Christmas Eve

Our sons in bed though not sleeping, exited as to what Santa will bring. Been bunging out Sloe gin all night, hotdog, neighbour and Tortoise lady etc... She working al through, caring for disabled in their homes.

I stoked up the stove, despite the new central heating i prefer it. A plate with two carrots, a glass of milk and a mince pie by the fire. This Christmas is better than last one for us, no deranged deceased relatives raving at us. Just unemployment and even that's not too pressing. Feels good. Feels homely.

In the morning i drove to the tool shop, just to get out on my own. Im finding it odd having wife and child round all day. There's two guys who man the till there, and older guy who seems to know a lot about tools and has a healthy DIY attitude to anything built by human hands and a young Pakistani guy. I've chatted to him and asked how he found himself down here. He's sponsored by his uncle the owner. Unusually the tool shop and the shop next door is owned by Asians, you don't see them though, just furtive figures in the back, shielded from sight by a tatty fabric print of Mecca, in full "night shirt" forage hat and long grey beard. The young guy when it was Ramadan looked sideways at his pretty tiny wife and said it was hard not eating. I got the impression it was more her idea than his. Today i looked at her a bit more as she served me, she usually scuttles off when customers are about, i presumed due to poor English or shyness with guys, maybe i was wrong as i said "i don't superpose you do Christmas" and she replied "no, not us" but i said "you get the day off and that's good enough ah" and she grined. Looking at her round face i notice she has wispy black hair down the side of the cheek. not the sort of facial hair you see on western women, but weather that's due to electrolysis or nto i dont know.