The Flashing Lights of Christmas

This was taken last Christmas. I like this photo.

This Christmas has been a memorable one. Well, a memorable one and a not so memorable one. Some of this Christmas has been just like every other Christmas. I consider this to me a good thing. Family, carols, decorations, food, presents and lots of reruns on TV. Typical Christmas. And there isn't anything wrong with a typical Christmas. In fact, it's predictability is one of the comforts of Christmas. The jolly, merry surety of it all. 


Well, for me & Mr. K this Christmas was the start of a new Christmas groove. With it being our first as a married couple. We have to balance ourselves between our two families and make time to start a few new traditions of our own. That is no easy feat I tell you. 


So, we spent a quite Christmas morning by ourselves, opening our presents and drinking a cold Coke from a glass bottle. (This is one of our traditions) Then we hot footed it over to Grimsby, where all of Mr.K's family lives for Christmas dinner. Momma K sure knows how to organise a dinner. She said dinner is at 12, and it was. Almost exactly. That woman has a talent for organising dinners. After we'd had dinner, a few more presents, a chat and a nap me & Mr.K left for Sheffield. And this is where the memorable (memorable as in what happened was not part of the usual Christmas groove) portion of Christmas took place. On the way out of Grimsby, as we casually drove along, listening to the Glee version of O Holy Night, we see blue flashing lights in the rear view mirror. We got pulled over. On Christmas day! We were certain that we weren't speeding. And obviously we weren't drunk. The car is insured and all of the lights work. So, after Mr.K had spent 10 minutes sat in the police car and after he'd done a breathaliser that can back at 0.000 they sent us on our way. I was terrified. That was my very first run in with the police. And I wouldn't like it to happen again. So when we eventually got to Sheffield, we had more food, more presents, more family and more games. Comfortable Christmas. 


And now that Christmas is over I'm starting to get nervous about going to France. Christmas was the big event that stood between me and going to France. And now Christmas is over. So France is the next thing. Je dois apprendre francais rapidment. 

I-Need-A-Little-Christmas

My house (I know, I know, it's a flat, but I call it a house) is completely devoid of any kind of Christmas decoration/cheer/festivities. 


In hindsight, I should have not let the practicality of my own mind take over where Christmas is concerned.  We don't have a Christmas tree. So no baubles, no tinsel, no twinkling fairy lights, no Christmas star. We don't have a nativity scene or any Christmas paintings. We don't have any gingerbread anythings or any popcorn garlands. 


We have a set of red reindeer lights strung around our TV and a felt snowflake garland hung next to the door. And that is it. Oh, and we have some snow. But we all know that I wish we could trade the snow for something else.


The humbug reason we don't have any of these things is because Mr. K & I thought that with it just been the two of us we don't need it. Mistake. We do need it. And the practical reason is that we don't have anywhere to store all of the Christmas decorations afterwards. 


So Christmas doesn't feel like it's happening yet. Correction, it feels like Christmas is happening around me. I love Christmas though. But I have a cold and I think that a considerable amount of mucus has settled on my brain and is impeding on the Christmas joy portion. Nice.

Time Well Spent

Ho, ho, ho!

Maybe I should have spent this week working on an assignment that I have to hand in a week tomorrow. It's a 3000 word-er. I've written approximately...300 words. (A tenth of the way through. Go me!) 
Instead, I'm sat in a wooden cabin (which, if I'm honest is probably a little bit nicer than my actual flat. Mr.K agrees.) surrounded by snow in the depths of Sherwood forest. This cabin even has a sauna. That's right, A SAUNA! I feel like I'm living in the lap of luxury. Well, I say this having only used the sauna once. I went in for fifteen minutes and honestly felt like the air was so hot that I couldn't breathe. And helpfully (maybe, maybe not) it's oh so nicely open all my pores and drawn out all the nastiness. But hey, at least I'm hidden away in the middle of the forest and there aren't many people here that I know to witness it. 


Anyway, while I should have been writing my assignment, which feels like the thing I should be focusing my time and attention on, I've been doing other things. Things which are much more enjoyable that writing an assignment. So I will consider it not to be a waste of time, putting off the things that I should really be doing, but instead, time well spent. Very, very well spent. 
Here's a break down. 
Approximately I've spent.....
9 hours in the swimming pool.
27 hours sleeping.
15 hours (maybe more) reading.
6 hours playing games.
Half an hour doing my nails & my Mom's nails. (Me-pastel purple. Mom-forest green)
1 hour walking through the snow.
15 minutes in the sauna.
1 hour in the bath.
Half an hour picking out and eating my favourite Quality Streets.
15 minutes taking photos. (Approx. 1 minute getting a picture of Father Christmas. Yes, he obvs hangs out here too. See below.)
And finally....0 hours & 0 minutes doing my assignment. 

Post it notes

Yesterday, I went post it note crazy. I now have post it notes on everything from the wall, curtains, oven, tooth brush, laptop and everything in between. I don't just have random post its everywhere for no reason though. There is a purpose. And the purpose is to help me to learn French. And I think it's working. Mr.K keeps randomly testing me and I seem to be able to remember quite a lot of them. So I recommend the post it note method of learning!

I'm just on my little lunch break from university at the minute and before I go back for my afternoon lectures I have quite a lot to do.

1). Put out the wet washing.

2). Finish making notes from my French lecture.

3). Review the presentation I have to give in my lecture this afternoon.

4). Make a list of presents to buy for Mr. K for Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas presents I found two Christmas presents that Mr.K had hidden for me the other day. I found them and a looked at them. Completely ruined the surprise. Then a few days later I completely accidentally stumbled across another present (yes I'm a very lucky girl and I obviously have quite a lot of presents already) while Mr.K was in the room. He made a big fuss about ruining the surprise and then I told him that I'd found another two. He was quite mad with me. Actually, not so much as angry but disappointed. Which is worse. I've promised not to look for anymore presents. And I haven't. And I won't. I want to though. But I won't.