Family Day 2022

After a late night yesterday (and an equally late wake up time today), I walked right onto a kitchen conveyer belt. For today was 'Family Day', the annual get-together of my Mum's side of the family who were all about to knock on our door with empty tummies. Before I could even wipe my cereal milk from my chin, food prep, washing up and mulled wine brewing was on my docet. It was a big team effort as the family dashed around to finish all the preparations and it all went off without a hitch. Pen and paper games ensued and much hilarity was had, even after most of the guests left the ink was flowing as we played 'Stop the Bus'. Hot debates were had over how bad walnets smell (Dad wouldn't conceed to the contrary in this topic), now that all the adrenaline has gone I'm ready to conk out in bed.

Su-Beer 2022

 Louis and I planted ourselves squarely in the living room with controllers in hand. For tonight was Su-Beer, our (mostly) annual Smash Bros tournament and we were both feeling a might rusty. Louis talked a bit recently about training his mates at the game over the Summer, what I didn't expect was how much sharper the compititon was! I was sweating a fair bit more this year round, and in a Su-Beer first, someone actually beat me. Thankfully I played hard enough to retain my trophy and the entire night was extremely jovial. There was simultaneously more and less at stake, people were just there to have a good evening which is exactly what we got.

Chrimbo Limbo

With Rebecca's car temporarily out of action, she and I have been getting taxied around by our parents like we were both 15 again. I feel a bit guilty hopping between families, eating all their leftovers and getting passed around like a flabby baton, we're both very grateful though that they're willing to help us see through our holiday plans. We're both back in Newbury now, enjoying Dad's cooking and doing Mum's jigsaw puzzles - with our brains united we finished 1000 pieces no sweat. We're still in the thickets of 'Chrimbo Limbo', as we sit on our hands and wait for New Year's Eve. There's still a few board games to play and movies to see so that'll keep us going in the meantime. Gotta get that family time in while we can.

Family Functions

For a change, I drove the family up to Orpington to see Grandma. Dad prepared a superb lunch for us all and Grandma kept remarking how lovely it was to see us all. We each hugged her tight as we said our goodbyes until next year, never quite feels like Christmas until I've spent some time with her in that living room.

I then hopped between a table at Cafe Nero, then Subway as I waited for my meet up, this time with Rebecca's Aunt and Uncle. Remarkably they had both watched Gangsta Granny so we had plenty to talk about while we tucked into a takeaway curry. I shared film recommendations with them and we all enjoyed each other's company until the small hours. The Uncle in particular didn't hide the fact he was delighted to be spending time with us, but especially his brother (Rebecca's Dad). I hope Louis and I end up like that into our older years.

Boxing Day 2022

This year's Boxing Day was characterized by watching the last 5-20 minutes of movies. Ghostbusters and Bridge on the River Kwai sprung up, favourites of yesteryear and trying our best to collectively reconstruction their plots based on the ending was a lot of fun. Not quite zombified, but with a low energy we occasionally ventured out of the warm living room in search for edible scraps. Cheese and gifted chocolates was mostly my daily diet, 'tis the only day a year that's not frowned upon so why not indulge?

I was mentally ready for a Boxing Day walk, but one never materialized. So I took myself on a short walk around the block, up to my old secondary school and a nearby park. The school is different everytime I go back, but I'm startled by home much of it I remember when I put my mind to it. Spent so many hours of my life there and it continues on with me and without me.

Happy Christmas 2022!

Grapefruits and gammon, it's Christmas Morning! We gathered under the tree and watched Louis play Santa and dish out the presents. I got a lovely chunky jumper, a graphic novel and some board game bits. Not to mention a very nostalgic painting Mum did of me as a toddler. Can't wait to find a spot to put that in our home.

We shared a traditional English Christmas dinner with our Ukrainian guests, turns out a love for Christmas pudding and brandy butter is universal. I was so full afterwards I could barely manage a pair of crackers once the Sun set... After a slice of cake that was... and a few chocolates.

Just as things were winding down a slideshow of photographs from previous December 25th begun playing. Young, peppy faces of Louis and I smiled back at us, pointing at favourite presents and arms round relatives. We know how to keep Christmas well, a tradition we continue to uphold.

From our house to yours, I hope your Christmas Day was everything you wanted it to be. Happy Christmas to one and all!

