The pause…otherwise known as the Christmas holiday…..that rolls into New Year…that rolls into the first week in January…where routine gets thrown out the window…when everyone spends at least 10% of their energy looking up at the sky…either in desire for snow…or mid eye rolls whilst managing the balance of spending SSSSOOOO much more time with their loved ones…you know….the loved ones they were desperate to see but by day 12 they would actively encourage to go play in another room!
Despite a persistent unwanted Christmas Gift of a cough….or Daisy Duck squeak as it was soon renamed….I had a wonderful holiday. It was relaxing. Even a normally “stressful” incident that might historically cause a hoo-ha didn’t stampede on my pleasure.
The incident in question was the un-doing of Tree number 1…the ruthless destruction.
Tree number 1 is my tree (I get the main Christmas Tree to decorate)….it provides with insane amounts of pleasure decorating my tree each year…..it is MINE.
The Little people have their tree – Tree number 2 – gracing the dining room…it is Tree 2 that the Little pleasures are allowed to decorate (torture)…and adorn (disfigure) with the mix of decorations that include the various hideous & completely mismatched creations that have come out of playgroups, schools, brownies, cubs etc since the moment they learnt how to apply glitter and glue…..along with a ramshackle assortment of “ornaments” that are theirs…..you know the way it works….they get to choose 1 new decoration each Christmas to go on their tree…something special….cue a ridiculous amount of dodgy plastic, huge fairies and seasonal characters. It’s a monstrosity, none of the bits could ever go on MY tree….but….and this can be our secret…..I love their tree…I love it’s anarchy….even if I have to tweak the odd unbalance when nobody is looking!
So anyway…my tree….day after Boxing day….just about to head out to see Paddington (a must watch for the toothbrush incident alone!) with some great friends….and the Little People (the pink one!) has “nudged” MY TREE….it breaks….its bottom no longer works….it’s down.
This would normally cause all sorts of madness…..but not this year….I am calm….we go out…we return home…The Mr is dispatched to the loft (not because of the copious amount of Gin he consumed pre cinema resulting in a strange snore like noise emanating from my side mid Paddington perfection)…..he was sent to get Tree 3…..a tree which had been purchased many years before but was considered too big for the front room due to the 5 ft diameter at the base.
Tree 1 was disposed of & I spent an entirely pleasant 2-3 hours re-dressing a Tree 3…..it was quite frankly a bit like an extra Christmas gift.
So the pause that is Christmas was great.
New Year was somewhat skipped past what with persistent coughs and colds that wouldn’t budge.
But the general mood was upbeat.
The only thing that really made me cross was reading an article from a Doctor called Richard Smith who is clearly about as far from caring & compassionate as any doctor you can imagine.

http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2014/12/31/richard-smith-dying-of-cancer-is-the-best-death/#disqus_thread
In his opinion dying of cancer is the best death!
He does admit to having romantic ideals of death…perhaps he thinks you receive a diagnosis that says…”sorry love it’s terminal”….you break to news to loved ones who all love you back twice as much….you never work another day…never feel any pain….never see the pain of others….and zip around ticking off the various items off a wonderful bucket list before quietly slipping away 3 or 4 months later.
Cancer isn’t like that.
Melanoma certainly isn’t.
I don’t want to wallow in self pity…nor do I wish this happy post to be in any way miserable to read….but don’t for one second think that this is a choice. I would not choose this way. I don’t expect it will be imminent….I hope that I put up a bloody good fight….but sadly I imagine there will be much pain and misery…for me and everyone around me.
Stupid, stupid man…like I said….grrrrr.
The only thing of note that I have done already in 2015….well it started towards the end of 2014 really….Change. My resolution…my plan…this year will be about change…changing thinking, changing problems….changing for the better.
A year where I have & will make changes…..some big…some small…..and I expect that some of you might too xxx
Happy New Year friends x