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Some time with Diana in bed this morning after she had an unsettled night with Debbie’s sickness and then Daniel and I to recover The Little Lady via St Neots slipway and store it on the trailer in our driveway. Some time reading Spycatcher today and news of a violent between Tamils and Sri Lankan police whilst French police detain the alleged leader of the Basque Separatists, Inaki Pujana
I had a good night’s sleep – but Diana was up for hours, as Debbie had found all the excess food and sweets too much and was sick all over the hall carpet! Found Di sleeping in and, as always, used the opportunity to our mutual advantage, as she is normally well gone when I wake up. Little Della came in to join us near the end, which was a little embarrassing! Breakfast was a bit slow in coming and so I had plenty of time to get washed and dressed. Just wheat flakes for breakfast, then I read the Observer newspaper, whilst Daniel watched the rest of his film. At 10.00am Daniel and I went off to get Daniel’s boat out of the river and into our back drive.
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Boxing Day – Starting the day with my Mum and dad, Mum playing scrabble with Debbie and Dad and I chatting and then a cold Turkey salad and Christmas pudding lunch after which they left and we travelled to Bar Hill for the Jackson family gathering. The UDA president’s funeral passed of peacefully today and Gordon Wilson, the father of the Enniskillen victim, nurse Marie, was ‘greatly moved and humbled’ by being mentioned and endorsed in Her Majesty’s plea for an end to such violence to bring peace to Ulster but the year is ending with more violence in Israel and The Gulf and trouble on the financial markets for Japan and the US. Extreme weather in the USA leads to snowstorms and floods, with 10 ins + of rain in Tennessee, in snow flurried for the first time in 20 years in California’s San Diego.
Slept well enough and actually made the breakfast table this morning in time to join the family. We had all had a good night and soon Dad joined us for a couple of slices of toast and then took a tray of tea up to Mum. They had survived two nights together in the same double bed, despite Mum’s disability and were still comfortable. We may well have started something there! This morning, I lit the fire again and then Daniel and Debbie played a long game of Scrabble with Mum in the dining room, whilst Dad and I sat in the lounge and had a chat. Then the rest joined us to open the last of the Christmas tree presents, whilst Di laid up the dining room table for lunch. A nice meal of cold turkey salad, with Christmas pudding and cream to follow. Then, some Chinese table fireworks to complete our Christmas celebration, which the children thoroughly enjoyed. After, we waved goodbye to Mum and Dad, who had stayed with us for the first time since my Mum’s injury. We then fed the ducks and doves, gathered up another collection of presents, and all set off in the Range Rover to visit Di’s family in Bar Hill. An easy journey, on quiet roads, and then a pleasant visit.
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Christmas Day – The traditional Christmas Day morning, the children opening presents before and after my parents awoke and then we all went to St James Church for a Christmas communion and for the children to be blessed by the Rev Peter Lewis. Home for our Christmas lunch and the TV broadcast of the Queen’s Speech before even more present opening, tea and a game of Trivial Pursuit. The US dollar falls to a new low against the Japanese yen, a 36-inch water main burst floods houses and shops in the Old Swan area of Liverpool
A little trouble getting the girls to sleep, but then we soundly slept for the rest of the night. Awoken early to my morning tea and the children all along at the same time, anxious to open their presents as soon as possible. I awoke groggily to this bidding and soon put on my pyjamas and made my way down to the lounge for the first present opening session. The children opened them frantically, getting quite excited, until we stopped them so that they could play effectively with what they had. Broke off for some breakfast and Di cooked our family some fried eggs, bacon, mushrooms and tomato. Mum & Dad slept on a while, but got up at about 9.30am and joined us. We served them tea in the lounge and got Dad the materials to cook himself a couple of boiled eggs for breakfast. Then we opened more presents, until it was time for us to go to a Christmas Family Communion. Mum & Dad unexpectedly decided to go with us and we all got there in good time, selecting a warmer pew at the back. It turned out to be an actual communion, which was a mild embarrassment, although Rev Peter Lewis announced that on this very special day, all-comers would be welcome to celebrate communion (implying that the normal qualification of confirmation would be exceptionally waived).
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Christmas Eve – Di’s sister Sue visits to open a few preview presents for the children and stays until lunch when my parents arrive to have a better look upstairs before joining the rest of the family in front of a log fire in the lounge for a long monopoly game and then play them the long video of this year’s Disneyland, universal Studios and Knott’s Berry Farm visits. Today’s news about Terry Waite and the other hostages held in the Middle East at Christmas, the PLO forms a Palestinian government in exile, Iranian gunboats fire on a US Navy helicopter and news at home about the murder of Miss Alice Rowley, 87, and her sister Edna, who kept the Sparkhill Birmingham shop for 50 years
I slept well enough, but Diana was awoken four times in the night by Della, who seemed not to need any sleep at all. I awoke to my morning tea, with which Della’s visit now becomes commonplace. A bit slow for breakfast and so we all agree to eat in our dressing gowns and pyjamas before showering after. A normal meal of cereal and apple juice, yet again. Not much time to ourselves this morning, as I set up the lounge for our expected visit this morning from Diana’s sister Sue. I light the log fire in the lounge, go out to talk to Pete, who is cleaning our Range Rover, and then Sue arrives quite early. Coffee together (real coffee from Diana’s percolator) then we let Sue and the family open each other’s presents. A humorous Ronnie Corbett book for Daniel, a craft game for Debbie, little things for Della and we give Sue a woolly hat, scarf and gloves set for the colder weather to come. Sue stays for a nice lunch and has coffee with us afterwards and is taken aback when my Mum & Dad arrive for the ‘afternoon shift’.