Christmas Eve 2022

In preparation for the Christmas Eve party Louis and I were asked to hand up some external fairy lights - 64 meters of it to be exact! We went back and forth before settling on a design to wrap around the house and garden and spent well over an hour on the job, poor Louis just wanted a cuppa tea and a sit down as his lips begun turning blue.

In the middle of this I said goodbye to Rebecca as she drove off to spend Christmas with her family. So the very last person I expected to see pull up in our driveway 20 minutes later was Rebecca. She'd got an engine light after pulling away, a chap came out to asses the situation but nothing could be done this side of Christmas. And so, Rebecca's parents came out to get her and wish us a happy Christmas in person.

The party itself went very well. Louis and I made a batch of mulled wine which went down very well and I donned a pair of inflatable reindeer antlers so people could play hoopla on my head. Slightly smaller crowd than usual, but there was still a cosy atmosphere that got me excited for the big day tomorrow.

Pinocchio

Took our guests to see some of the lesser known sights if Bristol - instead they just got the brunt end of the drizzle that best characterizes the city. We dried off while eating leftover pizza, everyone then packed their bags and we each went our separate ways towards our Christmas destination. Louis, Rebecca and I drove down to Newbury and enjoyed the Christmas quiet before the storm - tomorrow is all about preparing for the Christmas Eve party. We haven't had one for a few years due to Covid, I hope we haven't forgotten all the steps.

The Christmas holidays wouldn't be complete without an alternative family movie so Del Toro's Pinocchio sounded like a good pick. It was ultimately a little disappointing however, it postured on having some interesting takes on death (the underworld initially was a unique spin) but it never coalesced into anything meaningful. It was a remarkably long film yet it still felt like characters learnt their life lessons all too quickly. Unlike the wooden boy, nothing felt organic, be it the unremarkable songs or the iffy pacing in the second half, it just never quite landed the tone it's subject matter commanded. 

But it did make fun of fascists - always points for that.

Back Seat Unmentionables

My latest rental car arrived just as I was about to pour my breakfast coffee. That usually wouldn't be an issue, except for I agreed to take the chap who dropped off said car a ways up the road as a favour. We chatted the whole drive thankfully and we had a cheery chat, I learnt a bit about the life of a rental car drop off guy and all the unmentionables things he's found lost under backseats when vehicles get off hired. 

Jamie's partner arrived to also spend the evening with us. Not that we need an excuse to order a pizza in, but this was a golden opportunity to do just that. Board games and pen & paper games followed as the mead flowed. It's the final night in this house for 2022 so we wanted to go out with a bang.

Heated Blanket

Rebecca and I bounded down the stairs towards our Christmas tree. This was our 'Christmas Morning', the perfect time for us each to exchange presents. It was an adorable way to start the day as just the two of us, as shortly after we got the house ready for our Christmas houseguest: Jamie Creed! Been almost two years since I saw him properly, but he's kicking it with us for the next few days in good old Bristol. To mark the occasion I boiled a joint of gammon in cola and roasted it up for dinner (and sandwiches tomorrow no doubt.) We all headed to Louis and Rachel's in the evening for a low-key cake and wine night and to exchange a few presents. A heated blanket was inside some wrapping paper for Rebecca and me, and we're chomping at the bit to try it out.

Christmas 'Wrap Party'

Once more unto the high street for presents, this time ticking off virtually everyone. I had a horrible moment where I mentally bookmarked a gift for someone the other day, but when I returned today the shelf was empty! In a panic I started dashing into all the shops, trying to find something appropriate. That tactic surprising paid off though as now I ended up with a better present than what I had originally planned!

There was a lengthy trip into M&S that ended with me leaving the shop empty handed as they had no stock left. I turned to Aldi instead and got what I needed at a fraction of the cost - lucky me again!

Turning in all these presents, Rebecca and I gathered round our dining table with scissors, tags and paper and had our very own 'wrap party' as we prepped presents. With all that out of the way we turned to a Christmas film and basked in the lights if our tree. The big day is drawing ever closer and the festive feelings are bubbling to the surface.

Gangsta Granny Strikes Again!

Here's something that's never happened to me before. I flicked on BBC One and there I was, right in the middle of the scene I'm an extra for in Gangsta Granny Strikes Again. I remember it was airing today on prime time, but didn't imagine I'd tune in during my 'blink and you'll miss me cameo.' We kept the show on in the background while Rebecca and I worked but we enjoyed it for the Christmas panto it is. It's still on BBC iPlayer if you want to catch it - you'll see me in the back of a police station sharing a scene with Sheridan Smith.

