Monday, 25 December 2006

After a disturbed night, we awoke late and eventually emerged to exchange presents. We were all very pleased with our respective hauls. I do well with a leather briefcase, a set of dominoes, DVDs (South Park and In Which We Serve – a combination that amused me greatly), and a large selection of books including a collection of Eric Sykes.
Neighbours Linda and Allan called in for a champaign breakfast, and then we headed off to Jackie’s brother Steve to share a wonderful meal with Jackie’s family. Bethany (2) and Ava (6) were delightful. We returned home mid-evening and watched a documentary on the religious significance of Mary Magdalene, followed by the Vicar of Dibley and Little Britain. Then Jackie and I completed a crossword from my new Daily Telegraph Big Book of Cryptic Crosswords - it’s twice the size of the usual Daily Telegraph Book of Cryptic Crosswords but they use a smaller font size. Wonderful.

Jackie still very unwell. In the night, I couldn’t sleep and finished off the wonderful book First Light – the biography of a Spitfire pilot during the Battle of Britain. At the height of the battle, he was almost exactly the age of Bobby and Bryan and already an experienced fighter pilot. Jackie woke up at 3:30 am and the two of us shared a Lemsip in the kitchen.