Christmas Walk

I have a day off work today but we have to get up to do Son's papers for him. Well L does, Doggo and I follow on to try and help but by the time we find her the job is done. Then we head into Derby to collect the kids and on to another tradition, the village walk at Aston. We do the 'long' walk which is 4.1 miles. Son and Daughter both do it, a seasonal concession from them as they never usually walk and no, thumb screws were not required. Daughter only asks 'how much further' about ten times, which is good, and doesn't storm off at all, a rare treat indeed. Even Doggo behaves himself and fails to upset any other dogs. We do however, have to keep a reasonable distance between him and my Brother, who have had a bit of dislike of each other since my Brother upset him when he was a pup. Bingo numbers are placed along the route and you have to mark off number on a bingo card. A full house wins you a prize. As is the tradition everyone wins except me, Daughter wins a hangman game but only because someone else has beaten her to the last of the chocolate prizes, Son wins ermmm, the last of the chocolate prizes.

We pop to the pub for a pint of Jennings Cumberland, which is shadow of its former self, thanks for that W&D Breweries and a two-course meal for £4.95. It's only a child portion but what do you expect for a fiver.

L has to be at work for 3.00, so I rush her off there and then take the kids home.

Later I nip into town to get my friend a birthday card; he inconsiderately has a birthday on the 29th December, which means it's a nightmare to get a card to him. The shop has to dig deep in its stock room to find any cards that are suitable as all the shelves are still full of Xmas cards. Shops note, birthdays do not have a Xmas break. I even get time to browse round my former favourite shop, Selectadisc. It is pleasing to see that 20 years on since I first visited it is still the best record shop on the planet.

At 6.15 I meet L out of work and we pop to the Ropewalk for a quick Leffe. Four Leffe's later we stagger up the road, to home and turkey sandwiches.