Presents, games and a couple of hours talking rubbish took us to about 2 a.m. I'm not too sure cos everybody else left with me talking to myself. All very traditional and thank God for it.


To Berkshire on Boxing Day to visit my niece Kate and family and a most enjoyable day it was. sadly I took no photos. Present wasKate, husband Nick, son, James daughter, Rachel and two GSDs to whom I was not formally introduced being of a nervous disposition. (Me not them)
My brother Jim, his wife Mary and my other niece, Sarah with husband Mike all in good form and thriving. James is 18 in January so another gathering then. He is a good lad with many qualities including his father's inat sense of humility. Nick apparently has the life of Riley as James passed his test this year so the old boy gets dropped at the pub by Kate and picked up by James. Where did I go wrong? Anyway suffice to say an excellent lunch and a jolly time.

Saturday and Pam and Joseph are off to France skiing so an early rise to be at Luton airport for 3 a.m

A pre-flight cuppa

As mentioned in an earlier post Ollie is in Argentier working and they are staying near him. Have a terrific holiday and bon voyage.
 I'm going back to bed as soon as I've fitted the new catflap for Battlecat. He has been struggling with the old one and and Pam bought him a new larger version for Christmas.
(Did you hear about the dyslexic Yorkshireman that wore a cat flap?)

Come on BC-You can do it

Result! Second attempt and he's got O level catflappery

Cat flap nearly finished-it's useable and road tested by BC but needs fine tuning which I can't do on my own cos my arms wont reach both sides of the door at the same time and I'm too big to go through the cat flap and reach it that way!

 Now to bed.
Plans are coming together for New year's Eve. Looks like 7 of us are meeting up on Panther for a buffet and an evening of serious conversation accompanied by a glass of something bubbly. But that's tomorrow and today is a day for retrieving the satellite dish from the bank-it was very windy and wet last night and getting the stores in for Tuesday night's gathering.Thought I'd get a small barrel of beer in from Tring Brewery as we wont be pubbing. But first the most important job. To drop a cheque off for 525 quid at the Hospice of St Francis.The figure raised by the Cowroast Lock Moorers' Christmas Gathering A good way to end 2013

More in 2014. Happy New Year to both my readers.