A Very Merry Christmas To One and All

[ditchcrawler]

Well i was going to say "and may your God go with you" but Dave Allen beat me to it years ago.

 

Talking of Winter Soltice, Smiffys birthday usually falls on that day but they have moved it this year so he gets a longer birthday for a change.

Have they moved his birthday or the shortest day?

[Emerald Fox]

Yes, the season of sherry and mince pies be upon us. Happy Christmas everyone! Here are some wintry pics from Finland to put you in the mood:

 

http://img.mota.ru/upload/wallpapers/source/2013/09/24/12/04/37405/FEEIQpI0MA.jpg

 

http://wilderness-travel.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Skiers-_Oulanka_National_Park_winter.jpg

 

http://www.jaakphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Northern-Lights-in-Finland-3766.jpg

 

http://static2.visitfinland.com/wp-content/uploads/Header_Kaskinen_winter.jpg

 

and then there's this! http://www.breaktopic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/377062_223008894439827_126894987384552_509230_250027101_n2.jpeg

[Rickent]

Merry Christmas all. Our table is ready for dinner,can't wait.

[Richard T]

Happy Christmas to all. I hope to meet many of you at the Paget Arms in Loughborough on 2nd of January

[DHutch]

Happy Christmas indeed!

 

 

Daniel

[keble]

Me too!

Happy Christmas

[Athy]

I think I posted Christmas greetings on an other thread, but after ale, roast beef, Yorkshire pud and half a bottle of Pauillac I really can't remember. So here it comes, Merry Christmas, as the traditional ditty goes.

[Emerald Fox]

Happy Christmas from Stubbing Wharf Mr Athy!

Have you caught that person who painted your boat purple?

[nicknorman]

Hmmmm, so we set out on the boat Christmas Eve, fully loaded with grub, booze, tree and lights. 1hr out of the marina phone call from neighbour, we've had a break-in at home (430 miles away). After some thought we decided to head back, in part because we wouldn't enjoy being on the boat knowing our house and garage were insecure. So 1 hr on to the winding hole, 2 hrs back to the marina, everything out of the fridge, cupboards and under-tree into the hire car, then setting out at 16:45 for a 7 hr Christmas Eve drive up to Aberdeen, arriving at 00:05 Christmas Day. Traffic was light at least, although the slush on the road over Shap and near Stirling slowed things in the skittish Toyota Aigo hire car.

 

Garage not too bad, roller shutter door into the street forced open (which I used to think was quite dauntingly secure), some items in my (unlocked) Subaru out into the floor, Jeff's locked mini fine, motorbikes fine and nothing obvious missing despite various power tools etc lying around. In fact nothing taken as far as I can tell. Other 2 neighbours the same experience. Weird!

 

So Christmas morning spent with PC (miss) Skinner taking statements from Jeff and I. By 13:00 it was time to break out the champagne and put on "its beginning to look a lot like Christmas" which seemed appropriate.

 

Anyway, worse things happen at sea and no-one involved died, was homeless at Christmas or was fleeing a war zone. Primary victim was my 92 year old mother who was expecting us for Boxing Day dinner and was very disappointed when we had to tell her we weren't going to make it.

 

Also just to mention that, having hired the car from and to Birmingham airport, I phoned Enterprise to explain the situation and say that we might want to stay in Aberdeen and thus return the car to Aberdeen rather than Birmingham, and how much might it cost do what amounted to a 1-way hire. "Oh, under the circumstances , no extra charge sir" with which I was quite impressed.

[Athy]

Happy Christmas from Stubbing Wharf Mr Athy!

Have you caught that person who painted your boat purple?

Oh for Fox sake....

[MtB]

My commiserations Nick. What a weird thing to happen to you and the neighbours.

 

I wonder if they were looking for something specific, but didn't know which house it was in...

[nicknorman]

My commiserations Nick. What a weird thing to happen to you and the neighbours.

