December 2016 Things

Start of the final month of this year. It is grey, cold and wet here. The kind of weather to make you stay at home, keep warm, read a good book and doze through the day. I notice the tempo of Christmas advertising and shopping has recently increased and suspect it will increase further.

Last month was interesting for me and I have shared the major things with you via this blog. Another adventure to share with you concerns a packet. Gabi and Holger, who live near Bremen, collected the old clothes of their, now big, children and placed them into a packet, wrote my name-address on it and gave it to Deutsche Post.

Their parcel-packet delivery service is called DHL so the packet ended up with them. This was on 14th November —- then nothing. Holger called me a few days ago to ask if I had got the packet. I said no and none of my neighbours had taken it for me. Strange! Holger contacted DHL and they tracked down the parcel.

The driver had rung my bell on the 15th November and got no answer. He/She did not leave a note in my postbox.  He/She left the parcel in a ‘Baby-and-Mother’ shop near to where I live. Don’t ask me why!! I wonder if the driver had a mental blackout. I went to the shop yesterday and collected the parcel.  Now the family can have more clothes for the daughter and son2.

Who has a birthday in December?  Stefan the Photoshop Gang Boss will be 56 on the 7th. Geoff, my brother-in-law will celebrate his big day with my sister in Silsden on the 13th. Little Evie in Berlin will be all of 9 on the 18th.  Julie B., who lives near Silsden, will be 42 on the 20th. She shares this day with Thomas in Berlin who will be 56  then. Back to Bremen to congratulate Jonas on his 20th birthday on the 22nd. Holger and Gabi are his parents – see story above. Back to Berlin for on the 24th, Son1 will be 16. What a Christmas present that must have been for his parents!! Not far from Brighton we shall find Neil having a 70th birthday party on the 28th. He shares this day with Stefan ‘Schöni’ who will be 33. Finally, Ian in Australia ends the month, as usual, with his 57th on the 30th December. I shall be seeing him and Birgit a week later in Austria when we meet up for a ski-ing holiday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to each and all not matter where you are :-))