It’ll be lonely this Christmas

I’m kicking it old school with my laptop.  For some reason, the wifi card isn’t working, so I’ve got my modem in the middle of the floor and a wired connection to the laptop.

So, yeah, I’m going to be on my own this year for Christmas.  There are rail strikes on January 3,4,6 and 7 and, though I am supportive of the strikes (always back the workers), it will be a ballache getting back.  As such, I’m not bothering.  Normally, I would stay with Nikki and Kev, but they’re going to be spending Christmas Day with Kev’s mum, his brother and his brothers boyfriend.  So, I’m on my ownsome.

Not that it bothers me.  I’ve got a recipe for instant pot Scotch broth, another one for Hawaiian turkey stir fry, It’s a Wonderful Life on blu ray, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians on Prime and I’ll be getting 5 litres of lager.  I’ll be reet.

I also may have a job.  I had an interview on Teams today and I’ve been told they have people starting on Monday.  I won’t be one of them, I’ve decided I would rather wait until the New Year.  It’s call centre work for a bank, so it isn’t ideal.

But it beats dealing with the job centre.

The Paul Heaton gig was great.  I was annoyed that they didn’t announce that Billy Bragg had started his set, so I missed most of it, but he was on top form.

As was Paul Heaton.  It was supposed to be him and Jacqui Abbott, but she was ill.  It didn’t seem to change the set list.  when it was a Abbott solo song, Heaton sung it and when it was a duet, one of the band took her bits.  It was a great gig and I was surprised when he ended the gig with Caravan of Love.

And that’s the end of my gig year.  I saw Beans on Toast 3 times, Grace Petrie twice, Frank Turner once, had to get an Uber back to Bradford after Superorganism did an encore (gotta stay for the encore) where the driver thought I was in the band, got a sunburned neck at one festival then went back to the scene of the crime the next day for another one, returned to geek camp and had Kae Tempest give me my favourite album and gig in the same year (seriously, listen to The Line is a Curve, it’s fucking fantastic).

It’s been good.

Next year lined up, so far, is the Dropkick Murphy’s, Frank Turner (again), Beans on Toast (again), back to Bradford for Live at Leeds in the Park and Slam Dunk, the Sci-Fi Weekender, TRNSMT for Pulp and Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott and hopefully Tubular Bells and black Country, New Road.

Will