Thursday 25th December 2014

Christmas Eve.

Otherwise known as Wednesday. From 16:00 today, the shops will be closed for nearly 36 hours, have we got enough of everything?

Or that is what the rest of the country seems to think. As for us, I have to get Mum's Christmas Card, which we will deliver at the weekend, and run some chores and that is it.

We wake early, half five, and I lay in bed waiting for the heating to come on at six, although Mulder does try to point out we can get up and feed him at any time. We decide to head into town and be there for nine, so we can get the bits and bobs and go back home. In the end we were parking up at half eight, so use the time to ask the folks at the car park wash the car and then go to Chaplins for breakfast. We both settle for a small breakfast, which is really all we need to be honest, but we are the only customers, which seems odd. But then the whole of the town centre seems very quiet, even if it is early on Christmas Eve.

I get a card for Mum, Jools goes to the library, and we are done in under an hour, then have to sit and watch as our car is washed. It is raining gently, but that is OK. At ten we get the car back and drive home via the cliffs; we can barely see the sea from the road due to the mist and drizzle. Better be at home with the heating ramped up.

We have cold sausage rolls for lunch, and when the steak has defrosted, I prepare that for the evening, and we settle down on the sofa with the cats to watch the second part of The first Hobbit film. It is OK, bit already seems overlong. And there are tow more to go. Oh well.

Before dinner, I am thinking my back is still painful, and that sitting around will not do it any good, best do something, so I decide a session on the cross trainer is called for, and that is what I do, 30 minutes listening to music, the time goes and although I don't feel better, or my back doesn't, its not worse.

The steak is wonderful, I cook garlic mushrooms, peas, sweetcorn and fried jacket spuds. All wonderful washed down with a bottle of rose wine. Mmmmm, not bad at all.

All through the day, my thoughts are on events some 30 years ago to the day. Two of my best friends were killed in a car crash on Christmas day in 1984, I remember, that they had called for me early that evening, and as I had been unemployed all year, I had no cash and although they would have subbed me for drinks, I did not want to sponge off them, so I refused. I could have been killed or injured that night, but instead stayed home with my parents. On such things our lives change forever. In our memory, Jim and Chris are forever 20, frozen in time. Over the years, most of us have lived life, met people, got married, had families and some are now grandparents. life goes on, our memories fade and the past is a foreign country, but we do still remember

In the first weeks of 1985, we all attended two funerals, one for each of them of course, during the ceremonies, two pieces of music were played, that will forever be linked in my mond to them, which piece was played at which funeral, I can't remember, however, it doesn't really matter.

First one is Decades by Joy Division: Here are the young men.....

And the second is Song to the Siren by This Mortal Coil: Here I am, waiting to hold you........