Drive My Car into the Ocean

My first Czech Christmas was spent in the tiny alpine village of Slop, south of the German border (old-time Sudetenland). Actually me James T, Alanna and Jamie were rather too focussed on the red wine and guitar heroics in our small room that we entirely forgot that it was in fact Christmas day. Never-the-less, a celebration of Boxing Day morning readily ensued.

The next was a very Blind Eye Xmas (TM) for all of us Zizkov-marooned 'foreign types'. (insert John Cleese French knight accent). And by Baby Jesus did the assorted wastrels dine well that night! Impossibly massive roast chicken and two dusky roast ducks. Yes, dusky. Plus huge cauldrons of mashed spud and gravy, gravy, gravy, biscuits, salads and steaming monkey balls. The fact that nobody drank more than about two pints of the free beer on offer is testament to the gluttonous gastronomic excesses of the evening. Good good.

And now for the first time in 3 years a proper good-old-fashioned-round-the-dinner-table-beer-and-whiskey-and-tree-and-presents-and-carp-family-Xmas.
So I was happy. Wendy's folks even brought us a nice new dvd player. Spoilt bastards. (Plus Asimov's first two Foundation novels which is a long-overdue read for me). At least in the last little while, I have been able to catch up on several dozen films I have neglected to see from the last year or two. We have a way to get new dvd titles for about NZ$4 a pop. So wang.

Well I was going to write more from here, but there is an annoying German girl sitting next to me talking into her phone translating her emails, so no.

Off to say hi to some lovely folks and get some much-needed practice in for Sylvestr. (sic.)