North Street Shuffle

Did the annual 'North Street Shuffle' - the final push for presents before the big day. We ventured towards yet another Christmas market, I think I've seen enough gift stalls this year to last several lifetimes now! Lots of local foods, artists and food stalls, it took all the willpower in the world not to go in for an aranchini ball (but I knew a bacon and cranberry sandwich was awaiting me at home). I ticked off a few more names off my list of people, still got a few outliers, plus a few things with the Royal Mail that's due to arrive... Any day now...

My Fair Lady

Rebecca got a generous end of year bonus and decided to treat the both of us to a cute December lunch out. Little Hollows, the pasta places Rachel works at is a stalwart favorite of ours that we don't visit enough but today was prime time for pasta. It's always good there, but they do like to find ways to outdo themselves. 

Full on pasta, we were craving a long, lazy afternoon/Christmas watch. For too long we discussed watching My Fair Lady and today was finally the day we put it on. I was so excited for a jolly 60's musical, and for the first 90 minutes I was totally on board with it, but the final half really, really soured the experience. It dawned on me that all the characters were dreadful. Everyone got exactly what they wanted, yet still remained to be ghastly people with seriously distorted convictions and sexual politics. If a character has a defining moment of rebellion and announces 'You'll never see me again' you don't then expected them to turn up 6 minutes later with a 1000 watt smile on their face as they're reunited with someone they loathe. A bizarre one for sure, some people adore this film, I'm glad to have finally seen it but it didn't gel with me anywhere near as much as I had hoped.

Pizzas, Pies, Party

Totally nailed the office Christmas party. All the prep departments came in to break bread and make merry while tearing off slices of pizza and chugging mulled wine. Really lovely atmosphere as everyone chatted about their plans over the holidays and the like. It only lasted about 30-40 minutes, then everyone swiftly disappeared, finished up the day then drove home.

I'm officially done with work for the year which is a lovely thought - I'm already tucked up in bed and I think I'll stay that way a few hours more tomorrow morning.

The Cranberries

I did something that aged me by about 20 years this afternoon. While building a flatpack piece of furniture I noticed one of the instructions was indisputably misprinted, so I call the hotline to let them know, so that future builders of an Argos kitchen trolley may flourish where I failed. I was in a charitable mood after our Line Producer came into the office, gave everyone a warm hug and announced Production we're hosting a festive lunch for all the prep crew. It was if every Christmas Carol spirit had visited her overnight, she suddenly knew how to keep Christmas! I wrangled together a pizza order and purchased bits for office mulled wine. I proudly told me team I asked my family on tips for the best stuff but they just said get the pre-mixed bottles. Ah well, guess it saves me making a cheesecloth spice bag. I did make some cranberry sauce to bring in tomorrow though - perhaps as something for people to dip Thier pizza crusts in? It turned out a little thick as I slightly overreduced it. Taste is deep though with just the right amount of sweetness.

Locked in a Room

Our Art Department were firing away with requests today, lucky for them I was on the case. Pow, pow, pow - I put requests in, checked in with our on-site team and prepped their shelves to be put up. The key with things like this is to let people feel like they are being heard and prove that wheels are turning, it helps if you do some of this face to face instead of over email too. 

As a team building exercise I headed out with my Production crew to do an escape room. With a cup of mulled wine fortifying my wisdom, I bowled into the room treating it like a big Professor Layton puzzle - mostly with success! Each team member bought something to the table too and we got out with plenty of time left on the clock. I keep saying this but I've got real good vibes off this team, real glad I landed with such a good bunch.

Retail Park Prodigy

I was back and forth to the nearby retail park collecting radiators, shelves and lunches throughout the day. I even got a chance to quietly announce 'I'm off to go oil some wood' as I treated some planks ready for our Art Department. Basically a lot more running around which kept me busy. I daresay I'm a little ahead of the game now so I might just read through the rest of the scripts if nothing urgent falls into my lap.

