Christmas Specials

Twas the night after Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, because the entire family was piled onto the sofa in the lounge to watch some poor-quality festive television.

BFBS is lovely, but the quality of its television usually leaves you with an evening selection of second-rate animated movies (Open Season was this week's pick) or last year's reruns of Eastenders.

Thank the lord for Christmas specials.

How very unfortunate that this one had to be Downton Abbey.

The oldest child of the pack, a seventeen-year-old ensonced at the back of the room with a book (she'd been pointedly ignoring a peculiar science fiction movie featuring men with silly haircuts, the Judoon's awkward cousins, and a woman who spoke what she thought might be Elvish) slipped in her bookmark and slunk over to take up her customary perch on the sofa's arm.

"Oh look, it's the Downton special!" said her mother.

"Eh, why not," said their aunt, "better than World's Strongest Man again."

The seventeen-year-old looked quizically at the screen as her father battled with the convoluted remote control. "Didn't someone or rather die on this program not long ago?"

"Lady Sybil, yes. But never mind - it's Christmas, it'll be a happy episode!"

"Tell that to the Merlin fans," muttered the seventeen-year-old.

"Pardon?" Her mother looked around.

"And did we not watch Doctor Who last night? Man-eating snowmen and drops from great heights - very cheery stuff that!"

"Oh, come on Charley, it's Downton! It'll be lovely."

"Harrumph," said Charley - for that was who it was - as she slithered into the sofa and adjusted her youngest cousin so that she could see.

Forty-five minutes, a birth, several vicious rows, two heartbreaks, and a high-speed car crash later, her mother stood up and looked at the television, hands on her hips, looking mildly disapproving.

"Oh," she said. "That was . . . unexpected."

Charley stood up and brushed herself off, and went back to her corner.

"Christmas," she muttered.

DE-COR-ATE

I thought this blog needed a festive touch. And as, unlike Wordpress, I cannot make the little snowflakes fall from the top of the blog (not that I could even if I did try with Wordpress), I got you a picture of my Christmas tree instead.

It's been a big year here at the Tower. 60 followers, the start of the Writerly Tips and Book Review posts, a hectic NaNoWriMo, and the cover reveal of St Mallory's Forever!

And the apocalypse, of course. Can't forget that.

Next year, though, promises to be even bigger and better. Not in the least because the aforementioned bookie-wook is due to be published for realz early in 2013.

And then there'll be leaving school. Going to university.

Doubtless I'll still be here blogging about it. Or neglecting to blog about it. Or blogging about other things, and then realising I blogged about the wrong thing. Who knows.

Next Tuesday is Christmas Day itself, so I'm afraid this will be my last post this side of the big day.

In lieu of this, I'll take the opportunity to say how lovely it is to have had you all this year; old scallywags and new landlubbers alike. I'd been a pleasure meeting and conversing with you all, and seeing all your lovely comments. I'm glad my posts bring some joy to you, because you guys bring so much joy to me.

Merry Christmas, minions.

~ Charley R

Dancing Doctors, Christmas Spirit and Holiday Madness!

It's that time of year again - the last day of school! Whoop de whoop! I've only got two lessons this morning (unfortunately one of them is Spanish, curse it's impossibility to the deepest darkest pits of nastiness), then a prize-giving ceremony in the main school hall, lunch, and then a whole afternoon with no lessons to...

Pack up my bedroom. Bleurgh. I've got most of it done already, but the thought of shoving it all back into those accursed bags, only to have to carry them down four flights of stairs makes my shoulders hurt.

But ... tonight ... it's the DUN HOLME CHRISTMAS PARTY!

Nom nom nom, big yummy Christmas dinner, Secret Santa gifts that I spent so bloody long wrapping (I'm still finding bits of wrapping paper strewn all around the room at regular intervals!) and, best of all, it's fancy dress! The theme (of my personal choosing *grins*) is "Blast from the Past". I didn't have long to do my costume, but it's gonna be epic.

But that's not all. Oh no, something even better is happening on Sunday! After traipsing home after the school Carol Service on Saturday, my mother, brother and I will be grabbing out suitcases and hopping aboard a flight to Florida, USA!

My Dad's working out there at the moment, but hey, any excuse to drop in and show our budsies across the Pond our sheer British epictasticness. I reckon I'll spend most of Sunday following the Ninth Doctor's example becuase I won't be able to sit still for sheer excitement.

However, this does mean that I'll be away over Christmas, and that I won't be able to get the pictures of me in my costume to you until sometime in the New Year. But hopefully they'll be well worth waiting for - I'll certainly have lots to share with you all when I get back! I'm planning on doing LOTS of scribbling in Florida, before I have to come home and do my holiday homework (I've been trying to supress it as best I can by doing it during the week, but the stuff is pretty unstoppable at times.

Adios, mine faithful companions! I shall see you in the New Year! :)

~ Charley R

It's Christmaaaaaaaaaaaas!

Set the bells a'jingling, deck the halls and start decorating the tree, because it's time to get festive!

Anway, this is just a quick post from me to wish you all the most joyous of Noel's and hope you don't get hit by any stray reindeer. Also, if you're up to your ankles in snow as we are, be sure to have a decent snowball fight!

Other than that; sit back, relax, watch lots of Christmas specials, eat copious amounts of turkey-bird and don't regret a second of it!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Behold! Tis I! In a Swishy Cape!

Aha! Thou shalt not defeat me, oh thou dull laptop! I told you that camera existed, caudex!


Sorry ... bit of a victory rant there. Either way, here are a few pictures to amuse you of me in my epic Zorro costume in my house Christmas party on Friday night. I won second place in the costume competition too!

And don't get me started on how many times I fell over that bleeding cape ...

Behold my fearsome weapon!

...

Okay, so it's a stick and half a Pepsi bottle covered in tin foil. I was still proud of it!

Engarde!

"Why hello there ...."

Whoa ... scary close up!

"Mwua ha ha ha ha!"

And there you have it, Spook in a Zorro outfit! I dyed my hair black as well ... my Mum laughed so hard she nearly fell over. Ah well, it'll come out in a few washes ... won't it? o_O