Last Christmas

As this is likely to be my only spare time for a good few months yet, I am spending it excusively with my family and so blogging / twittering / Facebook will be non-existent; except if there is a political crisis or amusing story involving a celebrity and a farm animal.

So I'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. 2010, eh? Scary!

p.s. As one Christmas card said today, "this could be our last under Labour" - I don't think so, it'll just be our last under Labour for a very, very, very long time ...

Ho ho ho

Happy New Year!

I know its a bit late, but hey ... I got a Wii for Christmas so the chances of me having any time for blogging are now very slim. Or indeed, working, campaigning or talking to my children! Having an amazingly good time with it. I can see the statement now; Conservative candidate steps down to spend more time with his Wii.

I'm sure the novelty will soon wear off...

p.s. Am 30 in exactly one week - so may have to do something reckless whilst I am still in my twenties.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic time tomorrow; we're just back from Mass at St. John's and went to see Panto at the Theatre Royal on Monday - both events that really make Christmas, but particularly this year for Emily. I really know what they mean when they say Christmas is about children.

Enjoy the Yuletide season!

City Council do it again!

So, the City Council has warned hairdressers not to give away mulled wine and has said they face fines and imprisonment if they do - more here. Don't we ever learn? Does nobody at City Hall have an antenae for thie kind of issue?

Once again Norwich City Council is nationally ridiculed (here) and most people will wonder how on earth these things happen.

Is it not beyond the wit of man for some compromise that ensures that festive traditions such as this can carry on without the bureaucracy dragging it down? Threatening letters from the council are totally over the top. Let's sit down with businesses and see what we can do.

I hope that the scroog attitude of City Hall gives way to some festive cheer and things like this are consigned to Christmas Past.

Having a Wonderful Christmas Time

Just a quick note to say I hope everyone has had a great Christmas and look forward to a fantastic 2008!

It's Health & Safety Gone Mad!

My favourite story of the week that went shamefully unnoticed in all newspapers, except that organ-of-truth Eastern Evening News, was the Health & Safety exectuive's attack on yet another bastion of childhood.

The Panto being shown on the pier at Great Yarmouth has apparently been told it cannot partake in the tradition of throwing sweets into the audience in case a child gets hurts by being struck on the head by one. Oh dear. Hence from now on, they will pass the sweets from the front row back, in a calm and orderly manner.

Why don't they throw jellies instead? Or do they still hurt when tossed at some velocity?

Anyway, the point is that we have lost completely the sense of "acceptable risk". Children may fall off swings. They may be hit in the eye by a conker. They may be struck on the head by a flying sweet at panto.

As a parent I've learnt to accept that and so should the Health & Safety Executive. Haven't they got better things to do?

Merry Christmas!

The presents are wrapped, the turkey is stuffed, the stockings are hung and a certain little girl is looking forward to a midnight visit from a very special man.

Merry Christmas everyone and may tomorrow be as wonderful as you dreamed it would be.

Last Day at "Skool"

I have been laid up for the last 48 hours as the latest victim of the whole Winter Vomiting thing. Apologies if calls and e-mails have gone unanswered. I was, however, back at school for the last day - if a little like being dragged from my death bed. Now I have just the fortnight to recover! Today is always a special day in schools and most of us with have positive memories of the last day of term. At ND today we had a kind-0f-mass and a carol concert ... always roof raising stuff although for the seven hundreth year running I ballsed up the words to "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas."

She likes the thought but not the reality

Rather like socialism to many people, my daughter Emily has decided that she likes the thought of Father Christmas more than the actual reality.

Today we were up early to queue with the multitudes in Jarrolds to meet the man himself. Emily was happy, looking forward to it and very talkative. She pointed at him through the window, she loved the balloons and the decorations. She grinned manically as we walked through the door. She took one look and ... burst into hysterical wailing and tears. Poor old Santa, I thought. How embarrassing for us all.

By the time we had left and shopped around Norwich, Emily was back to liking Father Christmas and had forgotten all about that nasty moment when her greatest hope become a reality and turned into her greatest fear.