Jonathon Wardman

Christmas and New Year

Welcome to 2009, if a little late.

To be honest I don’t have much to write about over Christmas and New Year.  Christmas day was spent at my brother’s house in York.  My parents collected my Grandma on Christmas eve, she stayed at their house for the night, we went to York about lunch time on Christmas day, and then my parents took Grandma home again that night.  I got to stay at my brother’s for the night.  That was OK in the end.  I was a little worried about how that would go — my brother and I aren’t really all that close, although we do get on well, and I’m not really all that talkative — but it turned out fine.  We played a board game which I won, and my brother’s wife got a little bit tipsy which made conversation go a little more easily. [read more]

Driving (riding) home for Christmas

It may be a day later than I had planned, but I’m on my way.  The penultimate train, in fact.  I appreciate that for normal people, saying that would be a little strange, but given it takes me 3 trains and two tubes to get back up to my parent’s house, it gives you an indication of just where abouts I am.  It is, actually, the most significant train of the trip both size and time wise (although if you add up all the other trains it’s less than half the total journey time).  But anyway. [read more]

Christmas shopping list

I’ve finally got my Christmas shopping started.  Hurray.  I might have only managed to get something for my parents, but at least it’s started.  I also have an idea for my brother and sister-in-law.  I still have next Sunday to finish off before I go back up north, and I might do some shopping on Wednesday if I get chance.  I also managed to get my mum’s birthday present and I have plans for my dad’s. [read more]

This is not a closing down sale

Deloitte, the administrators called in to deal with the collapse of Woolworths, are claiming it’s not a closing down sale but to me it looked pretty terminal.  Like most people calling in to one of the chain’s 815 stores today, I was greeted by empty shelves and long queues.

While Deloitte are promising that the stores will all remain open until after Christmas, I’m not sure there will be much left to sell following the weekend.  Given that Woolworths’ problems began when they were unable to obtain credit insurance and so their suppliers were unwilling to give them credit, I don’t see how they will be able to re-stock.  Unless the Woolworths’ four distribution centres are very well stocked, or the intention is that this sale will provide a cash injection to allow the chain to get their delivery chain up and running again, I doubt they’ll find any suppliers willing to work with them.

One thing is certain – the sale has made people flood back into their stores.  I can’t help feel that if they had managed to get this many people in each shop before now they wouldn’t be in the mess they are in.

Prevent crime – make bread

Honestly, the police told us.  Yesterday when I was in the afternoon, my mum came up and said there was a police woman downstairs who was trying to find out if there was anyone who had seen an attempted break in next door. Apparently someone had tried to get into his conservatory, but had been scared off. Now our kitchen looks out straight over his conservatory, and they think that a light coming on in our kitchen scared them off.  Next door went to bed at about 12, and my parents went to bed at about 11, but I went downstairs at 1.30 to put the bread on for the next morning…and put the kitchen light on. I can’t say I realised, or that I saw anything, but they think that me going down to make the bread scared them off, lol.  I don’t think they would have got away with anything if they had got in – the alarm would have just gone off, and they would have gone then – but its always nice to know I probably prevented it.

I haven’t written since Christmas so I will try to get this up-to-date now. [read more]

Time for a long update!

I actually don’t know when the last time I wrote in here was, or what I put, so you will have to excuse me if I say things again, but I will try not to 🙂

Well, since I broke from college I have to say I don’t feel to have stopped (not that it was that long ago).  Wednesday when we finished I saw Natalie for the evening, and then came back to do some college work.  Thursday I didn’t see her, and I needed to get some more presents for Christmas, so I set off at about twenty past 8 to get into Halifax and get the 9.10 bus to White Rose (I thought I would go there, because I might be able to get what I wanted for my mum’s birthday, and maybe my parent’s Christmas presents, and some ideas for my grandma…in the end I came back with none of those).  I got there about 5 to 10, and set about looking round all the department stores for a choppy thing that my mum wanted.  None of them had one.  I wandered about a lot, looked in HMV at the DVDs and some music, bought none of it (actually I thought I would buy one as a present to my self if I got all my shopping done that day…but I didn’t, so I didn’t get a treat, lol), then went on to Woolworths where I bought a chocolate orange for everyone who will be in our house on Christmas day, and then on to Clinton’s for my mum’s birthday card and some more wrapping paper.  I had some lunch, and then set off home again.  I was back by 1 which was quite impressive (hmm, I say that, but it was a long time to buy some chocolate oranges, lol). [read more]

Christmas shopping

Hmm, yes, yey, lol.

I have started it now though, and I have got a good idea what I am going to get for people…except my grandma.

I have been out shopping today and bought some nightwear for Natalie, which is nice.  I know my parents want some bins (hmm, thats what they asked for, so I will get them, lol), so I need to get those…probably be able to get them from Halifax at some point, so thats ok.  Other than that, Im a bit stuck.  My mum is thinkning about grandma for me, and I will keep my eyes open, sooo…we will see.

Looking forward to the holidays which start next Wednesday, so I can be with Natalie.  I miss her.

But thats about all I wanted to say, sooo…