Month: December 2019

Pre-Christmas

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I’ve had a relaxed day today doing pre-Christmas with the in-laws. It’s always nice to get the gift-exchanging started early! I’ve drunk a lot of nosecco (it still feels strange being able to drink as much of it as I like with no ill effects) and tried not to eat too much (these days I always end up craving fruit and so on over Christmas, as I start to feel a bit ill after too many mince pies etc.). Geth and I will be having a quiet week in between this weekend’s gathering and Christmas with my family (there will be a lot of Star Wars films watched in preparation for a couple of trips to see The Rise Of Skywalker).

Tomorrow should be another quiet day – Geth and I still have a bit of Christmas shopping to do, so I’m hoping to get it finished tomorrow afternoon.

Christmas cards and presents
Not an OOTD: the Christmas cards are stacking up now!

Today’s earworm playlist:

Pink – ‘A Million Dreams’
Sister Sledge – ‘We Are Family’
‘Korobeiniki’ (the Tetris theme music)

Semi-flying Saturday post

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Just a quick one today as Geth and I are attending a pre-Christmas/mother-in-law’s birthday gathering with the in-laws this evening. Will update properly tomorrow!

Plant with fairy lights
Not an OOTD: my sister-in-law’s plant has the best fairy lights on it.

Today’s earworm playlist:

Revo – ‘The Land Of Immortality’
Duran Duran – ‘Winter Marches On’

And a bonus track that Geth was humming earlier:

The Killers – ‘Don’t Shoot Me Santa’

An ending of sorts

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Geth finished his work for the year today, so the plan was to go out for the afternoon and then go for a meal to celebrate. As it happened, though, we both ended up working till about mid-afternoon, and then once we’d finished our shopping in town, all the restaurants were busy with it being so close to Christmas, and neither of us were feeling especially celebratory after the election result anyway… so we went home and ordered pizza.

We’re going to be spending a few days hanging out with the in-laws for pre-Christmas, so hopefully it’ll be a nice peaceful time.

Christmas market
Not an OOTD: Geth enjoying some mulled wine at the Christmas market. I had a hot chocolate with a flake 🙂

Today’s earworm playlist:

Duran Duran – ‘Winter Marches On’

2019 Pizzas #19: The Marina Pizza Crunch

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I’ve been neglecting my pizza logging for a few months, so I’d better get them all finished before the end of the year!

The best thing you get in a Scottish chippy (it has been an absolute favourite of mine since childhood) is deep-fried battered pizza. It’s basically a cheap pizza (REALLY cheap and nasty – there was one chippy that actually put one in the oven for me late at night because they’d switched off the deep-fat fryer, and when cooked in a regular way it was the most disgusting pizza I’d ever had!), covered in batter and then placed in the fryer. In Edinburgh, we smother it in chippy sauce, a sort of vinegar and brown sauce mix that tastes like manna from heaven. Make it a supper by serving with chips, and you’ve got yourself the greatest meal of all time.

Anyway, deep-fried battered pizza is also sometimes called a ‘pizza crunch’, and that’s how it was listed on the menu at the Marina in Arbroath when we stopped there for lunch on the way up to Shetland in August.

Pizza crunch
Un-chippy sauce drizzled example.

The Marina didn’t have any chippy sauce (sacrilege! we must have been too far north), but the pizza itself was perfectly good deep-fried pizza.

I suspect this won’t be the last pizza crunch of 2019 – keep your eyes open over Christmas!

Knots and crosses

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Back to normal today – I’ve been working most of the day and have had the Christmas tunes on. Feeling as though I might finally be over my cold as well! I headed out to vote earlier this evening, but otherwise it’s just going to be a quiet night in and then early to bed. No election results for me – my nerves can’t take it!

Out and about at various points tomorrow to celebrate Geth’s end of term.

Civic duty December 2019
Not really an OOTD: Geth is hoping this selfie will still be valid for a free beer at Brewdog tomorrow.

