So here we are. The end. Or I suppose you can look at it another way. The beginning. Or at the moment, the beginning of the end. Still. So started up this morning with coffee followed by a never ending spree of cleaning. No matter how much dog hair I was sweeping up, Dillon was shedding it faster. Jamie got on with the catering side. We spent ages buggering about with a sub woofer. I took Sasha out for a couple of hours and ran her round a muddy field. Came back and put the washing away. It’s now kind of the calm before the storm. The inflatable Jesus has fairly lights and is attached to the stairs. Just gone 7PM. Still only the two of us. Just imagining all the clearing up that will be required. Still tomorrow is another day, in fact tomorrow is another year. Lets have one like this one, after all, it wasn’t too bad.

Started this morning fairly early I guess. It was back on to that bloody unit again. After a couple more hours swearing it was finally done and almost level. Cleaned up the spotlights. Had lunch, walked the dogs, then finished off the lights before it got dark. Did the first coat of paint stripper. Set up all the disco lights. Then made a rather fun video, that will require a lot of editing. Then mother arrived. I made a curry, she behaved well, so did the dogs. Showed her a few youtube videos. So a long day tomorrow. Can’t remember how many people are coming now, but ‘far too many’ springs to mind.

This morning started fairly early, Jamie went to work. I removed the sink out of the bathroom and started coating the wood with paint. Sooner rather than later it was time to head of for Lunch with carl. It was the usual round of six monthly catch-up accompanied by a rather large burger. After two hours of rabbiting it was time to go. Stopped off in B&Q and picked up wood to reinforce cabinet. So got back home and got on with it. Several hours of sawing and shouting followed. It’s still not quite finished, but it’s well on it’s way now. Need to get that finished off tomorrow morning, then need to do a bit of a tidying spree. Mother coming round for tea. Need to make videos and all sorts of stuff. Practiced Mr Numan again, almost got the hang of it now. Apparently according to Carl, Ableton is the way to go, and it’s on sale at the moment, so may look into it. After it, it is tax deductible.

Today was a bit strange. Mainly caused by going to bed at about 10PM last night. So up quite early, breakfast and coffee. Then it was pretty much into paint mode. Did the fourth coat of the bathroom. Then I needed to wait a couple of hours. After the disappointment of the Juno being a bit fucked I decided to strip it down. Two hours later and it was all stripped and the contacts had been cleaned. Then it was on to the final coat. Cleaned up the dog poo. I was going to go or a run, but decided it was too cold. Then thought I’d go for a walk. So got all ready. Sasha was waiting by the door looking hopeful. I decided to harness her up. We went to the field in Almondsbury, it was a bit muddy getting there, but when we were there it was fine. She walked there beautifully, but still quite excited. I checked the field for any other dogs and we had about ten acres to ourselves. I let her off her lead and she bounded off into the sunset, I could just make her out on the horizon. I walked round the field for ten minutes. I then shouted out her name. She dutifully darted across the field towards me then sat down immediately in front of me. I attached her harness. She gave me the look of ‘thanks for that, really enjoyed it, we should do that more often’. We walked back, it was now getting dark. When we got home Dillon had been walked by Jamie around the block. He’s a lovely dog, but doesn’t have half the intelligence of Sasha. Drank coffee and then rebuilt the Juno. Fucked it up a bit and had to take it all apart again, got it right the second time round. Now all sixty-one keys are working perfectly, I even managed to find a supplier of the volume control, so I’ve ordered that as well. Had bath. Now going to sit down and watch some telly. Tomorrow I have a lunch date with an old friend.

So got up very late. Then eventually got on with a bit of DIY. Sanded a few bits and then cleaned up all the dust. That’s all ready now, just needs a couple more coats of paint. Drove up to the mall, bought Jamie a Tom Daily calendar, got something for Lisa. Came back and walked the dogs. Then went to bed and failed to have sex, so put the washing on and did the accounts. Practiced Gary Numan again, almost got the hang of it now. Tested the Juno D, and half the keys don’t bloody work, a bit pissed off about that. Had a shower and then went to the Indian, very nice. Came back and went to bed. Very early night, no sex for sure.

