It’s the post-Christmas, pre-New Year interim, lazy, downtime, hiatus…where that suspect cold you’ve been waiting for is starting to kick in and you’re not sure, well I’m not sure, whether I should be working or ignoring work (I’m not very good at doing nothing). So in this unknown, nondescript period of time, I thought I’d blog until kingdom come about what Wordgirl has been up to, this post dedicated to photographs of manaXi and I (including a rare parental selfie with Momma Sooz and Poppa K) from the past few days of Christmas celebrations spent in Manchester, Southport and Churchtown, at my home and at my parents house in South and North Staffordshire, needed countryside adventures around the local canal network, and time with manaXi’s family in the West Midlands…even with a touch of UK snow.
As always, and now an on-going Wordgirl ritual, it has become a time for no gifts (except for family), just charity…to a local and national charity…this time to Headway brain injury rehabilitation centre in South Staffordshire and to Shelter to support the homeless. People are the most important thing in this world…
Before the festive photo storm, I thought I’d start by sharing a few songs and podcasts that have defined this time…starting with the last episode of Series 9 – Lucky Cat ‘Merry Christmas’ Podcast broadcast on Resonance FM on Sat 20th December 2014. The playlist includes:
- Merry Christmas from Beverleys – Alton Ellis and the Beverleys All Stars
- Hong Kong Christmas Carols – 45 bought in HK (pictured)
- White Christmas – Betty Chung
- Jingle Bells – Betty Chung, Mona Fong, Tsin Ting
- Jingle Bells – The Bunnies
- Let’s Make Christmas Merry Baby – Amos Milburn
- He’s the Man With All the Toys – The Beach Boys
- Would you Believe It, I Have A Cold – Huey Smith
- Lucy and Linus – Vincent Guaraldi Trio
- Sleigh Ride – Ella Fitzgerald
- 2 tracks from the Calendar Girl OST
- Just Be Good – Horace Andy
- 2 Anita Mui Yim Fong tracks
The next track comes from the one and only Grimes, a girl and musician who I am a little obsessed with and have written about many times before (apologies for the swears in this song):
And finally Mr Walter Martin, one of my favourite new artists from 2014, who will be noted in my next blog post on my ‘2014 BEST OF – My ears like to hear VIII…’.
Rachel Marsden's Words 