Yep 1st Dec and our trees are up with rather surprisingly, little heated discussion in the Fogg household. One 7ft and one 4ft Nordman, all dressed and looking lovely.

Only 24 days till Christmas, woo hoo.

Saturday saw the Foggy’s and the Caddies heading to Wasabi Teppanyaki in Leeds. A superb restaurant with great atmosphere and fantastic food that is prepared and cooked on the hot plate in front of you.

This may even be turning out to be an annual event.

The food was wonderful, the company was brilliant as ever and the entertainment of watching parties with the same name who had missed their slot and turned up late just added to the fun as they moaned and argued with the already overworked and harassed staff. The manager could be heard running around shouting “Shoot me now”. A brilliant evening.

Oh and only 4 weeks to bloke in the red suit.

super Super Strange

There was we on the train from Leeds after the Santa market, when on gets a chap with a tail! he spent ages fluffing it, preening it, and it squeaking as he touched it.

We never asked him why he was wearing it, it was a full tail coming out of his trousers.

Wierd?

Here is Mrs Fogg watching an episode of the uber awesome American Horror Story.

I actually have no idea what use the cushion is, as Mrs Fogg peeks out from the side of it.

Boo.

Yey it’s Christmas and here we are in Leeds at the Annual German Christmas market. Foodied up mushrooms, potatoes, garlic and burger followed by Glugwein, oh yes. Thank goodness we caught the train.

Only 38 sleeps till the fat bloke fills yer stockings!

Well Mrs Fogg wanted to see the new James Bland, so we forked out £8.40 each (con at Vue if you consider that Pocklington’s little cinema is £5), £13 for two drinks and a bag of sweets (con, again £4 at Pocklington) and settled to err, enjoy 30 mins of adverts in the pre assigned seating cinema (most of which was Twiglet Vampire glowing people pap), before a further advert showing all the films coming up, that you have just seen.

So the film then, now I am not a Bond fan it’s just too dull and overly camp. Casino Royale was ok, Quantum of whatever was gritty ish, but Skyfall was easily the worst of the three, at times descending into almost Johnny English territory, with a dull plot line and a Gay chatty boring bad guy. You could guess what was coming next in most of the movie after 90 minutes I actually started to nod off.

James oh so very Bland, I wish the sky had fallen on who ever thought this was worth making.

Total £29, two hours and lots of Daniel Craig running, looking broody and according to Mrs Fogg he only got his kit off twice!

YeeHaa, R66 is now booked, after much discussion with Eagle Riders in the US, we have now booked this badboy, a Harley Davidson ElectraGlide.

Now I always remember a put down from my youth “It’s about as much use as a radio on a motorbike”, however this thing has a radio and CD player built in, volume on max then playing “Take it Easy” as I coast through Winslow Arizona at just the right line in the song.

Still working on persuading Mrs Fogg to go pillion tho.

It was nice to be able to spend some quality time with Mrs Fogg, something that the current work regime so rarely affords us. Most days it’s up at 5.45 and then an hour to relax on a night, with weekends reserved for chores. So an evening spent chatting, relaxing and people watching was a nice tonic.

The Lakside once had a policy of tie and jacket for dinner (a silly outdated concept), which due to the current economic climate has been relaxed to, “providing its not shorts you’re fine”.

Watching intently there was a chappie that appeared to be on an Internet date with a woman half his age, “when I said I liked 30s, I meant the music, not the age!” A guy with his “forwen blide”, who could have what food she was given and a man who was obviously there to impress his boss “wife, dress dowdy so you don’t make my boss’ wife look bad”.

Nicest of all was sitting and enjoying the night, nice food and excellent company, finished off with scrabble in the “old folk chairs” conservatory, reminiscent of St.Lucia (sans heat).

Well here we are at Lake Windemere at the Lakeside Hotel, which is nice in places but a lot tired in others (Mrs Fogg summed up the conservatory which has furniture fit for an old folks home).

We decided to take a short break away from everything for a couple of days, the scenery is nice, the location is excellent and the company is the best as always.

I’ve been here a few times, I even spent a Christmas here once with a 7 course meal and decorations it was very nice. So we looked at the idea, mulled it over (pun alert), but then wined about the price, bum tish. At a staggering £1000 per person for 3 days and on one of those days you are expected to wait on the staff (yeh like I’m gonna pay to be someone’s servant, sounds too much like marriage to me), So Christmas at home waiting on someone, but at least we are a £1000 not poorer each.

Chrimbo Countdown is on.