I think I should start by saying Happy New Year to everyone. I can't believe that 2007 is here already! I'm pleased it's here as 2006 has been a bit of a naff year on the whole. But I don't wanna dwell on all that. It's a new year and I hope it's gonna be a real good one for all of us!

Christmas was great fun. I love it so much and I had a little tear in my eye when I had to put the tree down yesterday, back into it's box. I received so many lovely cards this year. some hand made even! Also everyone was very generous with all the gifts. I didn't get one single gift that I can say was not perfect for me. I think next December I will post a Christmas list so those of you that read the blog and FORGOT to get me something can get some advice...he he..

Christmas day as you all know we were round my brothers place for the day. I got up fairly early and went downstairs and wished my little Bobby a Happy Christmas, had breakfast and went on my way to pick up my Gran and Grandad and from there we went to my Bros. His place is really nice. It's a new build apartment with two bedrooms en suite and a really nice fitted kitchen. As you can see he made a real effort to make sure everyone had a great time and we all did. He even baked cakes!
Bobby came too and he had so many people to play with he just didn't know what to do with himself. My Mum was there and her husband Keith. Suzanna and my brother in law Matt too. We had a great meal together and chilled out for a while afterwards enjoying each others company.

The food was really nice and I must say it's the first meal my brother has EVER cooked for me and it was very good. It's hard work cooking for 8-9 people but he managed really well. Matt (my Brother in law) was on hand to carve and give advice so between them the boys did great!

I received some lovely presents from my family. A nice bread bin, clothes, DVDs etc... oh and a nice shoe rack for my front door. I think I have too many shoes just lying around.

Bobby was really pooped out by the time we got home. He was so exhausted from all the excitement of all them people who played with him. He just collapsed. I've never seen him so tired out before.

What else have I been doing with my time off? Well not much really. I have had a great week off doing absolutely nothing really. Just going to bed late and getting up late. It's been a nice change of routine for me. I have started back at the gym (on the advice of my Nutritionist) and it feels really good.

On Tuesday (Boxing Day) I visited Tom and Guy at both their houses and managed to see Guys parents. Margaret and Alan, oh and of course Charles. We all had dinner together and then afterwards went to Tom's place to exchange presents.

I managed to get round and see Simon and Tasha and my little Brooke. She has a little cold right now so was a bit upset. Me and Tasha went out with the buggy and took her for some fresh air which was rather weird as I've never pushed a push chair before.

New Years Eve has been a very quiet affair for me. I spent the night in at home watching t.v. I recorded over Christmas (awwwww I know how boring!) trouble is I got car problems so am a bit home bound right now. Next year I hope to get an invite to come to Leicester to see what it is that's so special about that place? I've heard it's like the Bermuda Triangle, people go in and never come out again....That true? Bobby and me watched the fireworks in London, which were amazing! and then it's up to bed to finish off the Blog and get off to bed myself. I need to get back into a routine of getting up. It's back to reality on Tuesday! Back to work! Damn!

Before I go I just wanted to post a picture of Raks from Leicester. He always seems to get left out of the piccies (maybe because he's always the one taking them?) anyway I have managed to get hold of this one (from the asian mafia archive) take a look what you think? Dodgy or what?

So all it leaves for me to do is wish that you all had a very good Christmas with lots of fun and laughter and more importantly of all with family or friends. I am sure 2007 is going to be good for all of us. Take care and make sure you come back next week and see if I managed to get up on Tuesday!

Oh and I almost forgot to say a big thank you to Todd for my Christmas gifts from U.S.A. they are all just great and each time I wear them I will be thinking of you mate.

Stu

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Firstly I want to wish all the blog readers a very Happy Christmas. It's such a great time of year for seeing family and friends and having some well earned time off work. So enjoy yourselves because we know it. 2007 will be here!

My weeks has been pretty boring. Not much going on. I've tried to rest and relax and chill out which has worked for most of the week. I am off work now until the 2ND January 2007, which is great. I have been lazing around the house this weekend and getting out of bed late each morning which I must tell ya feels good.

The only thing I did do really that might interest some of you football nuts is that I went to the new Emirates Stadium where Arsenal play football. I'm not really into footie that much but as you can see from the pictures the stadium is absolutely amazing! It's like an airport terminal or a massive shopping centre. Very impressive!

