Interim Days

 Took a chill pill and set no alarm this morning, it's still the Christmas holidays afterall. We had some time to kill before hitting the road once again so Rebecca and I dove head first into some board games, time and time again she beat me every single round. I play games for the thrill of possibly winning, plus a bit of the social aspect, but going up against Rebecca's mighty brain left me feeling truly defeated. Back in Newbury tonight as the holidays and the year begins to draw to a close. These interim days go by so quickly, deep down we never want them to end.

Get me to my Family on Time

A full social calendar today meant I got to do a wee bit of a Stretch Armstrong impression. I got behind the wheel of Rebecca's car and drove us across to Newbury for family day. I was there for a few hours, plenty of time to show my face, help make mulled wine and giggle alongside the younger relatives. We had to slip away as the games came out, I drove us back to London so we could make it to Rebecca's Uncle's house for their family get together. Despite dating Rebecca for 7 years, today was the first time I'd ever met that side of her family - they were incredibly lovely! They kept saying how much they appreciated me being there and I felt very touched. Though I'm very tired now, I'm glad we made the effort to make both social events, and with nothing to get up for tomorrow, we'll reward ourselves with a nice long lie in.

Christmas in the Capital

Nine times out of ten I'm all about taking it slow. That statistic goes right up to a ten on the interim days between Christmas and New Year. We've all had a hell of a year so we deserve a little break, and today I just sloped off alongside Rebecca. We took it easy til the afternoon when we hopped on a train into Central London to go for a stroll along Southbank and drink in the Christmas around the capital vibe... All the while avoiding drinking in any Covid while wearing a facemask everywhere we went. Was nice though, seeing the classic night time skyline over the bridges, next time I see that will be in BBC One as I ring in the new year.

Mini Family Reunion

Heaved myself out of bed, packed my bags and shipped out to Orpington to wish Grandma a Happy Christmas. I totally forgot my Aunt and Uncle were popping round too which was a nice surprise, for just under an hour nearly the whole of my immediate family was sat comfortably altogether. A few more presents were exchanged and a lunch was prepared - it was a real group effort and it went down a storm. We bid Grandma farewell, waving her farewell as we headed down the drive. I hopped out the car only moments later to board a train heading to Twickenham where I reunited with Rebecca and her family. Weary from travel (and a few glasses of wine with dinner) I know I'll sleep well tonight.

Boxing Day and Quality Time

Wouldn't be Boxing Day without a long walk through the still December air. I laced up my, almost forgotten, walking boots and trapsed through a muddy moore, suburban sidewalks and supermarket car parks. Two hours later, my legs and bones were weary but I was glad to have burnt off a little of yesterday's big dinner. A boardgame and a film rounded off the day, quality time all round basically, which is what Boxing Day is all about.

Happy Christmas 2021!

I believe I was the first up this morning so I skulked into the living room and played a bit of Animal Crossing. It was the very model of a white Christmas in the game while outside the real life windows was a drab day. A great excuse to get the fire going and to enjoy the glow of the tree.

My big gift this year was a new SSD drive for my computer (a very boring gift on the surface, but I'm genuinely very excited to upgrade my PC). Plus a board game I'm keen to try out. To my delight, even good old Daniel Roberts turned up at the door to exchange presents and to wish me a good Christmas - bless his heart. 

Dinner followed presents, I check on Mum and Dad a few times as they were cooking it and they remarked in how well it was all going. So much so that Dad forgot to plate up his favourite part of the lunch: red cabbage. Luckily, there were so many other trimmings we all only noticed after licking the last of the Christmas pudding off our spoons.

We ponked ourselves around the TV afterwards. Superworm was the below-average annual animation, luckily Father Christmas was on shortly after, a short I hadn't seen in perhaps 15 years and I loved it. The hours peeled away afterwards, the dreary day was obscured by night and once Mrs Brown's Boys came on we knew it was time for bed.

Felt very fortunate to be able to spend Christmas in the traditional way once again, few things beat my parent's Christmas dinner and the atmosphere of our cosy living room. Hoping everyone had a blessed day too spent with their loved ones.

 Merry Christmas everyone!

