Shortest, winners, losers and Santa funnies in blackpropaganda

This is almost my favourite day in the year - it is the point at which the sun turns round and goes north again (at least that is how I see it - and from now on the days get longer. OK I know there is still winter to come - and the kind of mild weather we are having may be a false dawn, but I know in a month or so it will be getting light earlier.

In the meantime we have put the cards up - renewed rail cards - and generally getting things sorted. I collected a present for me from son from the Post Office to find that the glue on an Amazon packet is pretty useless, and it had been secured by the PO. I have checked with son and I don’t think anything is missing - just bad packing. I would guess it is a book - but holding off opening until the 25th since I shall have very little to open. (Ahhh)

Spent a couple of hours indulging in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) yesterday evening. It was broadcast from Belfast and anything Northern Irish or Irish got the most enormous cheer. Actually it is amazing that this small area of the UK produces so many good sportsmen - eg Rory McIlroy. The whole thing is organised like a Nazi Rally - but is totally affable - although I would not have had Barry McGuigan, the ex-boxer, read out the results - too easy to get them in the wrong order - see the MIss Universe contest. Hey, I hope they compensate Miss Columbia for being dethroned before she had a chance to sit on it.

Anyway, yesterday would have my dad’s birthday - so nice memories of the old man who died some time ago - he worked hard to keep us (especially my mother) in the style she wanted - I can remember at the age of 7 waking up at 3 am on Christmas morning - getting my presents in the pillow case - and my dad saying would I go downstairs for something - and there, in the scullery - was my ‘new’ bike. Secondhand, but totally new to me, and totally unexpected. That’s Christmas to me.

and I love these!!