One Shopping Bag

Not sure why but I felt like I underperformed a little at work. I did my utmost looking into the costings of lanyards and measuring shelves but it rang oddly hollow today. Having said that I think I successfully pitched for our transport team, I really want to get the chaps we had on Sanditon back on board and I reckon the planets will align to make this dream a reality. I endured this horrific cost of living realisation tonight too, Rebecca put in an online click and collect order I went to pickup which cost £41... It barely filled a single shopping bag! Thank goodness I've got a job at the moment, else I'd be starting to properly panic.

Personal Presents

Bleary eyed, we hopped back down the motorway for our next social engagement - thankfully this one was just with Louis and Rachel back in Bristol. A Christmas makers market popped up in the center of town, we only went to scope it out but left with presents for ourselves and others! The weekend closed with one final visit to a friend's for pigs in blankets and board games, the perfect wind down event after a chocker two days. One more week of work before the hols, keen to put a neat bow on my to-do list and start 2023 with a clean slate.

Christmas Tapas

 'London- Ho!' we cried as the car was loaded and we hoofed it down the motorway. It's that time of year where there's plenty of social engagements to keep before Christmas and Rebecca does her traditionally fantastic job of coordinating the best way to see all our chums. First up was a pair of Rebecca's old school chums, I saw their new apartment, their houseplants and their nice art - taking mental notes all the while on how to spruce up our own pad. A Christmas party with some shared friends followed where I ate my first battered prawn of the season and indulged in a 'baige buffet' or 'Christmas tapas' as I like to call it. Riding the night buses and trains home now. Even though someone clearly vomited in the litter receptical of train carriage, that won't deter the good vibes of the day.

Helping Hand

Gave our Art Department plenty of help sorting out their printing woes (I am of course, an expert in solving those issues now). It was all in preparation for a small meeting with our heads of department, which concluded with a lunch run to a nearby favorite Thai place again. I returned a troubled printer for a full refund (my life revolves around these machines!) And lastly I ran up a prescription to my boss ready for the weekend. Lots of little jobs done well today, everyone was very grateful for the helping hand and smiling faces always soothe the soul.

Christmas on VHS

I once again dove into the UK TV archives to learn about what was aired during the holidays in 1997. A video tape of many seasonal cartoons shown at the time was made byy parents but has been lost since. Everytime around this time of year I try to piece together what was on that tape, slowly but surely I've managed to track it all down on YouTube. My white whale is still this creepy cartoon version of the Nativity, free if dialogue and drawn in swirling browns. I even found the time slot for it: 4:45pm Christmas Day 1997 (squeezing it in before Count Down on Channel 4). Yet try as I might, I cannot track it down.

One short that I had surpressed came to light today though during my research - a hand drawn version of A Christmas Carol from 1971 which was gorgeous to look at. The artstyle took inspiration from Victorian drawings and the end product is a vintage soot-stained Christmas card. It's also heavy on the disturbing side, leaning into the ghost element of the story. Jacob Marley was horrific, and the children of Ignorance and Want were tough to look at. It warms my core hunting and rewatching these old shorts from my youth - as Christmas is built on traditions, one of mine is stepping back in time through the power of imaginary video tape.

Swing Top

For love nor money, I could not find a swing-top drinking water bottle in South Bristol. It's the kind of thing that IKEA have some kind of monopoly on, because you just cannot get a cheap and cheerful one in any other inexpensive home ware shop. I returned empty handed after driving the wrong way down a one way street and nearly mowing down a street cat; no animals were harmed though.

Since we're still in the early stages of prep there was less pressure to stay at work til fairly late. It was also a colleagues' birthday so everyone clocked off a little early. Just as well because some new Mario Kart levels just landed and Rebecca and I were hungry for more stages to play on.

Family, Friends and Fighting

Learnt what it was like to be a middleman. Some people on my job are keen to get some more equipment purchased, I have to run all costs by our Line Producer who exists to be skeptical about how we spend our money. So I get to play messenger for both sides, commonly sharing bad news to both sides and hoping that neither of them hate me in the process. I don't think they do, but I always have that doubt.

Louis and Rachel invited us over to play Smash Bros - tis the season after all for friends, family and fighting. The Su-Beer tournament is coming up again soon so we're all getting some practice in. Rachel in particular has gotten scarily good - I think she's keen to beat all of Louis' mates at the event which would be very hype.

Gift List Grief

Returned to the office bearing mince pies, and with it, swathes of appreciation from my colleagues. I was mostly doing online shopping for our Art Department and doing runs to the nearby dump, an easy way to get into the swing of a new week. I'm slowly trying to brainstorm present ideas for people during quieter moments at work. The ones I've got planned are all winners which I'm really pleased with, but the gaping holes on my list are daunting. I don't even know what I want this year!

