It was fairly stress free and relaxing (apart from the usual mother drama) for a week or so, after which i took the train to exeter to go stay with my grandparents in the run up to christmas (this also meant we would have less time with all 6 of us in the house as Haddon came home the day i went to Devon).
I felt it was important that my grandparents weren't alone in the lead up to Christmas given all they had been through last year, so we met in exeter after my grandad went for his most recent check up following his cancer, when he was given the all clear. We had a great day in town followed by a lovely few days filled with friends of my grandparents and a great deal of cooking. Including a night of Carol singing in the Local pub, and a carol concert in the church, which if i am honest i would have rather not sat through, but as my Gran is in the choir i had to show support for, tho i still feel somewhat like i am tresspassing whenever i am in a church. It was however an oportunity to put some flowers on Uncle Richards grave, and then (and again now as i even think about it) cry a few tears.
We headed back to my parents house all together on the 23rd Dec, and the house became what it should be in the Christmas season, and for the first time in a few years i felt truley Christmasy; The house was busy, and crowded, always something going on, we put up the Tree and the decorations, which some how seemed to have been mulitplying in the roof over the last 12 months...Tehe. and there was Christmas decorations everywhere. (I will try and see if i have some Christmas Pics i can put on Flickr later). We did also spend about 4 hours preparing various foods for Christmas day, tho i think this is something we will indeed try to repeat next year as it did make Christmas day a lot less panicy
Come Christmas eve, max eagerly went to bed, having helped me put out the usual Mince pie, Carrot and Sherry; although we all know he doesn't believe it is still great that he will play along.
And we promtly filled under the tree with mountains of presents. (again i will try and find pics)
So Christmas day, my Uncle Mick, and his partner Hayde, and there gorgeous 2 year old daugher, Lola, arrive about 10.30am. It was strange cos my Uncle hadn't spent christmas with his mother since he was about 16, but actually it was brilliant, we had a breakfast of coissant, brioche and Bucks fizz, which is the only way to start Christmas day.
Afterwhich my brothers and Lola handed out the presents to each person and we spent a great day opening them and playing with Lola, before we had the full british Christmas dinner, and lola just wanted to eat Marmite...hahaha.
We even had crackers with bells inside them, so we could play little tunes with them. We spent a few hours eating dinner, finished opening presents and then spent another half an hour eating a really good Christmas pudding, before going back to playing with the new stuff we all had.
Anyways, they left that evening, but it was a great day.
The next few days we just spent time at home, playing games, drinking, talking and such, it was just really relaxing. Decided to spend new years with Haddon and Toby in reading with my housemates, so on the evening of the 31st we drove to Reading, it was a great evening, filled with Alcohol, and drunken laughs, Including popping a bottle of bubbly outside the house at midnight, and singing Auld Lang Syne. Followed later by playing gears of war 2 with Haddon and Toby until 5 in the morning, and laughing for hours, was a really good evening.
We stayed in reading for a few days before going home on the evening of the 2nd, as we were going to London on the 3rd. And so it was, we woke up early(ish) on the 3rd, and all got into the car and drove into central london to see my uncle Rob, which doesn't sound that unnerving or anything i know, but this is a guy i haven't seen in about 3/4 years, and whose son (my cousin Luke) i haven't seen for even longer; he also got married nearly 2 years ago, to a lovely Woman named Lisa, who also has a son (George). Anyways, the point being this was a totally unknown place for me, with almost unknown members of my family, and those who i kinda knew i never had much time for, but surprisingly it was great, we got along well, and it was a really good day, spent lots of time talking with and getting to know my cousin and step-cousin, and i actually managed to stop hating my uncle, and his wife is great.
The next week or so were sort of not that interesting or eventful, but it was just nice to have a relaxed period of time. and then i came back to uni, and it all starts again.
I am not going to go into it all in this post but the term didn't get off to the best start, but it is all getting better now, I will write another post in a few days and update you on all happenings Since coming back to uni in a few days.
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