Happy Christmas Everyone!

A happy and peaceful Christmas to you all!

The Unfortunate Incident of the Christmas Angel

We put the Christmas tree up last weekend. I say 'we'; Caroline assembled and decorated the tree while I offered sage (although unsolicited) advice. It must have taken around three hours, and while I was not unsatisfied with the finished product, I did feel it necessary to point out some areas for improvement - some tinsel here, a missing bauble there and the angel atop the tree was, to me at least, ever so slightly askew.
I helpfully suggested that Caroline went back up the ladder to readjust the angel's position a fraction, but what happened next was a bit of a blur ...
I can only assume Caroline fell off the ladder. I came to with tinsel wrapped rather tightly round my throat, broken baubles in my hair and the angel ... well, it took several hours to delicately extricate the angel.
Fortunately there was no need to visit A & E - driving would have proved extremely uncomfortable,if not physically impossible - but it is still difficult to sit down and I think some more physiotherapy may be required.
Now I know that Christmas can be a stressful time, but crikey! Anyway, after a thorough cleaning the angel is now back in her rightful place on top of the tree. All's well that ends well!

Christmas Cheer

Christmas is in the air. Nativity plays, pensioners' parties - work takes on a festive element at this time of year. Yes,'tis the season to be jolly and the Christmas spirit has finally 'kicked in'. With the paper off to print on Thursday every thing's winding down for the holidays now, and thoughts turn to Christmas.

It's not all been mistletoe and wine, though. Regular readers - both of you - will know that I've had an ongoing problem with my shoulder. It's been dragging on for months; visits to the GP, painkillers then ever-stronger painkillers, but on Thursday I had a long-awaited appointment with a physiotherapist. Thirty minutes of pulling, pummeling, pushing and prodding later: a diagnosis - a 'tweaked tendon' in my shoulder.
I've to receive more physiotherapy, but I was also given acupuncture. I've never experienced this before, and it's too soon to say if it's making any difference. However there has been one alarming side-effect: I have discovered an involuntary impulse to practise ancient martial arts. Not too much of a problem in the privacy of your own home, but not quite so socially acceptable when you launch flying kicks at unsuspecting pensioners at bus stops...