Today’s earworm playlist:

Thought Beings – ‘Hazy’
Duran Duran – ‘Winter Marches On’
Arcadia – ‘Election Day’
The Boomtown Rats – ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’
Duran Duran – ‘Michael, You’ve Got A Lot To Answer For’

Phone Box Thursday: Commercial Street, Lerwick

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This is a phone box I walked past a lot of times while in Shetland this summer. It sits nicely at the south end of Commercial Street in Lerwick, just before you get to the shops.

Red phone box
Red phone box, Commercial Street, Lerwick, 6th August 2019.

(Coordinates 60°15’31.2″N, 1°14’15.7″W.)

The paint could do with a bit of a touch-up but it still appears to have a phone inside!

I’ve got a few more phone boxes from Shetland to share over the next few weeks.

Update September 2025: paint has been touched up!

Winter wandering

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After getting some more DIY stuff done with Dad this morning (extractor fan installed! lightbulbs completed! car lights and tyres checked!) I headed into town with Mum and Dad for a walk. We had some lunch at the Christmas market and went to see Fenwick’s Christmas window (a Newcastle tradition), then had a wander over the bridges into Gateshead and back.

Another nice evening meal tonight! Back on plan tomorrow prior to Slimming World weigh-in on Friday.

Outside Fenwick's Christmas window
Not an OOTD: Mum and Dad outside Fenwick’s Christmas window. This year’s theme is Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.

Today’s earworm playlist:

Duran Duran – ‘Winter Marches On’

Lights up

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Mum and Dad were round today, which meant I was able to draw on Dad’s DIY expertise for some of the house jobs I’ve not got round to recently! We now have a lot of replaced lightbulbs (Geth and I had been living in a mostly-dark house for a while) and are working towards a replaced extractor fan (it was delivered a couple of months ago but we’ve not got round to installing it till now).

In the evening we went for tapas at El Torero in central Newcastle, which was up to its usual high standard.

Will be finishing off the DIY and doing a bit of shopping tomorrow!

1980s brass light fixture
Not an OOTD: let there be light! I love these brass light fixtures and it’s nice to have working bulbs in them again 🙂

Today’s earworm playlist:

Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman – ‘Somethin’ Stupid’
Duran Duran – ‘Winter Marches On’
Kuana Torres Kahele, James Ford Murphy and Napua Greig-Nakasone – ‘Someone To Lava’
Ellie Goulding – ‘Lights’
Roxette – ‘Listen To Your Heart’*

*RIP Marie Fredriksson 🙁

Gradually getting back to normal

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I sort of don’t want to say I’m feeling better, because every time I do, I feel like I’m jinxing myself for another setback… but I have felt a lot better so far today, and I’ve managed to get a lot of stuff done without making myself feel ill again, so I’m feeling hopeful.

I had a bit of day job work to do during the day, and have also managed to get in some ukulele practice. Christmas decorations are very nearly finished as well!

I’m out and about again the next couple of days, so I’m really hoping I’ve recovered enough not to make myself unwell again.

Christmas mug
Not an OOTD: the Christmas mugs are out. Hot drinks are very welcome in my current state!

Today’s earworm playlist:

David Essex – ‘A Winter’s Tale’
The Justice Collective – ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’
Kuana Torres Kahele, James Ford Murphy and Napua Greig-Nakasone – ‘Someone To Lava’
Pretenders – ‘2000 Miles’
Sam Bailey – ‘Skyscraper’

A new week ahead

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I’m still coughing a bit, but I feel like there’s light at the end of the tunnel with regards my cold. One more day inside and hopefully I’ll have got rid of the worst of it.

Today was a lovely relaxed Sunday with lots of music and good TV (I’m all caught up with Strictly and I LOVED the semifinal – looking forward to the final next week).

Assuming I don’t have another setback, it feels like I’ll have the energy to put the final few touches to the Christmas decorations tomorrow. I also have a bit of day job work to do, but at least that can be done from the sofa!

Spotify 2019 summary
Not an OOTD: Spotify have sent me my 2019 music listening summary. Unsurprisingly, Duran Duran were my most listened to artist yet again!

Today’s earworm playlist:

Traditional – ‘Bleak Midwinter’
Blur – ‘Country House’
Richard Marx – ‘Right Here Waiting’