And the festive season is upon us.

So we are well into the realms of mad Christmas gift buying. Fighting our way through the throngs of people who are all desperate to find the correct gifts for their loved ones and all those family members that you dont hear from for the other 11 months of the year. Ive been watching people maxing out their credit cards on extravagant gifts with fear in thier eyes of have they got it right as if love can be bought from one materialistic expression on a holiday that seems to have lost all of its original meaning in our society of disposable possesions.

You grumpy git you may be thinking and I am the first to admit I can be bah humbug but I do like Christmas. I love the time I spend with family and its always a happy couple of days but for me that is Christmas. I really dont care about lavish gifts because the best gift is the kids laughter.

A strange experience happened today. I have completed the latest contract and as the next doesnt start until the end of January I thought it was time to add some qualifications to my skills. No point in being able to do stuff in our paper obsessed society without the right qualificatins. So I went along to ask at the local college about computer courses and a plumbimg course. I was taken straight to the plumbing building where the secretary sat me down in a classroom and promptly handed me an exam telling me I had 45 minutes to complete it. I thought this a bit odd but perhaps it was an entrance exam and I then filled the form out using maths I last used at school.

When done the exam was taken, along with myself, to the head tutor who marked it and then congratulated me on passing my City & Guilds level 1 in plumbing!!!!!

After the laughter stopped from me I asked what percenntage I got, 87% as it happens, and then told them I had only popped in to enquire about the course! After the shock sank in he told me that it was one of the highest marks this year and the fact I never sat the course didnt matter as my experience had obviously taught me all I needed to do for that level.

So I am now enrolled in the level 2 course which is a year long but I have been told I can be fast tracked through it which is good.

I have a hectic week coming up as im sure all of you do to so my next post may be a little while.

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year (incase im not back before!)