Boxing day 2022

There had been a big buildup running up to today, my wife decided to invite my family for the afternoon. My anxiety had been building up over the last few weeks knowing that there would be 12 people in my house. I managed to stay in the kitchen mostly and I had an escape room where I could just go to for a few minutes when I needed to. The part I really struggled with was, my mother kept making me join in with group photos, she knows very well that I hate photos. The other low point was playing games, I stood firm with that one. Everyone there knows I’m autistic, why do I still get pressured into doing things that I’m not comfortable with?

I didnt do much today, just stayed on the sofa and watched Friends and the Boxing Day football. I have Covid and have had a very painful tooth infection since Saturday.

This evening was the first time I have been able to eat, I had some chicken soup so that was good

Swans and ducks and geese are my safe place, I love feeding them and spending time with them

Also Southsea used to be my favourite holiday destination. I love Blue Reef aquarium there too

I visited my sister and her husband in their new detached house on a posh housing estate.  They moved in April this year, this is my first visit. It's a very nice neighborhood with middle class people and manners.

Whereabouts where you originally from? I live in the North.

I agree with this from my 30 years in supermarket retailing, as people miss the whole point of what Christmas is all about - since Covid, I’ve really focused on the religious aspects of Christmas and it’s true purpose and it would appear that I’m not alone in this, as Catholic Church Mass Attendance figures in Ireland have really went up for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses all over Ireland according to reports from Parish Priests this year - I’ve noticed that this year people are really tired of the over commercialised nonsense that had crept in around Christmas in recent years and this was especially true during Covid and during 2021 

On Christmas Eve here in Manchester, I attended the Midnight Mass in Latin at a Catholic church nearby, doing the same on Christmas Day, as well as watching the webcam Mass from my home Parish in Ireland - I’d been off since Fri 23rd, back on the 27th & 28th then 2 days off and back in again 

In my 20 years living in the U.K. I still refer to Boxing Day here in the U.K. as St Stephen’s Day (to the confusion of my English friends) as we Irish still refer to it - in many parts of Rural Ireland to this day, the tradition of the Wrenboys still goes on, where people dress up in costumes to collect money for charity and for us Catholics it’s still a holy day of obligation to attend Mass - usually at this time of year, I’d be making plans to travel home to visit family in Ireland post-Christmas, but with the current travel disruptions to both air travel and to SailRail via Holyhead with the current U.K. rail strike, I’ve had to defer these plans until at least March 2023 at the earliest - I’ve had a quiet Christmas, spending Christmas Eve off, watching webcam Masses from my home Parish in Ireland on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, speaking to family on Zoom and other video platforms, as our hotel gave us a week off with all the holiday days we could not carry over into the next holiday year, spread over the past few weeks of December 2022 on top of staff social events and raffles with bottles of wine and Budweiser (I won the most drink-related prizes lol) as we are an Irish owned hotel group so plenty of chances for staff tastings of new menus - I drink in very strict moderation as I was never a big drinker despite being Irish lol 

I am sorry to hear about your cold Desmond. I hope the symptoms ease off for you soon.

I also have a cold; caught yesterday, when heading out to send assorted biscuits as gifts.

We just don't do Christmas at all we just try to get thru it with as little stress as possible as rest of world goes into crazy overdrive..we just don't do it..we don't send cards I don't say happy Christmas to people on the street etc.not because we miserable but because tbh if we did get into the whole thing we'd bothe be nervous wrecks and what for? So some corporation can sell some more toys  etc etc.

I'm impressed by your ability to get yourself ready in such a short amount of time Desmond. It's definitely not a skill I possess.

I didn't get up, today, until 12:48. And I was meant to have Dinner at my neighbour's at 1 pm. However, I sorted myself out quickly enough. 

I hope you have been having a lovely day Rosy. 

My son and I have both been having a relaxing and lazy day. We had stayed up late last night watching some comedy films I had recorded, and as a result, didn't get up until shockingly late today. 

I had Dinner with my neighbour, but slept in; then had to take a quick shower and dress up. 

IDK yet what I'm going to do 

Been for a brief walk which was a cold wind. Nice seeing more people around. Sunny day. 

Hope your day is going well.

We went for a walk on Southsea seafront and watched the swans on Canoe Lake.

I find swans cleaning and preening fascinating so had to be dragged away from them.

Lovely sunny day.