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A Dog is not just for Christmas...but these two could be!

I promised you some news about Rohan and India, so here it is!   The brand new book of stories about their lives at TURN Education is now av...

Friday 25 December 2015

AlterNativity - A Stable Upbringing



This is the fifth and, at the moment, final instalment of my alternative nativity. Typically for me, this is the first story that I wrote some ten years ago (although it has been through a number of revisions since then). As you will see, having painted myself into something of a corner, there really wasn't any scope for sequels, so I've had to content myself with 'prequels' ever since. I do hope you enjoy it, but if you're easily offended you might want to give this one a miss! Thanks for reading the series (you can find all of the stories in The AlterNativity Collection ) and may I wish everyone here a peaceful and pleasant Christmas and a happy and successful New Year. 

This story was originally published as part of the ' Steady Past Your Granny's ' collection of stories.





Wednesday 23 December 2015

Crackers at Christmas



Our Christmas Tree


As I write this, I’m on what is alliteratively known as a ‘Turkey and Tinsel’ break.  This was not intentional.  We booked this weekend as a base for visiting some friends, only to find that Christmas had broken out all around us.  Apparently, this type of break starts at the beginning of November and continues up to, and including, the real thing.  This format can be a bit disconcerting.  Friday, for instance, was designated as Christmas Eve, Saturday was Christmas Day and, in a fit of time compression that would delight British Industry, Sunday is New Year’s Eve.  This rather conveniently disposes of the seasonal festivities in one fell swoop but I should think the staff will be about at screaming pitch come the festive season proper.

All of this made me think of Christmas Past, when things were nowhere near as well organised.  An example of this was when we kept The New Talbot Hotel in Anglesey Road in the mid-1960s.  We had been invited to Christmas Dinner at my aunt and uncle’s.  Dad insisted on providing the turkey for this feast, which was something of a concern because Dad disliked doing anything in a conventional manner.  If he bought anything, it was always through ‘someone who knows someone’ who could allegedly get it cheaper, bigger or faster, or all three.  This sort of arrangement tended to lead to considerable uncertainty, which was not conducive to the peace of mind of my aunt and uncle, who were great ones for doing things properly.  Thus the scene was set for potential disaster.
As the days before Christmas gradually diminished, my aunt made repeated requests to know what size of bird to expect, but was always fobbed off by Dad, who probably didn’t know the answer himself.  Christmas Eve arrived and, as good as his word, Dad delivered a fresh turkey, albeit rather late in the day.  However, in a fit of generosity, probably brought on by the fact that Christmas Eve was Dad’s birthday, which he did like to celebrate, he had bought something that resembled a young ostrich.  My aunt had a relatively small kitchen and there really wasn’t enough room in there for her and this bird.  The problem was compounded on Christmas Morning, when, having prepared this avian monster for the oven (a not inconsiderable feat) it became apparent that it would not fit into the oven.  Only savage butchery reduced the beast to portions that could realistically be prised in.  Even then, the sheer size of the fowl led to the generation of so much fat that the kitchen looked like the morning after a riot in a chip shop.  The whole thing took much longer to cook than normal and the eventual result, despite my aunt’s acknowledged culinary skills, was not up to her high standards.  She was left quivering on the edge of either murdering my Dad or having a nervous breakdown, whichever was the easier.  Typically, Dad couldn’t see what all the fuss was about and was somewhat miffed not to be the hero of the hour.

Another occasion when things didn’t go particularly well was Christmas, 1973.  This was my first Christmas with a girlfriend in evidence (I was something of a late starter).  We were not spending Christmas Day together, so she had given me a present to open on the day.  I was a bit wary of opening this at home as Mum didn’t exactly approve of my girlfriend.  Come the day and, after diplomatically opening the presents from my parents and my sister, I eagerly set about unwrapping my girlfriend’s gift. 

It was a jumper.  It was a very colourful jumper.  In fact, it looked how I imagine a migraine might feel.  Better still, it was figure hugging.  This would have been fine, had I possessed a figure worth hugging.  Unfortunately, my physique over the years has transformed from painfully emaciated to borderline obese without ever passing through any of the more appealing stages in between.  At this time, I was in the former category.  To complete the effect, the sleeves were too short for my arms, leaving 6 inches or so of thin wrist and forearm fetchingly peeping out.  Mum and my sister fell about laughing when I tried it on, leaving me cringing with embarrassment but absolutely adamant that I loved it.


On Boxing Day, sporting my new jumper under my favourite PVC imitation leather jacket (the 1970s were not a good time for fashion) I met my girlfriend.  When I took my jacket off, she too fell about laughing.  It wasn’t a long-lasting relationship.

Originally published in Crutches for Ducks

Sunday 20 December 2015

AlterNativity - Get Away! In A Manger


We hear a lot, in the Nativity, about the human characters, like the shepherds and the kings, but what about the 'dumb' animals?

This is the fourth and latest instalment of the popular 'AlterNativity' series of stories.


Friday 18 December 2015

AlterNativity - A Room at the Inn


In every nativity we hear about the Innkeeper, but what about the Inn?  Find out in this latest story from my alternative nativity:




A Room at the Inn - on ABCtales

You can find the whole 'AlterNativity' series of stories, plus a whole lot more seasonal goodies, in the new collection 'A Christmas Cracker' out now on Kindle 

Friday 11 December 2015

AlterNativity - The King Thing


You can now read the second part of my alternative nativity, in which the shepherds encounter a surprise on their way to the stable:






and this has been cherry-picked, too!

You can find the whole 'AlterNativity' series of stories, plus a whole lot more seasonal goodies, in the new collection 'A Christmas Cracker' out now on Kindle 

Monday 7 December 2015

AlterNativity


Every Christmas, I drag out my 'AlterNativity' series of stories (and usually try to add a new episode whilst I'm at it).  This Christmas is no exception, so here's the first of the stories, concerning the shepherds:





The Night Watch

And, it's been cherry-picked!

You can find the whole 'AlterNativity' series of stories, plus a whole lot more seasonal goodies, in the new collection 'A Christmas Cracker' out now on Kindle 

Friday 4 December 2015

It does what it says on the tin!


Really pleased with this new review for 'Steady Past Your Granny's'.

"Exactly what it promised to be: nostalgia and humour. I liked the graphic reminder of how basic things were, back then, and the self-effacing account of how the narrator bumbled through it all. England at its "Don't let the family down" best."

You can see the original review here Link