Echoes of Flavio's Ghost Dreaming

.. or was. The decs on the tiny table-top tree in my tiny flat will probably stay there till February but otherwise it is all over, once more. Christmas itself I spent with Venezuelan friends in Kent, one more time. We had the Venezuelan Christmas dinner (late on xmas eve, although not at midnight), with turkey, hallacas, pan de jamón, and other Venezuelan and Portuguese (my friend's wife is V'zlan-Portuguese) foodstuffs, plus christmas pudding. The usual opening of presents by the xmas tree brought me a gin making kit. Not a still, mind. It was quiet and relaxed and I think I needed that.

On New Year's Eve I played at the londongothsluts's NYE party at North Nineteen organised by djpsyche, with encores with the help of sbp and Red; all this seemed to go down quite well. Took my guitars away and came back for the party, danced and caught up with people (and had a very good and illuminating conversation with Alicja, WOLJ) then got offered a lift to the Slimelight so I went ... leaving my bank card behind, at the bar. Luckily djpsyche brought it over to the Slime for me.. many thanks many times over, Psyche, for that and for the night and for thinking of me for the playing.

The ensuing tow days have been rather quiet, as they should be, but I have a maelstrom of things coming my way this January: two concerts (small and local but that makes no difference) to prepare, tax returns to get ready and a tax 'error' that HMRC claims there was in last year's return which means they want several hundred quid from me (and now I think they may be wrong or one of my schools may have deducted my tax but not passed it on -messy either way).

Last night, instead of going to AntiChrist (had perhaps one or two reasons not to want to be there), found me at German goth friends' near here, relaxed conversation and wine and playing with Luna the cat...

Today, meeting with friends for Sunday roast at a pub in Holloway, guitar practice and spreadsheets and a million little unreadable receipts to sort out....


xmas dinner at M's: hallaca, pan de jamón, turkey, 'taters and nips (not neeps)

... from an enjoyable few days in Alicante; NYE was mostly a family affair although there was dance and way too much booze. On New Year day, a family (mostly not my family) meal where, again, I ate too much. Maybe should run to Trafalgar Sq and back a couple of times a day to burn all that off. No, it's not going to happen.

Too late, I fear, to head down to sahra_patroness's birthday do, but just in time for a re-acquaintance with a long hot bath.

Hope all your New Year dos were good. BTW, for those who are reading this in Facebook, it's a livejournal/dreamwidth entry, my preferred outlet for rantings, ravings and reminiscing. Facebook is good for the pictures and the events but not for those, for a number of reasons ...

Anyway, Happy Birthday on this day to that_total_age and sahra_patroness!