Happy Christmas Eve 2021

We gathered round the Christmas tree to shower Rebecca and Rachel with their presents. Lots of smiles all round and that made me feel a touch of the Christmas magic. They both had to dash off after lunch so they could spend the big day with their families, while we got ready for a Christmas Eve film. In a kind of double bluff, we chose the younger brother of everyone's favorite alternate Christmas film and watched Die Hard 2 this evening. It's easily the lesser film, but it's a certified romp either way. Sadly, watching airplanes explode on a runway didn't leave me feeling warm and fuzzy in the same way skyscraper terrorists do. I guess the most enduring Christmas films are thanks to tradition and association.

Still bizarre to think there's only one more sleep til Christmas. Looking forward to it though. For everyone reading this on Christmas Morning, I hope the day brings all the merriment you've missed from last year - make sure it's a Christmas you're thankful for.

Remembering How to Christmas

Slowly packed up our bags, presents and Christmas treats ready to hit the short road to Newbury. Mum was excited to see Louis and me, the dream of a 'normal' Christmas is slowly coming into focus. It wasn't until I sat next to our tree and cracked a walnut that I begun to notice the season's glow start to creep up on me. I think there's a strange air to the holiday this year, as if we''ve all kinda forgotten how to do Christmas, but like riding a bike, it'll all come back to us. Sat by the tree, looking at the familiar decorations, it felt like no time had passed at all.

Calico

Made my first ever batch of cranberry sauce last night, all because Rebecca and I wanted bacon, brie and cranberry sandwiches for lunch. May have accidentally made a humongous pot of the red stuff, thankfully I had the bright idea of bringing it along with Newbury for Christmas - it shan't all go to waste!

Shortly after our festive lunch, Rebecca and I exchanged gifts. I wracked my brain for weeks wondering what to get Rebecca, then, like a beacon from the heavens, a cat board game (that was highly rated) appeared before me. Calico is the game's name, as if it wasn't perfect enough, the game also deems that the player who goes first is the most recent person to have stroked a cat. She was thrilled, and we both had a go after dinner, where she promptly thrashed me. I received a bottle of very, very nice coffee liqueur from the distillery in our postcode. Its punchy and will go tremendously well in a tiramisu, can't wait to share the love.

The Power of the Dog

Jane Campion made a film I didn't totally despise, that's the news flash that leads today's blog entry. The Power of the Dog is a post western farming film which is basically a spin on Rebecca, but a banjo-playing Benedict Cumberbatch plays Miss Danvers. Watching him gaslight and torment a poor woman who married into his broken family was oddly entertaining, but outside of that there were several moments that were incredibly on the nose. The film feels like it's boiling, reducing itself toward a breaking point, but that moment never manifests - it's a very understated film for sure but it needed something more in order to resonate by the end. 

 

Jab Nurse

That *should* be the last of this year's Christmas shopping. I headed once more towards the bustling high streets of Bristol to gather up the outliers on my list, scratching them off one by one until I only had a heavy rucksack left to contend with. Back home I nursed Rebecca back to health after her booster jab made her feel incredibly ropey. It was the least I could do after she tended to me to fervently. 

She felt right as rain by the evening though, just as well because Louis and Rachel opted to cook us dinner. Their house has a mouse who has taken lodgings, so they used our kitchen to prep a nice wintery meal. Good time with friends, by the tree and a roaring fireplace, felt like an honest precursor to Christmas Day.

Dressing Down the Car

The final weekend before Christmas is obviously the perfect time to do a slap-dash trip to the high street. As we were driving down, I spotted two familiar figures crossing the road - Louis and Rachel! I bellowed out Louis' name as we passed by and he just shook his head. Classic Louis. Then it dawned on me, we were both probably doing last minute shopping for each other... Made the whole thing seem a lot more awkward in my head than in realy though, we bumped into them again shortly after and they confessed to doing exactly that. Good thing we crossed paths at a good moment!

Cleaned out my car ready for its return tomorrow. In hindsight, it's probably the best of all the hire cars I've had recently. I'm going to be a little sad to see it go. Put about 4,000 miles onto it in 6 months so I suppose it had a good run, I'll miss the sound system most, that car had the best bass I've ever experienced. 