Okay, so we basically stayed in bed until 1PM. And why not. Everyone was let out and fed, there were no complaints, we read stuff and failed to have sex. Eventually we did get up and walked the dogs in the rain. Then the dogs got their crimbo jumpers on and we packed the car up. It was a horrible wet journey down. When we got there Sasha was her usual pain in the ass, Dillon was fine. I got the Monty Python DVD, also got some extras from Jamie, one of which was the midi controller which I was just so after, so all set now. Much buffet food was eaton. Drove back in the wet. Then we played with battle hamsters, didn’t really get the point of them. Made some drinks and we watched the DVD. Now, we all know (okay, may be it’s just me) every word to every sketch they’ve ever produced, which I must say was probably more than the cast did, they lost it all over the place, but that only made it funnier. But it was a great couple of hours, I’ve seen the sketches a thousand time, but it doesn’t matter, so had the whole of the audience, but they sold the O2 out ten times over. At the end of it was one final bow and the customary ‘Piss off’. It is probably the very last time they will ever perform together, but they didn’t half bow out in style. I tip my hat to you. Tomorrow is the weekend, then basically it’s the whole of next week off. But that was Christmas, it was a good one.

So here we go again. Woke at 7AM to think about how I was going to stop grass appearing through the floor an an Atom. Alarm went off at 8. Fed dogs and moved Jamie’s presents down under the tree. Was thinking of sex but went for the Apache bum bongos instead. We got up. Jamie had all his presents, I got video lighting, so many more YouTube videos to come. We walked the dogs and then it was off to Sarah’s for lunch. Mother was there, she’s still alive, just. Much food was eaten, much wine was drunk. Now come back to feed the dogs and a bit of a nap, we will then return, where much more wine will be drunk.

So this morning I woke up at 5AM. Then got up at 6:20AM. Waiting for the absolute mass of traffic, I got to daycare with Sasha at 6:40AM. I was back in bed by 7 and then up by half eight. The cleaners arrived just before nine. I was determined not to do any work other than fix a compile error left over from last night. In the end I managed to knock up an additional three hours. Did some other productive stuff though. Finally burnt a backup of the arcade machine to blu-ray, that’s only taken a year. Moved some USB drives around and reformatted them, the iMac now has 15 terabytes of storage, so should be fine until at least the end of January. Setup traktor pro again and moved all the audio to an external drive. Also installed the new version of garage band, which looks quite interesting. Talking of which my new toy turned up, that’ll wait ’till next year or at least further in the week. We went to Tesco’s to buy more items we didn’t require. Mother was there, I think we managed to dodge round her several times. She was crouched over a shopping trolly looking somewhat like Cruella Deville. Jamie went in the pound shop and bought me stocking fillers. I walked Dillon, picked up Sasha then I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening just playing on the iMac, moving some stuff around, having great fun with Traktor, then eventually edited new video, it’s only a short one, but will be live tomorrow. I’m now going to have a bath while Jamie prepares a ‘Buffet’, which has enough food for about twenty people. Sarah, you could end up with an absolute shit load tomorrow. Oh and the above quote? Well that came from the Dan & Phil games channel where they were playing ‘The Sims’. Anyway, Christmas day tomorrow, soon it will all be over and I can go back to work. Bah Humbug.

Started even before nine this morning, I was on a bit of a mission to finish the grass. A whole host of fun issues along the way but pretty much had it all sorted apart from the fading by about half three. Went for a run. Came back and did another five hours. All sorted, even took a video of it working. I’m supposed to be working tomorrow but after doing twenty-five hours in two days I’m going to knock off an hour before I start. Did dishes. Ate. Sat down. Feel very tired, think I will go to bed now and read for a little bit. Sasha at daycare tomorrow and the cleaners ar coming at the crack of dawn as well.

Started work on time. Working on grass yet again. Went all the way through to lunchtime. Walked Sasha, it was bloody freezing. Had a bit of a sore throat all day, continuing now. Went to Combat, all four of us. Came back and then worked for another three hours. Think I’ll have an early night, need to do it all again tomorrow.