The Journal of the Browncoat Cat

Last night I went to see my nephew’s Christmas Concert. Instead of the standard concert and Nativity play Year 3 and 4 put on The Xmas Factor. The show was interspersed with The X-Factor theme, with each carol or song was sung to a karaoke style soundtrack by a different group of children pretending to be hopeful pop groups and pop singers. Two children played the role of the presenter, changing from a little boy to a little girl half way through. Three other children, who looked frighteningly like 7-year-old versions of Louis Walsh, Sharon Osborne and Simon Cowell would make scripted comments in the style of the judges they were playing, up to and including “Sharon” emptying a glass of water over “Louis”. Naturally the junior “Simon” got all the best lines being the pantomime villain that everyone boo-ed. It was a great fun, the children looked as if they were thoroughly enjoying it.

It was a complete family affair, as my 8-year-old nephew James (Doherty) and his 7-year-old step-brother James (Guy) are in the same class in Parc Primary and his mother, my Sister Janet is their class teacher. My brother-in-law Andy had put the karaoke style soundtrack together. The two Jameses performed Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody in a band called “The Unknowns”. They got into the Glamrock vibe with long wigs, toy guitars and platform boots.

I suppose I am biased, because it is my family, but I thought the whole thing was great and made a really nice change from the usual school play.

This week I had a few more jobs done around the house.  In total, the following has been done by Alun the builder:

• Hung a new door on the cupboard under the stairs

• Installed some kitchen units in the room I call the back porch

• Finish grouting the floor tiles in the kitchen and back porch

• Hung a curtain rail put up in he guest bedroom

• Fitted a trim around the edges of the wall tiles and worktops in the kitchen.

• Knocked a wastepipe put through the wall in the back porch so that the washing machine can be plumbed in.

I think that the last job was the most difficult, chiselling through an 18 inch thick blue sandstone wall.  All that remains for the New Year on the originallist of things that I need to pay a builder for is to tile the wall between the worktop and cupboards in the Back Porch. 

This flush of activity has been prompted by the fact that my New Year’s Eve Party is just 15 days away, and these jobs had to be done before my house is ready for guests.  I have also been doing my bit, gloss painting doors upstairs, and with the help from my mother, this weekend I will be hanging wallpaper in my shower-room.