Of course, we did the annual present wrapping session. I adopted my position as tape master and Xmas Music DJ, in doing so I realized just how few Christmas songs I'd actually heard this year. Band Aid and John Lennon's songs are ones that haven't played for me yet, I've only heard Last Christmas less than 5 times too... Got a lot of catching up to do.

Little Hollows

Groggily, I lifted my head from my pillow and rubbed my aching legs. Yesterday did a number on me, a passing gift after wrap I suppose, but it wasn't enough from keeping me enjoying my Saturday to the fullest. Rebecca booked us in for lunch at the pasta restaurant Rachel works at. I have a real soft spot for genuine, fresh pasta and this was perhaps the best dish I've had outside of Italy. Small menu that is expertly curated and brimming with flavour - my soula dn my stomach was nourished afterwards... Though it did make me a bit sleepy afterwards. 

Not to matter though, once we got home we did a small walk and then just vegged out. I probably should have made a few more mince pies I realized, I took to eating the mince meat mixture I made from a bowl, maybe later this week I throw on an apron and make another batch. I mean, I'm a man of leisure now. I can do anything!

Sanditon - That's a Wrap

Golly, there were moments today when I felt beaten. But here I stand, at the pinnacle of Sanditon, all roads point to the very second when filming wrapped. Prosecco corks popped, and post shoot mingling begun, it felt like New Year's with us all chatting and enjoying each other's company before we all moved onto bigger and brighter things. I was run off my feet all day, but still managed to find the time to socialize and be merry with all my team mates. As I left the office, I reached for the lightswitch and it realized, this was it. The day I'd been clamouring for. To look into an empty office, and turn out the lights. Final days are always bittersweet.

And so, this marks the end of the busiest work period I've ever had. Back-to-back jobs since August 17th 2020. It's been a sprint finish, I feel much older and much wiser now, it all been such a boost to my confidence too. Now that I know I can just sit back and take it easy, my body has already begun going into a state of deep sleep. I will rest well and rest hard, heaven knows I deserve it.

Facebook Marketplace

 The living hell of dealing with Facebook marketplace to flog off all our surplus made an already stressful day a little too manic to fathom. Buyers I had for a lot of my stuff went silent so I had to scramble round replying to more and more people. Which meant more haggling, more questions from them and more time out of my day. My timetable tomorrow is now stacked with random folks coming to buy little filing cabinets while I'm trying to clear the decks. Last day tomorrow though so anything could happen.

Sharing the Salmon

Shiftin' boxes and posting things off, that was my day. Minus a small excursion out to a nearby school so I could inundate them with coloured paper. Reams of cherry, salmon, buff and goldnlenrod paper all donated to a good cause... If they can dream up fun uses for all that stuff anyway, paperchains perhaps?

The end is in sight now, neither the spirit nor the body is willing. It's just black coffee and friendly faces getting me through until the end now. Thankfully both of those things are in bountiful supply.

Racing Towards the End

Misjudged my starting time rather dramatically, just a little over an hour early for work, but I made the best use out if that time. I took down the kitchenette setup in our office, boxed more things away and called up a few local schools to see if they were interested in our vast spectrum of colourered paper. Everything we own is getting grouped into neat little piles and soon enough those piles will be gone, sold or donated to the lucky few. In between it all I got to ride on a motorbike, someone gave me a lift across our studio and it was great fun. Forgot how cold the wind can be when you're speeding into it, not felt that since I last went on a bike with my Grandad.

Dismantling the Office

Monday packdown is in full swing, it's a bit of a one man operation but that suits me fine for the time being. Nice to know every inch I tidy is my own handiwork, not unlike cultivating a unruly garden. As the day's go by, more and more of it will disappear, swept away, sold and dismantled until there is no trace of us. Minus the giant promenade set in the parking lot... I ain't de-rigging that.

Tomorrow it'll really get going though, big plans to tackle some of the trickier spots. Just keep going and the week will end before I know it.

Living in the Living Room

Headed out early so Rebecca and I could do the Christmas shopping just as everywhere begun to open. Had a really successful jaunt along the high street, getting bits for a lot of our 'harder to buy gifts for' people, ticking several off our list. To commentate a job well done (and to say a big thank you to Rebecca for looking after a Covid-ridden Theo) we ate lunch out at Pieminister... Also, it wouldn't be Sunday without gravy.