On Thursday Simon, Tasha and Brooke came to see me and we exchanged gifts. It was nice to see them again. Little Brooke is very excited about Christmas. She has started to use her little hands to grip things and can hold a rattle now. I was feeding her and she was digging her little finger nails into my hands. She is very sweet. Uncle Stuart is a very proud Uncle! I am planning to see them again next Wednesday at their place.

I have been getting into the Christmas spirit all week. The tree looks lovely and all the presents under it are getting me excited (even though they are not mine!). We had our second work event this week. We went out for a meal to a local pub which is a bit of tradition for us all now. It serves nice spit roast chicken, fresh salad, ribs etc.......We all had a great time and said goodbye and happy Christmas to each other.

Last night my Dad and Maureen had a little party at their place. They laid on a lovely buffet. There must have been about 15 people at the party. Mostly family and friends. I think once the beer got flowing I started to get a bit bored. It was nice to chat to family I don't often see especially my Uncle and Aunt who I didn't realise that they were so interesting. So there's a lesson there somewhere. "Don't listen to what other people say make your own decisions"

To end the year on a happy note. I managed to win on the Premium Bonds this month. And TWICE! Yep...so the drinks are on me this Christmas!

Thanks to you all for coming and going and Reading through my Blog which has been running for over 22 weeks now (5.5 months!) I wouldn't keep doing it without your comments and interesting feedback. So big thank you to everyone. I hope you'll be back next year to see whats new and whats been happening in my life.

A big thank you to Tom, Guy, Mum, Dad, Suzy, James,Keith, Matt, Eileen, Raks, Steve, Alan,Paresh, Yogi, Reena, Jagdish, John, Chris, Tracy, Bobby, Kitty, Preston, Todd and anyone else who I might have missed out. Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year x

Hello everybody. It's nice to see you again. Only another 8 days to go until Christmas is here on our doorstep. I hope your all ready? I hope that for those of you that celebrate it, have put up the decorations and wrapped all the pressies? I am ready and can't wait. I love it this time of year. It can be such a happy time for everyone. Seeing family and friends, giving gifts and making people happy. I don't think we will get any snow this year which is a shame. Maybe next year?





I've been spoilt this week. I had two days off, which was really relaxing. I was determined to enjoy some time away from work. I lazed around in bed until late which I really needed. One of the days off (Wednesday) me and my mate Nas went to the Natural History Museum in South Kensington. It was great. It has to be my favourite of all the London museums. It is so old and I love the dinosaurs too.

So I met Nas at Kensington High Street tube and we walked the short distance to the museum. It was a nice day actually, the weather was just right. It was a crisp, bright morning. Nas had never been to the Natural history Museum before and it was nice to show someone the place I used to visit when I was a kid. It's amazing to see the real bones of something that roamed the planet a long time before we did. I was surprised how busy it was. Right now they have put up an ice rink outside and a little winter market place. They have got a few new exhibits right now. A really good 'new world' exhibit which has an earth quake simulator which was wicked. But I was happy to see all the old dinosaurs. Whoever cleans those big monsters is pretty good. You never see any dust on them. I wish you could say the same about my house right now. What with the bathroom redecorating seems to have come so much mess. "Do you think I've been spotted? I think the bear can spot tasty meat when he See's it!"

The Natural History Museum first opened its doors to the public on Easter Monday in 1881, it was started a guy called Sir Hans Sloane, who left his collection to the nation in 1753. Sir Richard Owen, head of British Museum’s natural history collection at the time, persuaded the Government that a new museum was needed. It was decided that South Kensington was the place. The land was previously occupied by the 1862 International Exhibition building, once described as ‘the ugliest building in London’. A rising young architect from Manchester, Alfred Waterhouse designed the building. Waterhouse designed the building in a German Romanesque style, creating the beautiful Waterhouse Building. By 1883 the mineralogy and natural history collections were in their new home and this still stands today.

I think the best bit about the museum for me is always the T-Rex. He is wicked. Although he is only a robot I know. Imagine being chased by this thing? It must have been terrifying out there.

On Thursday I chilled out at home and finally got around the wrapping all my Christmas presents. I didn't realise just how many I had brought. I think I went a bit mad this year. No wonder I'm so skint!

