Christmas 2013, part I: pre-Christmas, home, Nottingham
So! I have had a really, really busy few weeks. I spent my last week at work before Christmas mostly writing Matlab code - I made a GUI! and then another one! I'm so proud! - and panic clothes shopping - I had not enough clothes for India! And not clothes of the right colours! Etc.! Also, working out how to pack everything needed to visit three parts of the UK (some more than once) and India in 16 days.
...yeah. By the time I left work on Friday the 20th, I was already exhausted, and actually ended up having to nap at home before driving back to Worcestershire to spend the weekend with Mum & Nicky. However, once I woke up, I felt a lot better, and managed the entire drive without a break - and possibly in record time, at 3 hours door-to-door!
I stopped to buy fish & chips before going straight to Nicky's, where I stayed up later than I should have catching up, which was entirely worth it, and collapsed into bed, where I stayed for a fanstastic length of time.
Over the weekend, I managed to fit in the essentials: second-hand book shopping, family time, sleep; as well as singing in the choir at the traders' Christmas service on Saturday evening, rehearsal and carol service on Sunday, and the choir Christmas party on Sunday night.
By Monday, I was perhaps a little less tired, though not much. I got up early to meet friends for morning coffee, hurried back for the traditional Christmas 'peeling potatoes while listening to Cabin Pressure' preparation for Christmas dinner - not Molokai, though; I saved that for Christmas day - and even had time for a short nap before Christmas dinner and presents.
(Among other things, I now have frames for my fourth & second Doctor art - though may need advice on where to hang them! - the DVD of The Enemy of the World, an IOU for Web of Fear [to be released in February], and a promise to watch both with Nicky; and a fantastic Clangers book which not only has knitting patterns for various Clangers and the Soup Dragon, but also instructions and templates for making everything from the Iron Chicken to the Froglets, and their environments.)
After Malvern, I drove to Nottingham. Anwar & I had plans to visit Hass & Crystal in Slough for lunch on Christmas Eve, but that didn't work out; we had too much to sort out in the morning before leaving, and when it came to it, we were much later even getting to Colleen & Richie than we'd intended.
We eventually arrived at around 7pm - alas, my plans to go to a Christmas Eve service fell through, too - and were welcomed with warmth, wine, and food, and the glorious prospect of taking off my shoes and refusing to leave the premises for more than 24 hours.
To follow: Christmas! More travel! India! And KILLER BEES*!
*There may not have been killer bees. But it's a phrase which should be exclaimed more often; also, Iona and Shim should always get married with KILLER BEES.
...yeah. By the time I left work on Friday the 20th, I was already exhausted, and actually ended up having to nap at home before driving back to Worcestershire to spend the weekend with Mum & Nicky. However, once I woke up, I felt a lot better, and managed the entire drive without a break - and possibly in record time, at 3 hours door-to-door!
I stopped to buy fish & chips before going straight to Nicky's, where I stayed up later than I should have catching up, which was entirely worth it, and collapsed into bed, where I stayed for a fanstastic length of time.
Over the weekend, I managed to fit in the essentials: second-hand book shopping, family time, sleep; as well as singing in the choir at the traders' Christmas service on Saturday evening, rehearsal and carol service on Sunday, and the choir Christmas party on Sunday night.
By Monday, I was perhaps a little less tired, though not much. I got up early to meet friends for morning coffee, hurried back for the traditional Christmas 'peeling potatoes while listening to Cabin Pressure' preparation for Christmas dinner - not Molokai, though; I saved that for Christmas day - and even had time for a short nap before Christmas dinner and presents.
(Among other things, I now have frames for my fourth & second Doctor art - though may need advice on where to hang them! - the DVD of The Enemy of the World, an IOU for Web of Fear [to be released in February], and a promise to watch both with Nicky; and a fantastic Clangers book which not only has knitting patterns for various Clangers and the Soup Dragon, but also instructions and templates for making everything from the Iron Chicken to the Froglets, and their environments.)
After Malvern, I drove to Nottingham. Anwar & I had plans to visit Hass & Crystal in Slough for lunch on Christmas Eve, but that didn't work out; we had too much to sort out in the morning before leaving, and when it came to it, we were much later even getting to Colleen & Richie than we'd intended.
We eventually arrived at around 7pm - alas, my plans to go to a Christmas Eve service fell through, too - and were welcomed with warmth, wine, and food, and the glorious prospect of taking off my shoes and refusing to leave the premises for more than 24 hours.
To follow: Christmas! More travel! India! And KILLER BEES*!
*There may not have been killer bees. But it's a phrase which should be exclaimed more often; also, Iona and Shim should always get married with KILLER BEES.