Good Will to all Men?

It's that time of year again.  Reams of wrapping paper adorning the shelves of all the shops, Christmas decorations everywhere, stacks of Christmas cards piled high in almost every shop you enter.  The streets adorned with the latest Local Authority "cost reduced" street lighting or trees, come to that I have only seen one Christmas tree in a street and that was  in Chichester NOT Portsmouth!  I shuddered that the possibility that the tree had been omitted in Portsmouth for fear of offending non-Christians, lets hope not.

Mind you dear reader, I do have to admit that once the Christmas season starts, which seems to be shirt after either Halloween or Bonfire Night I get that sinking feeling.  Oh no, cards to write, addresses to find, lists to prepare and then the age old question.  "What shall we do on Christmas day dear?" - I somewhat tongue in cheek this year suggested, "get a duvet and lots of booze and lay in bed watching TV from the sofa".... I'm not sure this fits with the 2008/2009 Low Carb Diet that is fast approaching.  

I suppose that Low Carb Cabbage, GI and the simple Calorie Controlled diets have all been tried and tested but for me the only one that works is the one that says, "don't eat the whole curry and the 2 pints of extra strong Cobra Richard"!!! 

The last bits and pieces of our "retreat from Ibiza" were supposed to arrive today.  I say supposed to because until 11:30 that was the plan but as sure as eggs are eggs, it was not to be.  Our furniture is currently stranded in Bexley Heath while our driver is subjected to a medical - how were we to realise that he had not had a medical for his driving licence? He is after all over 70 and it has been his vehicle that has been of most concern to us since we loaded it last September in Ibiza.  I have been reminded several times that this use of "cost saving" was not the right choice.  Yes, we should have used White & Co. as the overall cost to us been the same and I wouldn't have had to load and unload!! 

Now, what else has been happening.. oh yes, house hunting with the prospect of success fast dwindling we have now looked over more than 30 properties with little success.  Now I know you are all going to yell "location, Location, Location" and "something will come up"... well, we have done much of the first thing, that is, look for a house in the right place.  There are plenty of those but at the wrong price. So what about others? We have found the right place but no homes for sale or right home, wrong place.  I have always considered myself the optimist in this household but I fear I am now so pessimistic that if there were a Rickter Scale for pessimism - I would be off it! I just want to settle, unpack, settle again and then get on with life, fingers crossed for the New Year!

Happy Christmas and a prosperous (recession type) New Year if you can manage it!

 (Bah Humbug )