Now I wasn't too sure where to put this bit but I think this is an appropriate break in the week to talk about the Leicester gang and there pre-Christmas drink up. I heard it all from Raks. I have to apologise for actually being the only responsible one out of the lot of ya! I was fast asleep and in bed Friday night by 6pm and did'nt stir until the following morning at 6am. So that's why my phone wasn't on. I would have loved to have chatted with a few of you and heard your voices. But at least I got some piccies (I hope you don't mind me posting them on the Blog!) So here are a few snaps.

These girls are hot aren't they? All I wanna know is do they come as a pair? He He only joking girls. You both look really nice. Your b/f's are very lucky guys.

And here we have lovely Eileen. Who I must say looks a bit p**sed but I'm sure a respectable lady like you wasn't really? Finally here is Steve looking all pleased with himself and his plate of food. Thanks for the pics it was nice to see you all having fun.

On Saturday it was Christmas party time again. Every year Tom, Guy, Phil and Kim and me all get together for our ritual Christmas dinner meal. We went to a nice little pub called the Rod Mill which is in Eastbourne. Phil and Kim are friends with Tom and Guy originally but through them I have got to know them too. They are a lovely couple who married a couple of years ago. They are great fun to be around. This year though we had some extra guests come along too. Kim's Children from a previous marriage and partners etc.... So quite a full table.

We had a really nice evening. as usual it was all a bit random. The pub for some unknown reason had a karaoke night on but it was karaoke with a twist. The DJ and his mate who were doing it were Elvis impersonators. I think to be honest though they were a bit past it. LOL.... With there slick back jet black (dyed) hair and long side burns we had renditions of love me tender sandwiched in between the classic drunken "It's raining men" and "I'm coming out" NOT sung by me before you get thinking!

It is Phil's 54th Birthday in a few weeks time so many happy returns to you Phil. I hope you and Kim have a lovely Christmas!

I don't know if any of you have some really over the top houses near where you live that just go mad with all the Christmas Decorations? Well there is this little Cul de sac near where Tom lives in Uckfield that must spend a fortune on the electric bill in the last quarter of the year. Take a look at these pictures and tell me what you think!

It looks more like a MC.Donald's Drive thru than a house!

I have been quite busy today. I got up fairly early and had to do some of the household chores that were piling up around my ears. Then on Sunday evening I went to the movies with my mate Chris. It's been ages since we went out for a meal and movies. He recently moved back from his job in China and I'm really glad he is home again. We went to see Casino Royale at the Roxy cinema in Brixton. It's a nice little cinema slap bang in the centre of Brixton.

I've been told that the movie was good but I didn't expect it to be THAT good. If any of you haven't seen it yet. You gotta go watch it on the big screen. I really enjoyed it. I was getting fed up with all the old Jame bond movies that were coming out. They all seemed the same but this one is really fresh and interesting. I really enjoyed it.

I guess that's all for this week. Just want to say 'Hi' to Todd. Sorry I kept missing your calls over the weekend. I hope your OK. Thank you for your e-mails and I will let you know when I get my Christmas gifts. I hope you get yours in time too. Big shout out to all you boy's and gal's in Leicester too. I hope you've all recovered from your pre-Christmas get together thanks again for the pictures. I have a quiet week next week in the run up to Christmas but you know what my life's like, you never know what could happen! Make sure you come back to check out what been going on.

Stu

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Good evening. It's kinda late. I'm the guest blogger this week for Stu. He's had an exhausting day at work! Yes I know it's Sunday but he managed to get himself out of bed early and go in to earn some money. It was such a miserable day today here in London. It rained and rained and rained. I got soaked through! So I'm here sat at the computer with my dressing gown on keeping warm. Bobby and Stu are already in bed keeping my spot warm for when I finish this. Guinea pigs are smart you know! We have Egg credit cards and everything!

It's been a bit weird this week. You could tell that Christmas is here. The traffic jams, the stressed people, the ques! LOL....I have spent so much time this week in the car it's a bit unbelievable. As I'm sure you remember I was due to go see Jamie in his new play BUT instead I spent the evening on the M25 stuck in a traffic jam. So I'm sorry Jamie that i never made it. Maybe i will get to see him sometime this week?

