Post-Christmas Post

Posted by Colin Harvey Dec 26, 2008

Christmas is significant for many things. One telling detail is that December 25th was the first day of 2008 that I've spent at home without switching on either my laptop or PC.

Partly because we had house guests, and it would have been rude.

But mainly it was because I'd set myself a deadline of the 18th to finish Winter Song, to give myself a week off to enjoy Christmas.

Instead I kept finding things that would make it just that little bit better, to the point where as my mother-in-law walked through the door on Christmas Eve, I looked up and said, "I'm still trying to finish this bloody novel."

And it is. At last.

So to celebrate, I gave myself the day off.

Yesterday morning we walked the dogs (Alice has been joined by Meggy, Kate's parent's black cocker) through the fields and up to the community forest, which --as always-- resembled the Somme.

Kate put the goose in at 1pm, and we opened our presents.

Off-topic, one sister-in-law gave me Snow Patrol's excellent new CD, and another 'Stephen Fry's America.' On-topic -just- my parents gave me JG Ballard's autobigraphy, which should give a fascinating insight into this most cerebral of the New Wave writers, and Kate gave me The Writer's Tale, which I've lusted after since I saw it. Oh God, I'm even starting to write like Russell T. Davies...

The goose finally pitched up onto the table at 4pm on a vast china platter framed by roast parsnips and potatoes. That a) skips over Kate and I shouting at one another over the location of the matches, which was a symptom, not the actual subject of the row, and b) makes us sound as if we live the high life -- but scrimping and saving for Christmas is part of the reason we've been stretched thin enough to row at all.

Post-dinner we collapsed into chairs to watch the Doctor Who Christmas Special, which was the best yet.

And by this afternoon --the 26th-- I could feel the siren call of the laptop. Enough torpor. Enough laziness. Back to work, Harvey!