And Why Can’t We Get It Here?
Indeed. Why can’t we get it here? That is the question I would like answered, by the book sellers anyway, for and on behalf of the book readers. I went down into Bangor town last Saturday to purchase a new book that was published recently. The author was doing a book signing so I thought, on this occasion, I would go down to a shop and actually buy a copy and get it signed with the authors moniker. I went into the shop and I was greeted with a wall of said books along with the author and his Missus. But, and a BIG but at that. All the books were paperback. I didn’t want a paperback. I wanted a good sturdy, easy to read, nice hardback book to add to my collection. Why no hardbacks? I enquired. Apparently the people in Northern Ireland don’t get hardback editions from this publisher. It’s only the English market that gets them. Tough tit. Well, tough tit to the book seller, and a big raspberry on top. I said my good byes to the author and his wife, went straight home and ordered my hardback edition online from a well known book seller who gives a really good discount as well. Why go to the shops when I can get what I want online?
My book arrived this morning and I am really enjoying it. With or without the authors mark! Methinks the shops need to listen more to what the people want before they make their buying decisions.
That’s my Christmas moan over with for this year. Now, on with the festivities. We have our nephew arriving from Paris tonight. He is coming over to see his Grandparents for a few days and then heading back to France for Christmas. Next week my nephew and his wife and their twin girls (my great nieces, I think) are arriving from Washington DC and they are here until Boxing Day. They will be staying at my Sisters as she is the only one who has enough room for them all. I haven’t met my nephews wife or his kids so this will be a first for me as well as them. See how it all goes.
All week we have been busy decorating the house. We now have both trees up (including the real tree that we selected from hundreds only to end up with the wrong tree being delivered) and all the other we nic nacs that we have gathered up over the years. Our house really looks Christmassy without the tackiness. (I don’t do tack) (except for that thing that my wife and daughter insist on bringing out every year and put it by my feet on the hearth, they know the thing I mean)We do have to be careful where we put or position the cuddly toys though as Carrie thinks they all belong to her and she thinks that they are for chewing up or throwing about the place as all dogs do with toys.
I was hoping to get over to London before Christmas to visit some friends but so many hospital appointments have come in that it was no dice. I postponed everything until January but even that looks like a no -no as I already have 4 hospital appointments lined up for that month already. Maybe February boys. Wait and see.
Back to my book for another read. If you are interested to know who the book is by, it’s the new Bateman novel. ‘The Day of the Jack Russell’ I always enjoy Bateman’s books as there is always a good twist at the end.
Any comments on the above gack you know what to do
Byse byse
Posted :: Thursday 12/10/2009 8:45:00 AM
A Life Of Their Own
Yep, it’s that time of year again folks. Arguments, tears, scratching of eyeballs, handbags at forty paces etc etc. In other words it’s coming up to Christmas. What happens when it’s coming up to Christmas? The Christmas tree(s) and decorations go up. No problems there. The problem only arises when one gets the carefully coiled and wrapped Christmas tree lights out from last year. No matter how carefully you put them away last year for this year they have managed, inside a box, to uncoil themselves and turn themselves into a seething, twisted ball of knotted wire and lights. It’s like they developed a life of their own through boredom up in the attic all those months. Teaching us mere mortals a lesson or two. They are saying to themselves while they are bundling up over the months, ‘We are the king of inanimate objects sent to you to destroy your mind and reduce you to tears’
Well, they have succeeded, to a point anyway. At the moment we are trying to put up the tree at the back of the house in the living room. This one is an artificial tree but with plenty of fun decorations on it. It is a very colourful tree and pleasant to look at (I have no choice but to look at it as it is right in front of where I sit) Our other tree arrives next week, it is a REAL tree. It will be at the front of the house in the bay window for all to see. It will be decorated as a serious tree. All the one colour. This tree is the one to show off to the neighbourhood. After the trees are done then the whole house is converted into Santa’s Grotto (slight exaggeration there folks) While all this is going on we have to make sure that the dogs don’t try to run away with the decorations. Carrie in particular just loves this time of year. Our daughter (24) loves it even more and gets very excited. She has her Christmas stocking(s) pinned up in her room already. It will be interesting to see what the boyfriend gets her. Very interesting indeed.
While I have been writing this my wife has been wrestling with one of the above mentioned coils of lights. Still no success. I am not even allowed to look in her direction. All done, at last. That’s the first string of lights untangled. Not bad, only 1 hour and a bit. (by the way, I untanfled the next string in under 5 minutes. They know who I am alright) We are now dressing the tree, or putting the stuff on it in other words. Every time we go travelling we try to bring something back for this tree (yes, there are Christmas decorations available in the Summer in case you didn’t know) This is wy this tree is the colourful one. All the colours and styles from around the world. They really make the tree nice and bright. Once it is fully decorated the hard part comes. It is up to me to move the tree into position without toppling it over, heaven forbid.
I must sign off now but I would love to hear all about your traumas, sorry, trials and tribulations, no that’s not what I meant. Ah, stories about putting up your Christmas tree this year. Maje them interesting now and don’t forget to put in the bits where you argue.
As usual, click on the title bar above and add your comments / stories. I look forward to reading them. New peeps always made to feel welcome. Well, nearly always.
Cheers and goodwill to all (except those feckin’ lights)
Posted :: Sunday 12/6/2009 7:31:00 AM