I'm in an odd interim stage now where my job is drawing to a close next week, but I don't want to start any new games until my time off. This made me feel a bit non-committal this weekend, but it was a blessing in disguise. It freedede up to just enjoy the moment instead and not rush around to maximize weekend time. It's A Wonderful Life was on telly and I found myself watching all of it, relishing every second. Karate Kid was the chaser film, while I wasn't as invested, it was nice to watch the highlights again while tucking into a cheeseboard for dinner. The living room is a lovely space to exist in right now and it's a pleasure to slow down, recenter and spend quality time there. 

The final work week looms, its going to be one final mad dash... I'm digging deep to find the willpower to push on. I got 5 more days in me, just about.

Best Tree Yet

 Operation 'Get Chrismassy' was put into full swing after it dawned on me I spent most of the Christmas run up isolating in my room. Usually at this time of the month I've exhausted all my festive cheer, now though I feel like I've got some catching up to do. Rebecca and I bought our tree, some new decorations and some new lights to put on it... Then we got home and I quickly realized we bought the wrong ones so I had to dash back to the shops to get an exchange, all the while Rebecca was tapping her feet, impatient to decorate the tree. It's all done now though and I think it's our best ever one. I keep finding myself staring at the tree and basking in the warm glow. That's always a good sign.

Studio Strike

 And so, the great studio get-out begins. Because there aren't any other Runners, it's my job to de-rig basically the entire of the Production Office and the studio by myself. I tallied up the stationary first thing and started putting a few pieces of furniture on the Facebook Marketplace. I made a good dent in it already so I should really hit the ground running first thing Monday morning. Better rest easy though, it's going to be a bonkers week coming up and I'll need to dig deep to find the strength to push forward.

Bye Bye Blue

 The final, final day of filming on Sanditon. Many of us thought we'd never see the day, but still it took us by surprise. I was on my feet the whole day, both units were crammed into a single production bus so I hovered around all the areas of our studio instead. Dealing with request, making coffees and prepping wrap gifts. I was handed some pretty weird and wonderful jobs in that 11 hour shoot day, all of which I nailed, quickly and efficiently. I get by with a little help from my friends though, and the hardest part was saying goodbye to a select few. The Transport Captain and a few members of the AD team were over and out after today. I wrote them all cards and presentedy wrap gifts to them for that bittersweet farewell. We've all been looking forward to the job's end for so long... But another week together would have been lovely... And then another and another. 

To celebrate the end of Blue Unit the Blue Bus Crew all went out for dinner at a nearby Mezze place. It was the perfect vibe for a last meal, lots of sharing platters and excuses for us all to get together and share the job's highlights (and low points). To me, every single person around that table was a highlight, so sad to think that it's all slowly drawing to a close.

Washing Bowl, my Old Friend

 Back in the office, washing up bowl full of dirty dishes waiting for me since Monday - delightful start to my day. I'm winding the whole shebang down now, striking the office and packing down whatever isn't vital to the war effort. Only got a small way through it all though as my focus shifted towards prepping for the real final day (after being told last week that we've all wrapped). Scripts changed a wee bit and more tea and coffee needed sorting, luckily they're both in the Venn diagram of my interests so I did it all happily. In actuality, I'm chuffed my unit gets a real final day now, one that I can actually participate in.

I'm Coming Out (Of Isolation)

 Took another lateral flow test - negative result as predicted. I deemed it ok to leave my mancave for the day and camp out in the living room instead for a change... But first, I had to clean up any remnant of my squalid lifestyle. Burnt through every mug, bowl and plate in the house it felt like so a good portion of the morning was spent washing it all up and packing down the sofa-bed. Feel a lot more human now, though I did feel myself becoming almost overstimulated by the world beyond my four walls. Around midday my eyes were tired and my brain became ratty so I rested in a dark room for a spell. Felt right as rain afterwards, just gotta take it easy when I'm back at work tomorrow. Wonder what the day will have in store for me.

Breaking Quarantine

Balenced my petty cash invoices and upgraded our iPad storage, all in a day's work while working from home. Technically speaking I broke my isolation for but a moment as I dashed out in the dark, dead of the evening to my car to grab something and nip back again. I didn't see a soul on my adventure so no-one was ever at threat, but it was so gratifying to feel the cool, fresh air on my face again... If only for 15 seconds. 

