The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1222 by Angharad Copyright © 2011 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

The ghost of Christmas past was one where chaos and bedlam resolved itself through one superhuman into a success. Sadly, the caped crusader, wasn’t able to come this year, so we had to make do with my efforts.

Simon and Danny with Tom as supervisor set up the tree, Stella and I put up the decorations with help from Julie and the girls. I discovered to my delight that Julie is absolutely brilliant at wrapping parcels so she wrapped all mine except those for her which I had to do.

This year we had the LED lights, so no more fussing with broken ones and fusing the whole house. The girls put up the cards on ribbons which we put over doors, and we actually put some lights on the bushes by the front door with a holly wreath on the door.

However, the best laid plans of mice and men–and some women–gang aft a gley. The week before Christmas the white stuff returned. Even in the Porsche, conditions on the roads were treacherous and the drive was dreadful until Simon and Leon spread grit–rock salt–everywhere and even that froze.

Temperatures plummeted and we had some vicious frosts at night meaning that what had become compressed froze into very hard, slippery ice. The Wednesday night it fell things managed to keep going–just. In the morning I got the girls to school, but we live on a main road. Danny’s school closed, so he had the day off–he spent some of the day shovelling snow and building a snowman with it.

On the Friday evening, just in time for the rush hour we had a heavy flurry of an inch or so and with freezing temperatures, it was a nightmare. Simon took three hours to get home as cars got stuck. Then on the Monday before Christmas we had even more snow and once again it froze. Airports were being closed because they couldn’t clear runways and flights were being cancelled left, right and centre. I felt really sorry for people who’d booked holidays and then couldn’t take them. Drivers were being asked to stay at home–yet there were plenty who ignored the advice and just clogged up the roads for the emergency services.

I still had shopping to do, so we walked and took a sledge or two plus some bungee cords to get our provisions. Tom checked the generator and the diesel supply–if we had electricity cuts, which does happen, we could cope and keep the central heating working–which although gas does need electricity to keep the pump and clock working. It would also keep the fridges and freezer working and enable us to have lights and computers, oh and telly–not that I have time to watch it much, but there is a new Dr Who for Christmas Day.

We got the lighter stuff like bread and treats–mince pies and a chocolate log, that sort of stuff. I’d reserved a turkey with our local butcher and he arrived in his Landrover on Christmas Eve with our twenty pound turkey, plus some sausage meat and some other bits and pieces including a large gammon.

I ventured out in the Cayenne and bought a sack of spuds and enough carrots, sprouts, parsnips, cabbage and mushrooms to fill the boot. I also got some chestnuts, more bread and milk and decided if we got stuck over Christmas, we had enough food to tide us over to New Year.

Unfortunately we didn’t know who was going to be able to make it–Phoebe cried off, which wasn’t entirely unexpected, Pippa and family were going to until Stella persuaded Gareth to collect them on his way, which he was happy to do–obviously with the proviso he took them home again.

Simon used Tom’s Freelander to collect Leon and his Mum, and Sister Maria from the school, and Jenny was hoping her boyfriend would make it–except at the last moment he was sent abroad–probably Afghanistan. I think I mentioned he’s a Royal Marine and they get sent on all sorts of strange missions.

With two babies and loads of other people, I still had a catering effort to sort out and every spare pair of hands was utilised, including the smaller girls doing veg while Stella, Jenny and I did the cooking.

Okay, it was nothing exciting–roast turkey with all the trimmings, including chestnut, cranberry and sausage meat stuffing. Roast parsnips, carrots and mushrooms plus some baked onions. Greens were sprouts and broccoli. The starter was pea soup and the sweet, fresh fruit salad and ice cream–which Julie organised–it was really good. I know she was collecting brownie points from Simon, so he’d revoke her death sentence, but she actually seemed to enjoy what she was doing for a change, or she completely fooled me.

We had presents for all the visitors, which the girls would distribute to the adults and Danny to the kids–really only Pippa’s two boys. Lunch was chaotic and I nearly had a nervous breakdown when the gas pressure dropped and the turkey was going to take a bit longer. However, the frost on Christmas Eve was so bad, the visitors were later arriving than we’d anticipated.

However, by half past one it all came together and so did the visitors. By half past two everyone was loosening their waistbands or belts after an hour’s stuffing. Kiki was clearing up the leftovers on the plates. The silly dog even likes sprouts–so she can sleep in the conservatory tonight. Jenny and I dealt with the dirty crocks and Stella made cups of tea–although three or four bottles of claret had been consumed. I had one glass, so did Gareth who was driving. Simon wasn’t as restrained, which meant I’d have to take Leon and his mum home.

The kids played computer games and board games, the adults talked as much about the weather as anything. The oldies watched the Queen’s speech and I sat in the kitchen with my cuppa and relaxed for a few minutes.

Simon came out to see me holding a piece of mistletoe I just groaned he was well on the way. Anyway, it was easier to allow him to kiss me than make a fuss. I joked and said he had to give me a present–he had already given me some new bike stuff and kit–he reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a little box.

“Merry Christmas, wifey,” he said and passed me the box. I opened it and inside was a gold Omega watch.

“Simon, that is absolutely beautiful,” I’ve done the, ‘Oh you shouldn’t have’ before and it only upsets him, so I accepted it graciously. He fumbled but got it on my wrist eventually and it fitted perfectly. Apparently, Stella’s wrist is approximately the same size as mine and she was used as a model–weeks ago. The gold bracelet sparkled and the black face was very clear with its gold markings. “Thank you, darling,” I said and kissed him again.

“Now you have to gimme something,” he joked.

I told him to wait and ran upstairs, in my bedside table I had a small digital camera, one of these micro things. It was already wrapped and had been an emergency present for a family member if something hadn’t materialised or been suitable. It was over a hundred pounds of Canon with ten times optical zoom or something and a very nice piece of kit. I dashed down again and presented him with the gift. He tore open the paper and opened the box.

“Brilliant–just what I needed, that will fit in my brief case beautifully.”

With the sound system playing carols and everyone replete and happy, he sat on the chair in the kitchen and pulled me on to his lap. “I love you, Mrs Cameron.”

“I love you too, Mr Cameron–Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” he replied and then we kissed.