'Its December!'

Well, the calendar now has the word DECEMBER on it! It all starts 'kicking off' from here usually but I seem to have started earlier than ever this year... I have been to three three course dinners in the last week (though only one was an official christmas do) and have been thus living an 'a la carte' lifestyle!

I went to THE MOORINGS restaurant in Cooden Beach yesterday with the residents of R.O.A.R. for their Christmas get-together. Three courses for the special price of only £10 (usually £20) was a bargain I could not turn down and I have done various things for charity to support R.O.A.R. in the past so I did not feel guilty about accepting something from them. It did not feel much like Christmas though as the sun was shining and we had perfect blue skies as far as the eye could see! The sun was low, of course, so that did give you the idea that it wasn't summer but other than that it was more like a cool summers evening than the first day of December!

I had Garlic mushrooms for starters followed by a three cheese pasta bake and Lemon Meringue Pie and ice cream for sweet. You always get hearty helpings at The Moorings and so I was pretty stuffed by the time I got through my lot. Ironically, I sat next to an elderly lady who had just lost her husband in unexpected circumstances and we talked about how it feels and how best to cope when something like that happens. Funny isn't it? How the universe seems to throw you together with someone in the same boat when it would be therapeutic for both of you to speak with another who fully understands your loss?

One thing that always irks me about Christmas though is that whenever I pull a cracker with someone mine NEVER go 'bang!'. I pulled two at The Moorings and neither exploded yet both the other two crackers did when pulled by others on our table!

Some of the items from our Christmas Crackers at The Moorings...

My mate, Alvin, who I went with said that 'My Crackers Won't Go Bang' would make a GREAT title for a fun Christmas song and I think he is right!
I must see if I can come up with a comedy song to fit that title as well as work on another festive title given to me by another friend, Keith, 'Christmas Did Not Send Me You'. I LOVE working on Christmas material and would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE  to get my LOOONNGG delayed Christmas album finished and pressed up. Maybe 2017 will be the year It finally happens? I hope so...

I have been invited to ANOTHER festive meal on Dec 5th and am out again on the 16th and 19th for my writing club (Shorelink Writers) annual bash. Its my Christmas Quiz on the 12th as well so plenty of festive researching to do to get ready for that! Am not doing badly with my Christmas present buying but it looks as if 'Operation Spread Christmas Spirit' may not happen this year as I do not have the cards and am snowed under with other urgent tasks at the moment...

Off to Meet of the Tongue in Robertsbridge tonight where I will be singing my Christmas song, 'You Can't Take Christmas Away From Me' live. The fun begins at The Ostrich Pub at 8pm if you are interested...

Oh well, I hope you are getting in the festive swing of things - in spite of the horrible good weather! HA HA