Misfits Mid-Life Crisis Adventures in East London.

Week 339 Saturday 12^th until Friday 18^thDecember 2020.

I’m not the biggest Crimbum fan; it’s for excited smiling kids not jaded tired old people like me.  But even I this week felt a sparkle of excitement while in a very busy supermarket because in the background I could hear a number of classic Crimbum songs around the superstore.  These songs take me back to when I was a child in the 70s when my parents would decorate the living room with a large number of paper chains and strings of lights criss crossing from corner to corner.  So many that mum and dad had to duck when walking through the middle of the room.  I can picture my dad making the house feel extra special and cosy, mum cooked up a feast during that time.  The memories are so clear I can smell the food, and see the condensation on the windows from the warmth of the house that I would run a finger through drawing on the window.  As well as all the family around the dining table pulling crackers telling terrible jokes and wearing cheap paper hats.  As you can see I actually used to enjoy this time of year, I haven’t always been a grumpy Icey hearted poor excuse for a human.

Back to the present of course I still love to spend time with family.  But these days the most important part of Crimbum is that I don’t have to get up early for work.  Every year I put in my leave request a number of months in advance and cross everything hoping that I get the leave I have asked for.  Friday 18th at 5pm I logged off and packed up the temp office which has been situated in the corner of the living room since March.  This year I was lucky to get a full 2 weeks off, a time I will use wisely to relax, decompress from another year of working in a call centre (during 2021 I have to find a more satisfying and less stressful job).  During these couple of weeks I intend on sleeping as much as I can and getting up as late as possible.  I wish I was able to enjoy the holiday like a lot of friends who just love Crimbum for what it is.

Hearing classic Crimbum songs a small number of times on the radio or in shops during the end of each December really does help make holiday feel special for me.  I am transport back to a time when I had very little to worry about, a time I would was happy.  Crimbum is for kids, it really isn’t for people like me.  But seasonal songs which might be cheesy and not very cool, do bring a smile to my face and make me realise that not everything is bad about being an adult.

And Finally……

I spoke to a nice woman who told me how she grew up writing with a chalk and slate when I asked if she had the internet at home.

This week I did say in a conversation “Soggy bottom, steamy pudding”.  Sadly I can’t remember why this was uttered. Maybe that’s a good thing.

Before I go……

I wrote the above about 24hrs before Tier 4 came into existence here in the UK.  When millions of people in London and the South East plans for later this coming week suddenly changed.  I do intend on posting the next blog Week 340 on Friday (as it usually appears.  I realise this one is very late) even though it’s the big day.  However you do Crimbum, I hope you have a good one. If you just enjoy a good rest, I hope that goes well.  Chat soon.

 My Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have mainly been watching:  

“Blue Peter – Invaded By Dads Army (Capt Mainwaring and Sergent Wilson)”, (Original BBC 1 TX: 22/02/73)(FaceBook)(13/12/20).  “Click”, (12/11/20).  “Celebrity Crystal Maze”, (S8, ep 1, TX: 03/12/20)(ep 2, 10/12/20)(ep 3, 17/12/20)(ep 4 to be shown on TX: 21/12/20)(ep 5 to be shown on TX: 24/12/20)(ep 6 to be shown on TX: 31/12/20).  “Farscape”, (S2, ep 18 to ep 20).  “Fringe”, (S2, ep 4 to ep 6).  “Glitch”, (S3, ep 6).  “Have I Got News For You: Have I Got 2020 News For You”, (S60, ep 11, TX: 18/12/20).  “His Dark Materials”, (S2, ep 6).  “Internal (BBC) Gallery Awareness Training Video (Circa 2005)”, (FaceBook).  “Macaulay Culkin Eating A Slice Of Pizza”, (2013)(YouTube).  “Mortimer And Whitehouse: Gone Fishing – Gone Crimbum Fishing”, (TX: 13/12/20).  “Parasite”, (2019).  “Piers Morgan’s Life Stories”, (S4, ep 1 “Barbara Windsor”, TX: 09/10/10).  “Richie Rich”, (1994).  “Richie Rich”, (S1, ep 1 & ep 2).  “Star Trek”, (Pilot: The Cage)(S1, ep 1 to ep 3).  “Star Trek: Discovery”, (S3, ep 10).  “Taskmaster”, (S6, ep 8, TX: 20/06/18)(S10 (S1 on C4), ep 10, TX: 17/12/20).  “The Graham Norton Show”, (S28, ep 10, TX: 11/12/20)(ep 11, TX: 18/12/20).  “The Great British Bake Off: The Winners”, (ep 1, TX: 15/12/20).  “The Last Leg”, (S20, ep 8, TX: 11/12/20).  “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, (S3, ep 4 to ep 8).  “The Misadventures Of Romesh Ranganation: Crimbum – The Hebrides”, (TX:13/12/20).  “The Royle Family”, (S2, ep 7, TX: 25/12/99).  “The Tomorrow People”, (S2, “A Rift In Time”,, ep 1, “Vase Of Mystery”, TX: 11/03/74)(ep 2, “Turn On The Thumb”, TX: 18/03/74)(ep 3, “From Little Acorns”, TX: 25/03/74)(ep 4, “Rise Of The Roman Empire”, TX: 01/04/74).  “The Sky At Night”, (13/12/20).  “The Vicar Of Dibley In Lockdown”, (S1, ep 2, TX: 14/12/20).  “Tomorrows World – 21^st Anniversary”, (Original BBC One TX: 08/05/86).  “Waterhole: Africa’s Animal Oasis”, (S1, ep 1, TX: 04/12/20)(ep 2, TX: 11/12/20).  “Z Nation”, (S2, ep 6).                                    

