2010 here we come...

I've had a really, really wonderful Christmas at home. We'll just gloss over the 10 hours waiting in Manchester airport for a plane that was then cancelled, followed by another 5 hour wait the next day to get a plane back to Belfast... I got home in the end, and am ever so glad!

My days have been filled with fun stuff - reading books, surfing the net, wrapping presents (& getting presents!), eating amazing food (too much!), drinking yummy wine (occassionally too much of this also), and not forgetting - games! Just mucking about with my family playing 'Cranimum', and 'SingStar' karaoke has been brilliant, although it does sound like such a Walton-esque thing to be doing.

Such a nice escape from day-to-day life, I wish that more than 2 weeks of the year were this carefree & fun!

As cheesy as my Christmas sounds, I definitely got a very non-conventional present from my parents - a taxidermy magpie! They know me so well :)

New Years Eve tonight. I'm never really that excited about this day of the year - it's a bit overhyped, and usually makes me feel a tad sad rather than in a crazy partying mood.
Hopefully this will be a fun one though, and that I won't spend New Years Day feeling like a big congealed mass of bleughhh!!

Reach out & touch faith!

Wow wow wow. No, that isn't a World of Warcraft reference - I'm talking about the sheer brilliance of Depeche Mode last night at the MEN!

They kicked off with a triology of tunes from the new album, which I have steadily been growing to like more & more over the last few months. There were quite a few classics as well, with 'Stripped' and 'Question of Time' being 2 particular favourites of mine! A rousing 'Personal Jesus' in the encore had even the grumpiest looking folk (honestly - grumpy at a DM concert, before Christmas.. what is wrong with you?!) up & waving their arms!

I love watching Fletch. Honestly, he is like the cringiest uncle you are glad you never had. Standing behind his keyboard, pointing at the audience - if David Brent was in DM, this is how he'd behave. It's brilliant though, the contrast between the personal styles of all the members is part of what makes Depeche Mode so great! Dave did a lot of dancing last night, and his voice was even better than last time around at the MEN.
Thank goodness other bands from the 80s who are all reviving themselves don't take style tips from DM - the thought of Simon Le Bon shirtless in a waistcoat is not pretty!

I felt very sorry for the staff scanning peoples tickets by the doors - not nice to be standing out in the cold for 4 hours - poor guys. Hope a bit of the fans enthusiasm wore off on them!

Smeghead!

The only time I've spotted celebs in Manchester been in M&S, which is rather bizarre, surely their salaries can stretch to a splurge in Harvey Nicks? I saw Craig Charles (of Red Dwarf&Robot Wars) fame there yesterday, making his way to the menswear dept... Having said that, I could well be walking past footballers/soap stars every day - I wouldn't recognise them unless they were Rooney or Beckham!

Will be happy to go home & relax for 2 weeks, but will also be sad to leave the flat. Am at a pivitol part of Warcraft, and really need to get levelling up to a 12. Won't be able to play it at home :( I am getting totally obsessed, and pity my other half, who has become a computer-game widow!

On a festive note, not long left to make the most of Starbucks festive menu, so I need to stock up on Eggnog Lattes & mince pies... honestly, half my mind is spent constantly imagining food - I'll be the size of a roly poly pudding by the end of this year!

I feel like cassoulet tonight, like cassoulet tonight!

Christmas vintage fair today, and it was a good haul! Have finished off a couple of peoples pressies, and (unfortunately) also treated myself to one or two little lovelies... and a peppermint cupcake of course! Love it.

This week I have been watching squirrels fight one another (playfully might I add.) They live in the trees in the park just off Oxford Road, and box & pull one anothers tails. Unfortunately I look like a bit of a madwoman, stopping & peering up into the trees, but it is worth it for the spectacle - even if the squirrels are of the marauding grey variety! Their fights actually do not remotely resemble the picture to the right.

The other half has been cooking all day. Sausage & duck cassoulet, & oxtail stew. I am salivating. Bring on the red wine (& the last in the series of 'In the thick of it' - sob!), and we have the makings of a very lovely night in. Jack Frost already has been busy this evening, not envious of those venturing into town...

Double Dutch

Well, as of yesterday, I am another year older. I think I'd like to stop now & remain at 24 thanks very much, even though 25 is apparently the new 21.

The birthday presents were all thoughtful & lovely, but the evening itself wasn't the greatest. Am going to postpone the celebrations until the other half isn't so poorly. I ended up watching telly, and was pleasantly surprised at finding Michael McIntyre's Apollo show on BBC1 semi-funny (although it may have been something to do with the 3 large glasses of Sauvingon Blanc I imbibed!)

Tonight we are going to celebrate 'Sinterklass', the Dutch Christmas tradition. There's going to be cinnamon biscuits & hot chocolate... yum yum!

We're also upholding the rather bizarre custom of exchanging rhyming poems about one another. The picture to the left of this post is the first image that one gets upon goggling 'Sinterklass'... interesting people, the Dutch!