CHRISTMAS LETTER 2025.

 

Okay, let’s get down to business – month by month. Well, almost.

January to February, I really only remember one thing…

Those bloody bells!

Okay, I know, I do practise my violin a lot, and my double bass. A neighbour even told me that a violin should be practised in a shed. He compared the ‘noise’ to a drummer practising, “Boom, boom, tacka tacka tacka tacka tacka tacka, boom, boom, crash.” I guess my violin is more, “Screech, screech, screech.” All good, it’s his point of view, but for me it’s those bloody bells! I tell you, we just don’t need them in our neighbourhood. They go on all night too!

March. I needed some respite, so I moved into a hospitable residence in Lower Hutt for eight nights, leaving Shelley home alone. It wasn’t really that quiet, but it seemed to help. I started taking a few pills. On March 31^st. a very special friend of mine had a birthday and Shelley and I attended the celebrations. Aunty Tef (aka Steph) was there too. Harrison got a 2 added to the other numbers in his age. Actually, from memory, he doesn’t have any other numbers. Still, he can beat me in a race AND a wrestle.

April. I thought my life was settling down, and the bells, which had really annoyed me, were less obvious. Then, out of the blue, on April 15^th., a guy named Henry showed up. It seems that we’re related because we share the same surname. He’s actually a very nice guy and I think we’ll become very good friends. I often call him Prowsey. I’ve sung to him and he really seems to like my singing. That’s weird! Hey, I’m definitely not a singer!

May, June, July, August, September. Hey, ‘not too bad’. Actually, I hate that saying. Why can’t people say, “Pretty good.”?

October, November. The bloody bells started up again! “Ding, dong, ding, dong.” They seemed to get even louder! It’s not quite December as I write.

Will those bells get any louder?

Hang on. I think I might have screwed up. Just a sec, while I check a few spellings.

This is what can happen when you spend quite a bit of time reading blog posts where grammar and proofreading don't get taken seriously.

Oops, I meant ‘bowel’.

What I meant to say is that I’ve struggled with Bowel Disease this year. I’m still trying to get onto the correct meds, but it all seems to take a long time. Longer than the time that should be put into proofreading.

Huge thanks and love to Shelley and the family, who have put up with my little problems.

At least I get to wear the same underwear as my two grandsons. (Nappies.)

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Shelley and I hope you’re all keeping well.

If you’ve got a neighbour who has a noisy bell, remember to be kind.