Some of my work colleagues called me up on a video chat to check on me. They kept saying how much they missed me and how I'm a core member of the filming family... Funnily enough this wasn't even my department lavishing me with love and attention. The AD team really have adopted me, and I couldn't be happier about that.

Miss Americana

 Though I'm still in solitary confinement, Rebecca and I have still dreamed up of little ways to spend time together. I tuned in to watch Netflix's Taylor Swift documentary with Rebecca, I wrote it off last year as a self-aggrandizing short-term biopic, at least, that was my thoughts before having seen it. In reality, it does a lot of flag bearing for her, but it does at least begin to peek under the hood of how she's a victim and benefactor of fame. It didn't really want to get its hands dirty though so we only get a glimpse of these things followed by a lot of fan-pleasing recording session clips. At the end of the day, it's a documentary for the fans, for better and for worse.

Some distaced board games were played on my landing too. Rebecca had to move ally pieces but we still got some good matches in of some of our favorites. More than anything, it just whetted my appetite for some real board game nights with friend and family. Just so ready to leave this room now.

The Last Duel

 Rebecca tapped on my door, wakinge up just in time to catch my eyebrows hit the ceiling as I realized I slept in until 10am. Felt like a normal day rather than a weekend being locked in the same room. Rebecca got to go out and enjoy the outside thankfully, she told me all about it and I listened with child-like wonder in my eyes.

We've also recently been watching some things together over video chats, we both press the play button on a movie at the same time and keep our microphones on so we can catch each other's witty banter. A mid day movie was the perfect thing to do in Lockdown and The Last Duel satisfied a lot of criteria to earn the favour of both Rebecca and myself. It's writing and attention to structure was its most praiseworthy quality, it juggles a lot of balls and manages to keep them all airborne while keeping you constantly invested in the fate of the characters. Only Ridley Scott can make chain-mail look this good and a lot of attention to detail brought Medieval France to life - it was almost a shame I watched it on a laptop. Solid film all round, if you peek under the hood you'll admire its craft all the more.

End of Contract

A mammoth bit of data logging stood between me and my weekend. I was asked to use a spreadsheet from accounts to figure out all the companies who have raised invoices through us and log all the names and addresses of those places in a separate document. Long? Yes. Tedious? Yes. Soul Crushing? A thousand times yes. It's one of those things that's kinda meant to be spread across the entire filming job, but now that everything is getting a bit last minute we're scrambling to get it all ready to hand in before the end date. Speaking of, my contract with this job technically expired after today, no word on if they want to keep me on or not. Still got the car so I reckon I'm still on the payroll? Let's see what happens next week and go from there. Some of my colleagues are already planning an informal get together after the non-day everyone had yesterday. Very much llooking forward to saying goodbye properly.

No More Blue Unit... I Guess

Unceremoniously, at about 3pm, my filming unit were told that today was the last day they'd be filming. So... That's a wrap, I guess? Though I was at home, the nervous tension was palpable through the messages I got through all day. Still a lot of unanswered questions and curious decisions being made behind the scenes, but I was too busy coordinating a pizza and doughnut order our director wanted to arrange (fairly last minute) for the crew. With any luck I'll be able to see my team again one last time before the job is all done and dusted, there was no 'last hurrah' so we'll no doubt arrange our own little shindig.

Health wise, I'm doing better today. The naffness has migrated towards my head and ears mostly, throwing me off balence and simulating the torturous feeling of tinitus all day. It's my muscles thoigh that are proving to be in the most pain, purely due to misuse. I had to ask Rebecca if it'd be ok to go up and down the stairs a bunch of times to get them back into the swing of things. Might make a habit of doing that a lot more over the coming days.

With or Without Me

Still here in my little room, beavering away at some small jobs work has passed onto me. Our last day of filming is tomorrow and one of my group chats very sweetly pointed out that it's all going to fall apart without me on the day. Very flattered, but they'll be just fine without me, though I have a hunch the printer will break down almost immediately for them - good thing I said I could be on call for the day. 

Feeling a little more chipper today overall, think I've broken through the heart of the illness now so it's just a long road towards the sunlight.