A Christmas weekend

Pulled out a pair of shoes I hadn't worn in perhaps six months to head into Kidderminster, mum had spotted an offer at Aldi she wanted me to investigate. Drove in with no problem, walked along and felt a pulling sensation in my shoe.

Hmm socks catching? I took a look and found a split right across the sole. Damn! Trouble was a lack of cash and still no credit card. So I took some extra out of the bank and tried Blunts.

This should be simple "The same as these in a 12". Nope; I also found out why these shoes have always felt a bit tight after a while - they're a size 10. So on to Brabanti (?). Now what I want is a tan pair of lace-ups, hard shell with a decent rough sole. Right colour, slip ons or velco; right colour, laces, smooth sole.

Headed up to Peerless (?) where the old M&S were; even less range. At that point I felt a pulling in my other shoe, yep the sole split on that too. Great, back home into the bin they go.

I was hoping to wear them Sunday to a Christmas dinner, they match the rest of my clothes and arent' the soft casual ones I normally wear and thus look 'proper'. Ah well.

So come Sunday and I completely forgot about it until a call from my mother reminding me I'd offered to drive them down. Whoosh into action and on our way. At which point we get stuck behind someone tootling along at 30mph in a 60 zone. Okay if the conditions were bad, if it had been raining, wet, foggy, misty whatever I'd have understood. It wasn't it was a little damp on the roads and that was it.

So stuck behind them with the only times being able to overtake being stopped by oncoming traffic; three of us had built up by the time we approached Great Witley and I finally found the right combination of events to overtake. I signal, pull out, accelerate, and the bar steward in front decides this is the time to stop travelling at 30mph and to speed up; when I'm level with him!

Onward I go and the roads are twisty at times so I vary between 50-60mph, and I've now got someone up my arse; no-where to overtake, no-where to pull in and besides I'm not that far off the speed-limit. They turn off somewhere and I wave good-bye to them (literally) and head through Tenbury.

Now the roads here are a 30mph, narrow one lane at times, and not the best kept in the world so I'm pretty much steady at a 30mph when I can. I've now a behemoth behind me up my arse. Again 30mph zone, 30mph on the clock; not the best of roads what speed is he expecting me to do?

We get to the dumb section where it switches to a 60mph before heading back to a 30mph and whoosh he's past me like a shot. Runs straight through the 30mph and only starts to break because there's a sharp corner at the end. I turn the corner then turn right down the little lane.

So we arrive at quarter to one ish. Everyone else has arrived (12:30 for 1pm invite) As per usual the family gather on one table and as per usual when we're not there they've screwed up the seating arrangements and not left enough contiguous space for my parents so a minor shuffle.

We then shunt the table back as it's close to another one and this narrow passage is supposed to serve as the main thoroughfare. I'm sure it looked wide enough when no-one was sitting down.

Minor is wearing his tie-clip which we compliment him on. The cufflinks won't fit on that shirt and I joke with him that I can see his buttons. After all that's the point of a tie and cufflinks isn't it? To hide the cheap and common fastenings ;-)

Major for once isn't going on about computer games and is instead reading a book I loaned him The Amulet of Samarkand which he's enjoying.

A quick glance through the menu and for once I'm having to decide what starter to have; they come round to take the order and I make a snap decision. This was around 1pm.

A little while after a basket of cut french bread is placed on the table, rather than someone coming around with hot rolls. I don't have one as is my usual custom, I don't eat much. Half one and nothing, I eat a slice of bread and we pull the crackers. Minor gets the two spinning tops three-quarter spheres with a stick to spin it by on the flat top. He finds the bread plate holds them well and we have a spinning contest to try to knock each other out of the plate.

2pm and food starts to arrive, at the other tables. Finally we get the starters, and I get up to move a curtain as the sun is shining right in and I have one eye in light and one dark, which makes life fun. Those eaten and cleared we wait for the main courses, and wait.

Minor complains that he's hungry "Tough do you see us with food? What do you want anyone to do about it?"
"Get me some food" he insists.
"Tough, you get food when we get food you're not special"
"Yes I am!"

 Finally somone arrives with the two side dishes, the condiments, and the potatoes; and realises there isn't enough space on the table what with the table display. We move it and crowd everything in. By the time everything's arrived and we've played pass the dishes the food is... not cold, but certainly not hot. Someone complains as they're clearing it away.

Another wait and dessert arrives. Minor went for cheese and biscuits; except he doesn't like cheese, or biscuits. He'd ordered it for the grapes [sigh].

Those go and coffee and mints. Minor doesn't want a mint, Major has one when offered by his Nan. Said Nan then passes one to Minor who declines it. I put it back on the plate. Nan takes it and hands it over to Minor. I put it back on the plate "He doesn't want one". Nan then takes it and hands it to Minor, I put it back on the plate. Nan get's the message and hands it to Major who's had two already. I snaffle it instead. Major doesn't complain.

We finally get out at 4pm.

So food was fine, great even, just late. It did give me some time with the kids and we had fun with alliteration. Minor complaining he was bored. "Are you are bored board?, Are you boring?" We ended up with "You're a bored boarder living on the border of the borderlands"
"Say that ten times" quipped Major
So I did.

Also had fun when Major tired to balance one of the tops on it's stick end with no success. I tried and succeeded, then Major had a go and failed. Then to prove it wasn't the tablecloth at Major's point I balanced it with one hand at a remove. Then to stop Minor huffing it over Major put a wine glass uperside over the top of it. I then balanced the other top on top of the wine-glass.

Major decided to try that but couldn't do the last step, except briefly. Minor had a go and managed to balance the lot, but only managed it once.

All fun and games :-)