Rainning Laptops ... well two update

*** I gave the other laptop to Glenys she deserved it ***

After all the worrying over would I have a new laptop for Christmas day it was all sorted today with the arrival of two laptop, yes two it’s a story of disappointment and joy.

I ordered the first laptop at the beginning of the month and was given a delivery date of the 16 Dec, I was not too worried over the wait has long has I had it for Christmas morning. On the 16th, I checked the parcel tracking and to my surprise, the parcel had been received in the Cardiff depot eight days earlier and was down for delivery the very next day which didn't arrive.

Straight on to the phone, but now can some bird in a call centre help? All she can do is pass you around until someone informs you they will send an e-mail delivery guys. It looked to me like the first laptop had been nicked out of the storing depot not the Royal Mail may I add. After many phone calls, I decided to reorder the same one on a promise that it would reach me by today (23rd).

The first one had still not been passed out of the depot as of yesterday, but the new one was on the move and was in the same depot. All at was going through my mind was lightening couldn’t strike twice However this morning at 8:19am the second laptop was passed on to the deliveryman, and oh what joy I felt. Then at 8:21 the first laptop was marked has on the delivery van. I was unsure if that meant both were on the way our there was a mix up and the one was coming.

That was soon cleared up with a phone call informing me that my two laptops would be delivery before 1pm, cool ... Now at this present time I have three laptops my old one soon to be the property of the wife and two new ones. One of which I will have to spend back.

The Big Question

The big question is gammon or bacon butties Christmas morning not much to choose between the two. The bacon from our local butcher is very tastily and cut nice a thick and would work out a tad cheaper than the gammon. Has for the gammon I was thinking of buying a few nice slices off the butcher counter at Tesco.

I do fancy gammon with lashings of brown sauce, but my Dad with be calling down with four Clarks Pasties and I am thinking when do I fit them in. The possibility of gammon in the morning followed by a turkey dinner around 1pm, not much space there. Turkey sandwiches for a snack for a later tea.

Looks like it going to be Boxing Day breakfast for the Pasties to meet there maker my tummy. They will be old style from the Grangetown shop.

Me and Maddie 

Wow it's now been a year since my house has been sorted and I came back home to live.. Times goes real fast.I can not mange tasks a round the house. I was so excited in February last year when James told us Nicky was expecting our first grandchild..

 Needless to say I have been struggling a lot with some painful times but bearing up. Hard thing has been my chronic pain problems but learning that I will never be out of pain but learning to manage it with help from certain Dr's from the NHS.. Well my beautiful grandchild Maddison Mae was born 20th September she is a lovely little one and really helped me to cope with things..

Unfortunately James n Nicky relationship has come to an end. It looks like we have a battle on our hands to see Maddie but I can assure you I will fight all the way.. This has just been devastating for me n Pete not able to see her. Hopefully we will be able to have access in the year..

David is in a good relationship with Kathryn, he works in Ikea n seems to really like it. Kathryn started University in Swansea and seems to be doing real good..

Simon well he still works for the Royal Mail but his main hobby is his computer n electric items.. but he is happy enough. For me and Pete we reached our 25th Wedding Anniversary this year and for 2012 we hope we will have joy and peace..

 We wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a Very Happy New Year xxx

Old memory

I see the Christmas edition of the Radio Times and TV Times are out. It used to be a special event in the 60s/70s.

I remember when you had to pre-order them at your local corner shop so you would get one on the day of their release. Then would only three channels to chose from plan your Christmas viewing choice. With no remote controls to fight over there was little channel hoping, it was whoever was sitting closer to the TV.

You had to buy both the Radio and TV because one would have BBC1/BBC2 and BBC regions the other ITV programing.

No1 ever Christmas present

The all time favourite Christmas present received by Peter Ugarte was back in 1974 and wait for it - My Red Mk2 Chopper, it was the bees and knees and I loved that bike. Me and that bike were together for two years until my need for speed and I upgraded to a racing bike.

It was never fast, but was great at cruise speed, great for going down a hill, but a nightmare to try and ride up a hill. The T-bar gear stick was easy to use, but a bugger to sort out it they the gears slip.

Christmas TV

Wow, how has Christmas TV changed over the years? With Satellite, cable and the internet your viewing opportunities are immense, but I lean for the old days when the choice was three channels and the radio.

Radio Time Xmas 1976

I pick 1976 to highlight the difference the BBC started their Christmas Day schedule at 8.40am with Ragtime over on ITV they also kicked off with carols at 8:15am. BBC 2 opened with Reflections 12.10pm.

We watch mainly BBC One on Christmas Day it was a tredistion in our house and for it to be turned over it would taking somethink special. Highlights of the night were Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game and Christmas Show.

Has for today there are hundred of channels and the internet with soaps and reality shows fighting it out for the viewers, but the BBC tend to win that battle. TV was better back in the old days, we need to see some good old fastion variety show like The Morecambe and Wise.

Family News from Dugdale Towns

A Christmas Past

It has been a fun year with some ups and down. Ok we are grandparents but with problems which we hope can be resolved with everyone happy.


I still have my problem with crowds and space issues I have slowly been trying to come to terms with it, but it's taking time and totally unfair to Glenys.

The boys are the boys no real change there, James is back home and has been in and out of jobs, but at the moment he is unemploy. Simon is still Simon working at the Royal Mail and fight the world on his Xbox. David as a job to is cavering a career with Ikea and is love up.

We have settle into the house after after all the improvments for Glenys, so Glenys and I and we live downstairs while the boys are upstairs.

Paying for Christmas

We have a well oiled plan for paying for Christmas which is tied and tested, and works for us every year. We will start saving for next Christmas (2012) on January 2nd and we crack on until December 22nd or the Wednesday before the big day

Our plan is simply all the big supermarkets run Christmas saving schemes and we take full advantage of them. We have a Tesco and Asda’s close to our house so we save stamps with Tesco plus collect points on our shopping which we redeemed at Christmas as well and Asda it’s so easy to do we constantly advise family and friends to do the same.

We also saved a card at Iceland We do the same with our local Butcher join his Xmas club. These days beside food, you could buy just about all your presents in supermarkets.

Last Christmas

Snow, snow, I wanna wash my hands,

my face and hair with snow

We did have a white Christmas Day Christmas last year but it was left over icey snow there was no actual snow falling, but we did before the big day, which near put paid to all our finely tuned Christmas plans.

The snow gave us a few sleepless hours has Glenys been technically house bound owing to the snow and then ice and me with my problem. We did manage to do some shopping lucky for us we live on a main road route, which mean the council gritted the road outside. It meant we could still have a limited home deliver.

We got David to clear a path outside so we could get a taxi.

Glenys did try to go out with her carer, but her wheelchair didn’t make it to the front gate. Has the snow turned to ice she had problems with traction or the lack of it every time she hit ice her wheels would just go round and round. I don’t think you can four-wheel-drive wheelchairs on the National Health. We are hoping that any snow this year ‘if we get any’ will start falling around 4pm Christmas Eve.

Happy holidays from our family to yours.

Norwegian Church at Cardiff Bay.

Happy Christmas from all at Dugdale Towers. We hope you are planning to have an enjoyable and happy Christmas. The purpose of a holiday newsletter is to keep friends and family updated on the events in your family’s life and share to all our friends around the world. This blog will be updated from time to time so remember to call back.
We decide to post our newsletter online this year, most of our friends have access to the internet and it will save a bundle on printer ink some we can go interactive has we make use of the worldwide web.

We are back with a new name. It has been eight years since we publish our last one althought we have written somethink, but we just forget to finish on time.