…and all through the house, not a creature was stirring. Not even a mouse.

“Donner, Titzen and Rick!”

So Christmas is done, the turkey all has been gobbled and all the lovingly wrapped presents lay scattered about the house in many various bits and pieces but I’m awake typing out my merry memories and travel plans just for you.

This house which has seemed so large and empty every day for the past month is now bursting at the seems. All the beds have been taken and I am relegated to the sofa in the front room with the opened toy boxes and discarded sweet wrappers, where I have no chance of any sleep. I wouldn’t want it any other way. My nan (mothers side), Louise, Rob and Lewis (who provided the quote above over dinner when reciting Santa’s reindeer helpers in song - just one of many times he would reduce all of us to tears of laughter during the day) joing me, mum and dad for a great day taking in all of the festive traditions. We ate our weights tore open all manor of gifts, took loads of pictures, played games, shared great old stories, got a wee bit drunk, watched loads of telly and even followed a pirate treasure hunt around the house to find a buried/locked chest. One of the best.

I took the chance to update the Map page with our full projected route, taking in not only our travel plans across mainland Europe Eastward into Russia but also now the Trans Siberian train route leaving Moscow towards Ulan-Udewhere we jump track and switch onto the Trans Mongolian trains which take us all the way to Beijing. Here the plans go a little fuzzy. I’d love to head North to take in Harbin but realise time is short and with such a large expanse of country still to explore before our thirty day single entry tourist visas expire, I probably should plan to head South, exploring the busy coastal regions, eventually jumping the boarder to head for Thailand and work (James may be able to secure jobs teaching in China which will change all this. We wait on confirmation).

It’s been a busy old holiday. I’ve also had my stitches out although of the five sewn in, only two remained. I didn’t even notice them beingtorn from my rippling neck. Superman! I took the opportunity, while visiting the health centre to visit my nurse one last time to review my inoculation record pre-travels. A clean bill of health and a good luck hand shake where issued. I re-packed my mega bag choosing to jettison a pair of shorts, my belt, one of the two towels and three socks (a pair and one of my Liverpool football club socks for our Champions league winning season – the one with the hole. I’m usingthe other as external hard drive protection. I just had to keep it on board somehow). Now my boots fit inside my bag and the whole mess feels alot more manageable. I also started on reading Catch-22, which I am completely enjoying. A minority opinion I share with but one person I have questioned regarding the work. I plough on undeterred. I also took in a great movie I was saving for a special occasion ‘Soylent Green’. I really can’t speak highly enough of this dark distopian vision. Heaston leads a fine cast who all turn in worthy and believable performances. The future vision is not too distant as to be over fantastical (Startrek) but still with farsighted gloomy signposts of societies disturbing trends (furniture girls). A beautiful flick which has dated like a fine wine, truly a test of the sci-figenre and testament to the strength of the inevitable plodding story. Good soundtrack too. I am a geek for this kind of thing though.

Amongst all this good stuff was a real stinking sprout of a phone call for one – Mr. Shortball. It seems I won’t be able to squeeze my load onto his back seat. I was going to hitch a ride down south with his mother but now it looks as if I’ll be hauling ass in cargo class on the mega bus. This does have the benefit of giving me two extra days at home, relaxing the last minute rush I’ve had my self in seemingly for the past four weeks. But on the downside I’ll be traveling on the day of the Eurostar connection thus removing any safety net time and also costing me a whole £15. Worst of all I won’t get to relax with my budski’s before the away and do all the last night big idea-ing, having the best kind of pie-in-the-ski-what-might-be kind of dreams. Never mind, we’ve got months for all of that bunkum and claptrap.

Also as a little aside, I have sliptinto a very strange sleep pattern. A two day off, one day on kind of shift thing which allows me to go for long periods with out feeling as though I require any sleep at all ultimately paid for with a swift and very definite return to earth and beyond. I party hard in the land of Nod. I don’t go often but when I go, I go big time – mad, vivid dreams et al.

Sorry if this is too flowery and wordy I’ll try and return to a sharper prose style and nice easy thumbnails asap – there started already.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

A little explanation.

I’ve neglected you, my loyal fanbase.

So, I haven’t been around for a while. I’ve got one or two main reasons for that. First off I’ve been getting to grips with this whole blogging thing, finding my way around WordPress and indeed checking out how GoogleMaps will work within my pages when I finally move off and start adding pictures and all that extra good stuff travellers like me get up to on the road. Off course you lot will be wanting a ring side seat to the madness and rest assured I’ll be pulling no punches.

Also I have been in for a minor operation on my neck (I was planning on posting some snaps but after reviewing the reponse to a similar post in a blog I read. I decided better hold off on it. If you asked nicely I would be forced to bow to overwhelming public demand!). It’s not too bad, frustrating more than anything. The stitches keep catching and I can’t turn me head properly.

The main reason though is I’ve been hungover. To the MAX! I went to warm my friends Doug&Katie’s house at the weekend and it turned out to be quite a big one. If your reading this D or K, I’m sorry I didn’t hang around for breakfast or the football or cleaning up duty but I was running on auto pilot. I felt terrible and just figured I had to get home, which turned out to be a major chore. I was crying in pain and nearly sick with every peddle stroke and when I got on the train things only got worse…

Laze ‘n’ Moley

Throw those shapes!

  Click for larger images.

(First image post! You have to hold on to the small things, right?)

Please understand I am gaining no fans with these pictures but I feel duty bound to blog and these are the only ones I could post uncensored. I am suposed to be trotting the globe with these reprobates. Sorry mum, but I’m starting to think I may never see dear old blighty again! The party was good times, although it has left me feeling like I might want to give Thailand a swerve, their whisky is BAD. James, your in trouble for pushing that crazy juice on me!