On Monday I went to see my local GP to give him a urine sample. I had to wait 7 days until I gave another one so he could check for blood. It was all clear which is great news really. I've still not been feeling myself over the past few days but I think it's more a cold or something than anything serious.

On Tuesday it was Aaron's birthday. So many happy returns to you Aaron! I know he has been really busy lately but I think he had lots planned to celebrate in style.

On Wednesday we had the sad funeral for my Aunt Pat. The service was a cremation and was being held in a little place called Pitsea. It was a nice new cemetery but it was very cold that day and the place was so open. It was totally surrounded by fields as you can see. My Gran wasn't very well this week and had to take herself down to the doctors so she couldn't come to the funeral. I think she was very upset and frustrated that she couldn't make it. She has got bad bronchitis and wasn't feeling at all well. Thankfully I saw her on Saturday and she seems to be over the worst of it.

The funeral service was quite short but very sad. There was about 30+ people there. Family, friends and neighbours. I did shed a little tear but i know that she wouldn't want any of us to be unhappy for her. She wasn't that sort of person. She just got on with what life threw at her and never moaned about it.

On Friday, Tom and Guy came to London. They went and stayed at the London Hilton Hotel which sounded very swanky to me. They did a show (Chicago) and then had dinner with Chris. I went into town that evening (which again was a mission) but managed to meet with them for the end of the meal. They all seemed to be having lots of fun.

So as you can see so far this week has been mega busy for me. I was on late shift and had all these things to do in the evenings which was a nightmare to fit together. Finishing work at 1930 and having to get home, shower, let the dog out, eat and then travel back into town for 2100 hours!

On Saturday I kept myself busy in the morning with shopping at Tesco's with my Mum and then by 1 o'clock I had to be in Halstead for baby Brooke's christening. Which I must say has been the highlight of my week. It was really great to be involved in something so special. None of us really knew what to expect. It all went to plan. The church was amazing. For those of you who are into the Da Vinci code, it is one of the 5 churches which is round in this country. Linked to the Knights Templar. If you don't know what I'm going on about then go read the book! Or watch the movie. As you can see from the picture it is very old. built in the 1800's I think or even earlier. The service was nice but the vicar was a bit 'weird' to say the least. Brooke was a very good girl and slept through most of it. I'm glad I went and was able to be part of the experience.

After the service we all went to the local village hall for a huge buffet and party. I met up with some of Simon's friends who I haven't seen in years. It was funny to see them all again. To see how most of them are now married or moved away and are doing new things that I never imagined they would ever be doing. It was a good chance for me to meet up with Tasha's family and to see Simon's family again. As you can see Brooke had lots of cards!

After that I had to rush like a madman back into town. I tell ya I was like a Diva going from event to event....LOL. We had our work Christmas evening out. It was arranged ages ago and unfortunately both things clashed. So I tried to go to both to please everyone. Although now I wish I had only gone to the christening and stayed there! We went to see 'We will rock you'. As i'm sure some of you know it's the tribute musical to Queen. Don't get me wrong the music and singing was good but the humour was typical Ben Elton, very predictable and silly! The bad thing about the evening was all the drunks in the audience. There was several people who were asked to leave around us and it nearly kicked off a few times. I couldn't believe it. Why can't some people have one drink and then stop at that? Anyway never mind.

Today I had to work. I had to work extra long hours today, I started at 10 and finished at 8pm which was quite hard work! After lunch I managed to shut my finger in the van door and am feeling the pain as I type right now!I very nearly sliced off the top of my finger so I expect a bit of sympathy in your comments this week! LOL....Then tonight I ended up putting the Christmas tree up. So if you want to avoid any Xmas snaps look away NOW!

That has been my week really. It's off to bed now for me and up again in about 4 hours time to start another week and do it all over again! Thanks to all you readers who have been leaving comments. That's just great. It's nice to know you read and look at the pictures I post.

Before i go I should put one more picture on of my mother. Just to show that she's been in my house again cleaning...This time i caught her in the act! Naughty Mummy!

Well...I hope your all happy and sat at your desks in the warm. Take a couple of seconds out from your busy schedules and think of me I'm probably out in the cold somewhere...he he. Make sure you come back next week to read about whats been going on.

Stu

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