Those Christmas lights

...keep shining on!

Remember newsagents? This one was a good 'un. I've blipped it before, back in the day, when two cats curled up on piles of newspapers, or slept in the window. There was also an extraordinary window display of Action Men performing various feats, in honour of the 2012 Olympics.

Times change. The newsagent's on Nelson street is gone, the news is snippeted to our phones, the lady who lived behind the shop has had to move to a small flat. The shop functions as an occasional pop up shop. I never see it open, but the displays are glowing at night.

I was on my way down to Curio Lounge (again!) to meet some people I sometimes work with. I thought it would have been rude to pass up the pre-Christmas drinks invitation. When I arrived, the older people (myself included) were there, had ordered food, and The Drunk Person was being annoying. I tried to stay out of her way..Eventually the younger staff members, who had been bowling, arrived and we all carried on for another hour or so, until most of the oldies, including the Drunk Person, decided to leave. I got up to go with them, but one of the youngsters persuaded me to stay. No problem, now that the Drunk had gone, except that I now get a hangover after two points of cider, so I was crawling along in the slow drinking lane all evening and feeling a little out of it. I'm.so.imd that I can't hear properly in bars with loud music! In fact, I'm noticing problems with hearing in general.

When they decided to go to another bar, I left and walked home. Stroud High Street at midnight on a Saturday night is a little scary, but I got home without incident.

In other news, I helped Steve at his Christmas Country market at Minchinhampton, and apparently it was the most successful ever! Good to hear.