Merry New Year!

Picture: Stuart with Thomas (Sarah & Rob's new arrival) next to the plastic tree.



Well Christmas went well. All the timings were right, everyone was fed and watered in time for Dr Who and the kids were all happy with their pressies. Lots of DVD's to watch, and with the help of my projector from work, we have been having home cinema each night in the living room. Mama Mia, Dark Knight, Run Fat Boy Run, etc and then some bargain bucket under £3 ones like Jaws, Dodgeball, Airplane, and other stuff.
By Boxing Day the overindulgence of Christmas was showing on my waist. I decided to try out night running as there had not been enough daylight hours to get a run in earlier (too many DVD's to watch). With a head torch and as many reflectors as I could find to stick on me, I set off into the country lanes and actually found it okay. Without the torch it really is very dark, but great stars to see and nocturnal creatures. By Hogmany I was feeling fit(ter) for the first time in months. The back injury still niggles but I decided to run the annual Black Bun Fun Run. It starts and finishes in the pub and is a 1.5 mile race. I held 4th place for most of it, with a young lad in 3rd. Somehow I found the reserves to break past him with 20 meters to go and rob him of 3rd place. So the year ended on a racing high. After a few scoops in the pub we headed off to a big party at one of the most hospitable families in Dunbar where there was 60+ other people partying. Back home for the last 10 minutes of Jools Hollan's Hootenanny and an awful Elton John concert.

New Years Day offered another race. The Portobello Promathon, 4 miler. Still feeling fit, but slightly jaded from a late night and beer I managed to finish just 10 seconds slower than last year. But it is always disappointing to see kids beat you, and there was one little 12 year old I just couldn't catch. Then the rest of the day was spent at Emma's mates for the annual gathering of her old school friends and reluctant husbands. It was an opportunity to finish off the Christmas drinks and put a line under the festive season. That's it now for another year, tomorrow the decorations come down and the calendar (free from the milky) goes up. I should add that this year we stepped over the threshold of good taste, into the world of Christmas outdoor lights. Having vowed never to put them up, I couldn't resist a bargain when Tesco's was selling them off at £2.50 a set. The cheese has set in and they are strung up along the gutters of our garage, creating our own grotto. Inflatable Santa next year perhaps?

Also worth a mention was the disaster of the free real Christmas tree Emma got from work. Within hours of it coming into the house the needles were dropping. This coincided with the horrible behaviour of our delightful children, so with a stroke of genius, Emma told them that Christmas was cancelled until their behaviour improved, and then proceeded to take down the tree. Fortunately for them it did improve and we replaced it with a plastic one, and stuck the real one outside with some twinkly lights on it to add to our light show.

Here's to 2009!