 

I wonder if they were looking for something specific, but didn't know which house it was in...

Well it does seem like that, 3 adjacent garages broken into but nothing taken although a few things from my garage ended up next door. I suppose the slightly chilling thing is the idea that they were casing, and might be back. Mind you, numerous power tools untouched and who would want to come back for an 11 yo Subaru or locked and immobilised mini and hayabusa?

[MtB]

I'm inclined to think they didn't find what they were looking for in your place in particular.

 

Do you know the order in which the break-ins happened? I.e. was there at least one more after yours?

[nicknorman]

I'm inclined to think they didn't find what they were looking for in your place in particular.

 

Do you know the order in which the break-ins happened? I.e. was there at least one more after yours?

We were at one end, some stuff - a rucksack containing some really important but valueless documents relating to a glider (not mine, one I was certifying for a friend), and a cheapo eBay shot blasting case - were found in the middle garage, so I'm inclined to think we were first.

[MtB]

Hmmm sounds like casual theft then. They fancied your rucksack then found something better in the next garage, so dumped it there as they couldn't carry it as well as the next stuff they found.

 

Not bright enough to think of putting it all in your rucksack and wearing it...

[nicknorman]

What was also weird is that I had the famous UNI-T UT203 Clampmeter sitting on the subaru's passenger seat, leads unplugged and out of the case.

 

The meter and the black lead were on the garage floor one side of the car. The red lead and the case were on the garage floor the other side of the car. A rear headrest that was in the rear footwell was also out in the garage floor. What was that all about?

[MtB]

Chucking stuff out of the way looking for something important perhaps... but who knows.

 

When Reg was broken into there was odd stuff like that too. A stored button fender out and in sitting the middle of the galley floor for example.

 

For me, trying to get inside the mind and understand what the culprit thought he was doing occupied a good deal of my thinking time in the following few weeks. A major part of coming to terms with what happened, for me. You too perhaps...

[Loafer]

Was it a cat burglar Nick? Just messing around with your stuff?

 

Anyway what a bummer. Sorry your Chrimble was wrecked.

[The Bearwood Boster]

Nick &Jeff sorry to hear about your break in but glad to hear that things are ok .Met you briefly in Brum when you tried to educate me about posh gin.(In Oozels loop)

Trina

[p6rob]

Sorry to hear that Nick. Pressure of Christmas, perhaps the crooks were trying to find the perfect gift for a loved one.

[nicknorman]

Thanks for the sympathy folks. TBH my post was not aimed at garnering sympathy, more about when things go wrong and seem shit, in fact it is the basics like being with one's loved ones at Christmas that is important. All the trimmings are not that important.

[Emerald Fox]

If you catch that garage messer-upper bring them to us and we will lock them in our water tank!

 

Drug/alcohol related? Or maybe to get you back North so then they can nick your boat??!!

 

ps - bucketing down here in the centre of t'Pennines, all-night waterfall. Warm & dry inside but engine room has 5cm of water (from where? how?) in it so gotta find t'hand pump + bottle.

Not stern gland. Just too much rain cascading down onto back deck mereckons.

[cuthound]

Sorry to hear about the break-in Nick.

 

Perhaps it was Santa, confused after consuming too many sherries?

[nicknorman]

Sorry to hear about the break-in Nick.

Perhaps it was Santa, confused after consuming too many sherries?

Well in the event it wasn't too bad. I managed to fix up the door so it looks OK from the outside, and we decided to drive back to the boat yesterday afternoon. My Boxing Day dinner was McDonald's on the M6! So 840 miles later we are having Boxing Day at my mums, only 24 hrs late!

[bigcol]

Hope that your mum and you enjoyed your visit.

92 year old mums look forward to seeing family,

and lowlife breaking in, burglary and commit crimes, really don't know or care about the consequences of their actions.

 

Good on you for persisting with your driving.

 

Have a great 2016!

 

Col

Edited December 28, 2015 by bigcol