Friday 22nd December 2023

Up early. Breakfasted and put a packed lunch together. Endeavoured to empty the fridge. Packed the car, having made boot room. Set off around 1100. Headed up the M1. Stopped at Leicester Forest East service station and ate our lunch in the car. Very windy. Traffic not too bad, though it was slow through roadworks on the Tinsley Viaduct. Got to Underbank Old Road in Holmfirth around 1700. Kathryn made us a mug tea each, and we had a quick catch up before the guests arrived. Jim was overwhelmed by the Jeremy Corbyn poetry anthology, specially signed by JC, of course...it all got a bit emotional! It was a full house for the annual Christmas bash. Kath had cooked her now traditional lamb tagine, and a divine ginger cake. The usual crowd turned up and we repaired to the cramped living room for the annual cabaret. Aki and I did a couple of festive Bing Crosby numbers on our ukuleles. Alex, Helen and Louie pulled off a brilliantly funny turn as bewigged Elvis Presleys. Jim was allowed to take up a ukulele and join as an honorary Ukulady. Then it was dessert time. Chatted to a few people in the kitchen, notably Rob, Ro’s young Cayman Islander husband…a delightful young fella. Ro has a job interview lined up for early January for the post of Cultural Administrator of the Island's Arts hub. Also talked to another Alex, who I hadn’t met before…turned out he organises the annual Holmfirth Folk festival…he was a bit pissed, and kept forgetting what he was saying...it all got a bit surreal! Aki and I tired around midnight and retired to bed…unfortunately we were billeted in the bedroom directly over the continuing festivities…Aki stuck her earplugs in, and I did some reading before nodding off around 0100…