The Polar Express

Christmas is about being thankful for everything across the year leading up to the big day. For me, I'm thankful for all the petty cash I got to spend on filming jobs and claim the points back on Tesco's club card. Rebecca and I saundered into the Supermarket, placed a chocolate orange and a bottle of Bailey's, port and advocaat in our basket. Ended up only paying £3 for it all! 

I did also purchase all the ingredients to try my hand at mince pies once again. I'd been burnt by Mary Berry's recipe too many times now so I set my sights on a new one I found online. The results were a marked improvement, though the pastry still lacked that buttery quality that I drool over. I'm taking the leftovers into the office tomorrow to surprise my colleagues, hopefully they won't scrutinize them as much as I do.

I'm also trying to see a few Christmas films that have slipped through the cracks this year, The Polar Express being at the mountaintop of my list for a few years now. Right off the bat it's easy to mock how poorly the facial animation has aged, and indeed many emotional beats were lost on me because my brain couldn't quite unpick what expression was meant to be conveyed at times. But the visuals themselves hold up really well and brought me into the world and the story, I deed I was more charmed by it that I had expected. The breadcrumb themeing of beliving in the spirit of Christmas was sincere, overstepping only gently into mawkish territory. Luckily, I am a huge sap so it generally worked for me. It's a great example of a film where you can point to it's flaws with laser precision, but it's heart is in such a good place it's hard to stay mad at it.

Back to Bath

Barrled into Christmas head-first this year with an early tree purchase. If the internet has cautioned me of anything, it's that cats are most mischievous around Christmas trees. It's out first tree with the cat so we wanted to see how she'd react to it before we committed to decorating it. My worries were unfounded as she was totally nonplussed once we unwrapped the tree and put it up in the usual spot. We also somehow bought more than we bargained for as this year's model is significantly wider than we've had previously. It has plenty of personality though and I can't wait to decorate it.

Next up was Tree Fest, the charity Christmas tree exhibition at a nearby church Rebecca and I like to see every year. Looking back at my old blog posts I learnt that I stumbled across this event by pure chance, funny how it's now become a humble tradition. While there were overall less trees this year, their creativity had on average improved. One was made of food crates, another was constructed from crisp packets, then there was one which was a straight up robot - it wasn't a tree at all! Which is why it got my vote for best in show.

Then in the evening we joined forces with Louis and Rachel to tackle the Bath Christmas market. Challets aplenty stocking beeswax, wood carvings and pottery. Rebecca and I ended up not buying anything (besides a hit chocolate and a gaint hot dog for dinner) but left with some inspiration on gifts for friends and family. 

I confided in Rebecca that I've only got some much bandwidth for Christmas sometimes. I get anxious if I get a little swept up in festivities before the big day, else I'll be all 'Christmas'ed out'. I felt the tingle in my fingertips at times today, I permitted myself that feeling before the surge of wishing goodwill to all men consumed me. Gotta stagged the good vibes else I'll turn into Scrooge before months end.

HP Support

A curious job I got landed with at the start of the week was to fix my boss's printer. I got mixed messages from every repair center I called and the conclusion was fixing it would cost more than replacing it... So that's what I did. New printer arrived today, I hooked it up, tested it and readied it for my boss who took to it well. That is until I was yanked out of a Zoom meeting to try and troubleshoot the brand new machine that suddenly decided to stop working. I then spent almost two hours on support phone calls before finally cracking the issue. Now I never want to see a printer again. 

In spite of that I left week one with a spring in my step. I've done well and I'm immensely glad to have landed in with a good team of people. Here's to many more fruitful months on this job.

Welcome to Amazon

My morning was relatively quiet, and that seemed to extend out to my colleagues too. Some if them took a trip to M&S and got their photo taken with a chap dressed as Percy Pig which caused a lot of merriment around the office. I mostly read scripts before going out in a big run to a nearby lockup to collect the unwanted bits and pieces from an old production. It wasn't till we go it all back we realized that 80% of it was all old costume pieces that we had no use for... Now the office looks like an Amazon warehouse thanks to all the boxes. As our Line Producer put it 'It's all crap, and it'll be crap for a thousand years.'