Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

A photo from last year, to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with your family and friends.

I'm home and I hope that this time finds you well and close to your loved ones so that you start the new year with a smile on your face.

This year has been very full of events, ups and downs but mainly ups I must say. This reminds me of a time line of events I had to make for a school once. If I put my year on a graph, it started ok, then took a plunge to the low and then went up again, continued very well, had a low low and then a high high and so now I'm still on the wave and hope it will continue like this.

Santa granted me my wishes by giving me a lot of love this year. May Santa grant you your wishes as well and give you power to get over the lows and enjoy the highs.

The War in the Bedroom

I call on the intercom. No answer so I call again, this time longer and finally a disgruntled voice I barely recognize is heard at the other end "There's no need to call like that, you know". The door makes a buzz and I go up, I don't feel like talking much after yet another hard day.

Christmas shopping is exhausting, I think while opening the door to the flat, and I still haven't bought half of the presents I want to make this year. I go in, preparing for a, hopefully quiet evening in front of a movie. What will we have for supper?

As I walk towards the kitchen I notice it: it's quiet and dark, too quite and too dark. I prepare to say something when I see his face in the pale light of the lamp; sitting on the couch, holding something in his hand. He's just looking at me but with a grin on his face that at first I don't understand. Is he mad at me for ringing so loudly? Does he want to take me to the bedroom? Is he sick? I'm lost between being pissed, hopeful or worried.

"Pick it up!" he says. At first I don't understand the words but as I look down and as my eyes focus in the dim light I understand what I have to do. I throw away my bag and I pick up the gun. Damn it's not armed, I think as I try to shoot at him. By the time I arm and point, a rubber bullet flies by me, "Ha, you missed" and I head for cover shooting my only bullet on the pipe, only to miss him by far.

I reach the hiding place behind the sliding door : too late, I'm hit in the chest. I arm my gun with his bullet and dash through the doors in a desperate attempt to get at him before he arms his gun. Head shot! That was a lucky shot as my next rounds fly into the bedroom and living room but he manages to score points almost all the time.

The living room furniture makes for good cover between two shots, too bad I'm such a poor shooter and my bullets fly by while his almost never miss.

"Wait! I have to reload, I have no more bullets"

"Well that's because you can't shoot" and a bullet gets stuck in my wool jumper.

Time out while we search for the bullets all over the place. I prepare my ambush carefully: I have him where I want: on the other side of the bed, looking for lost ammo. I manage to fire twice before he launches his attack and comes running over the bed, shooting me in the arm.

I grab his arm and turn him towards me with a kiss "Great Christmas gift, sweetheart"