Doctor Who Watched This Week:

“Marco Polo”, (Prod Code D)(Loose Cannon Recons)(ep 1, “The Roof Of The World”, TX: 22/02/64)(ep 2, “The Singing Sands”, TX: 29/02/64)(ep 3, “Five Hundred Eyes”, TX: 07/03/64)(ep 4, “The Wall Of Lies”, TX: 14/03/64)(ep 5, “Rider From Shang-Tu”, TX: 21/03/64)(ep 6, “Mighty Kublai Khan”, TX:  28/03/64)(ep 7, “Assassin At Peking”, TX: 04/04/64).

Gerry Anderson Watched This Week:

“Space 1999”, (S2, ep 1, TX: 04/09/76).

 “UFO”, (S1, ep 20, TX: 01/05/71).

This week I have mainly been listening to:  

“A Legitimate Salvage (The Expanse)”, (ep 3, 26/08/19).  “An Audio Guide To Babylon 5”, (S1, ep 2, 01/04/14).  “Betamax Video Club”, (ep 40, 06/02/19)(ep 72, 09/07/20).  “Brian & Roger: Crimbum Special Pete And Eric”, (16/12/20).  “Coronavirus Global Daily Update”, (BBC World Service) (12/12/20) (13/12/20)(14/12/20) (15/12/20)(16/12/20) (17/12/20) (18/12/20).  “CNN, Coronavirus: Fact Vs Fiction”, (ep 202, 14/12/20)(ep 203, 15/12/20)(ep 204, 16/12/20)(ep 205, 17/12/20)(ep 206, 18/12/20).  “Daddy Look At Me”, (S4, ep 6, 17/12/20).  “Dear Joan And Jericha (Julia Davis And Vicki Pepperdine)”, (S3, ep 5, 15/12/20).  “Doctor Who”, (TeeVee)”, (S8, ep 5, 21/09/14)(ep 6, 28/09/14).  “Doug And Elly Watch Telly”, (ep 13, 24/12/20).  “Game Of Thrones: Rewind”, (TeeVee)”, (S1, ep 3, 21/08/18).  “Griefcast”, (ep 125, 16/12/20).  “Grounded With Louis Theroux”, (BBC Radio 4)(S2, ep 3, 14/12/20).  “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Buddha”, (S1, ep 15, 16/12/20).  “NASA: Houston We Have A Podcast”, (ep 176, 18/12/20).  “Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”, (12/12/20)(13/12/20(18/12/20).  “Poppy Hillstead Has Entered The Chat”, (S2, ep 6, 16/12/20).  “Rob Beckett And Josh Widdecombe’s Lockdown Parenting Hell”, (S1, ep 67, 15/12/20)(ep 68, 18/12/20).  “Soundtracking With Edith Bowman”, (ep 223, 05/12/20).  “Space Boffins”, (15/12/20).  “Star Trek Discovery”, (S1, ep 4, 09/10/17).   “The Adam Buxton Podcast”, (ep 144, 11/12/20).  “The Expanse”, (TeeVee)”, (09/02/16)(05/02/17)(13/03/17)(03/05/17).  “The Froth”, (S2, ep 9, 15/12/20).  “The Nick Abbot Habit”, (14/12/20).  “Toby Hadoke’s Happy Times And Places – Time Flight”, (4.2, 11/12/20)(4.3, 13/12/20)(4.4, 17/12/20).  “WTB”, (ep 4, 14/08/20).  “What’s The Problem? With Nick Abbot And Carol McGiffen”, (S1, ep 47, 14/12/20).  “Wolf And Owl”, (S1, ep 4, 16/12/20).  “Morrissey”,  “The Smiths”, “INXS”,  “Electric Six”,  “The Beloved”,  “Queen”,  “The Killers”, “Elton John”,  “Nick Cage And The Bad Seeds”,  “Inspiral Carpets”,  “Kylie”,  “Len”,  “David Bowie”,  “Kate Bush”, “The Pretenders”,  “Jona Lewie”,  The Waitresses”,  “St Etienne (ft Tim Burgess)”.