'Another Year Of Festive Blogging!'

Hi All,

Well, I am glad to say that my thoughts have turned to Christmas time quite early this year! Like a lot of you reading this now ( and moaning no doubt! ) I'm not a lover of the way in which the festive season seems to encroach ever more on the summer months these days but in my (probably) permanently unemployed state I need to prepare for Christmas a few months ahead for a number of reasons. Presents, cards, letters all want buying, making, or writing and then of course you have deadlines to meet for foreign cards to arrive on time. It can all become very stressful and out of control unless you get your act together and as I LOVE Christmas I HATE to miss anyone out or fail to send out even one festive wish!

2019 will not go down in history as a great year for me personally (nor will it for many of you I suspect!) but it has been an awful year for the U.K. in my opinion with regard to the 'Brexit' wrangling etc and so from my point of view ANY chance to escape thinking about/hearing about or watching stuff to do with the DREADED and totally ill-timed forthcoming General Election is great for me - hence my early blogging this year!

The GOOD news looking forwards to this December is that I hope to be on the radio again on Christmas Eve with my mate, Jeff Belton on Conquest Hospital Radio again.

Unbridled 'Nutterdom' On Last Years, Jeff Belton Show

If you missed last years 'manic' effort you missed a treat as Jeff and I had the whole of the Conquest Hospital Radio staff in uproar with our antics both on and off the air! I expect the same to happen this year as Jeff (with a little bit of help from me) has written a 'festive play' that we plan to record in advance of the show that should make you all chuckle and your kids will love it as well so tune in with the whole family!

As ever, Jeff and I are also going to 'cook up' an eclectic mix of Christmas tunes to while the morning away with so you will get plenty of chance to hear both familiar favourites and a few new and unusual songs you can seek out and add to your festive playlists for years to come - or buy the CD's and help the artists!!! (lol)

'Jolly' Jeff Belton!

Sadly, it looks highly unlikely this year that I will be able to return to my beloved Grassington for their 'Dickensian Festival' in December. The coach operator that I have used to make the 'pilgrimage' the last two years has dropped the tour from their brochure this time around and while I have found two other Coach companies who are going to the festival from this area both are only booked in for a 2 hour stay.

Grassington's Own FABULOUS Dynamic Duo!

That may be great for those who just want to look around the small marketplace and have a cup of tea but for someone like me who wants to soak up the UNIQUE atmosphere that only Grassington can provide it is woefully inadequate! We had over 5 hours the first year I went and 4 hours last year and both times I would have liked longer!

Still, I WILL be with all of you who do travel to Grassington (and who take part in the festival itself) in spirit If I can't make it this time. None of the coach tours stay near enough to the festival to make getting a taxi back to my hotel viable either and (sadly) my finances cannot stretch to much these days as I am pretty much living off my savings as it is!

ANYWAY, there IS a similar festival planned at Rye (December 7th) and that I can reach by public transport from here so I will probably make my first visit to that this year (weather permitting). Rye is a lovely, old fashioned place and an ideal setting for such an event - especially as they are banning cars from the main street that day!

Other than the above and my usual trip to the Christmas Fair at St Clements Church in the Old Town of Hastings I don't know what Christmas will bring this year? I am always up for anything festive so will keep my eyes peeled and report back to you anything exciting I find out about to (hopefully) either get you in the Christmas spirit or encourage you to get involved in it yourself!

Right then, that's my 'opening gambit' for this years blogging!

Back with more soon.