poppy

A Holly Jolly Christmas ~ Burl Ives

be if he had a lady friend to share it with.' 'It'd get the old fart out of our hair, anyway!' Rosie gave me a reproving look. 'Well, I'm just thinking of you, my love, and Daddy, of course. What about one of those speed dating thingies? He could meet a whole lot of eligible old dames ... hopefully loaded.' So we booked him in. He dressed in what he considered the pinnacle of fashion, though which era had climbed to such appalling heights was anyone's guess. He wore a loud plaid suit in a bilious shade of mustard, an orange bowtie and topped it all off with a bowler, that had seen better days. However, feeling he looked snappily dressed and exuding confidence he swaggered off, twirling his cane. The first lady he met ...

Step Into Christmas ~ Elton John

Reading Miss Carter and the Ifrit by Susan Alice Kerby, Cheerfulness Breaks In by Angela Thirkell and Murder In Cold Mud by Emily Organ, depending how the mood takes me 😄

complete neglect and abuse. I could tell you stories that would make your toenails stand on end and your hair curdle!' He sighed pathetically, 'Impia iuventus est hodie.' Medic Felix Nightshade, 42, from Barking, gave him a long, impassive look. 'Could I just have a quiet word? Are you his son, sir?' 'Good lord, no!' I shuddered. 'Heaven forbid! Rosie here's his daughter, patience of a saint, this girl.' He took Rosie aside and chatted for some time, the upshot was ...

Another Christmas Song ~ Jethro Tull

got Thunderstuck by AD/BC? I loved doing the polka to that when I was in Wisconsin. It's their national dance, don't you know.' 'Thunderstruck is?? I asked incredulously. 'He's really lost the plot now, Rosie,' I said in an aside. 'I know, he's only ever listened to high-brow opera and classical music, like Boccherini and Donizetti.' 'Never heard of them. Sounds like foreign muck to me.' 'Yes, I'm more of an ABBA and Barry Manilow fan myself.' I thought it best not to comment on that. A faint siren could be heard approaching. Daddy looked excited, 'That'll be ...

Merry Christmas Baby ~ Charles Brown

... we'll call the ambulance straight away. Johnny, quick, ring for an ambulance!' 'What about the music?' I asked, stalling for time. 'RING FOR AN AMBULANCE, NOW!' shouted Rosie. I rang 111, the number for less urgent cases. I could always pretend I got them mixed up. With a bit of luck the old coot would croak before they arrived. And it would give me time to get something concrete in writing about leaving us all his brass. He must be in a pretty bad way, talking about Rosie's mother like that, she'd been dead for years. To add a bit of insult to injury, I cranked up Wild as the Wind by Bon Jovi. I couldn't wait to see his face. But when I strolled back in, there he was ...

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) ~ Darlene Love

like a 'wee puppy friend'. As much as I love dogs, we had the cats to consider and I didn't want them bothered by an over-excited bouncing puppy. 'Your hair looks lovely, Rosie. What colour do you call that?' 'Sea Mermaid. Johnny, what's that noise?' 'What noise?' I asked innocently. 'That thumping noise, it sounds like it's coming from the office.' 'Oh, it's probably just Cylde doing a bit of spring cleaning. You know how enthusiastic he is.' 'I must catch up with him and see what he thinks of my hairdo.' 'No, Rosie, let's have a cup of tea and a catch up first. I've got so much to tell you.' But too late, she was making a beeline for the office. 'Why, the doors locked!' she exclaimed. 'Golly gosh, how did that happen?' 'Did you lock him in??!!' She unlocked the door and out burst a very purple-faced, irate and hyperventilating Daddy. 'YOU, YOU ...

Driving Home For Christmas ~ Chris Rea

You Make It Feel Like Christmas ~ Gwen Stefani

disappointment. Forty pages into Lady Chatterly's Lover and I'd nodded off from boredom. The writing in Fifty Shades of Grey was so abysmal and trashy that I'd rather get a prostate exam than go anywhere near it. No, I'm going to stick to my Tom Clancy's and Lee Child's, thank you very much, when I need a little excitement in my life. Talking of excitement, it now sounded like the Major had taken to the office door with a sledgehammer. All the cats were going berserk. And who should walk into this pandemonium but my darling Rosie, looking very ...

Child of Winter (Christmas Song) ~ The Beach Boys

better to concentrate on books that weren't so soporific? The same thing happened every time I attempted to delve into an Ibsen or Dostoevsky. I'd no sooner read 'Alexey Fyodorovich Karamazov was the third son of Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov ,..' and my eyes started to glaze over. Perhaps I needed to try something a bit racier. It would save a fortune in spilt tea, laundry bills and first degree burns. But my musings were rudely interrupted by a loud pounding noise coming from the office. Time for me to ...

to be reckoned with lurking in the shadows. 'So you've deigned to return, have you?' demanded who but that cursed, loathsome Major Flowers. Ignoring his question I asked where Rosie was. 'Rosie needed pampering after all your neglect so I've sent her off to a spa retreat. It's the least you could do, considering what my poor girl has to put up with. Ever since she met you she's ...' I didn't hear the rest, I slammed the door on him, locked it and went off to ...

Unforgettable (That's What You Are) ~ Nat King Cole

thought, rolling my eyes. Spare me from the earnest, woke younger generation wearing tshirts with gag-making slogans like 'When You Care Enough To Be Your Very Best.' Today Clyde was wearing one saying ...

I Don't Want To Set the World On Fire ~ The Ink Spots

electric green ink which I felt was downright pretentious and taking eccentricity a bit far. I left him to it with the stipulation that he showed the letter to me before he sent it off. Cuddling Lickety and feeding him snippets of biltong, I went off in search of Rosie. It seemed an age since I'd seen her, so much had happened in the interim and I hoped ...

All I Want Is You ~ Carly Simon

DNA.' As PC Peabody had no clues what DNA was ( he suspected it was something to do with TNT) let alone how long it was, he gave up and wandered off. 'There's a shop down the road that sells pet foods, I suggest you call in there, grab yourself some biltong, and head for home, lickety split!' said Ms Catchpool. I didn't think Rosie was going to be too thrilled about another cat, we were already bursting at the seams. That dratted Clyde Piper was followed back to our cafe with a mottled menagerie of strays and pampered pets every time he ventured out. Reuniting them with their owners took days and nearly ate us out of house and home in the meantime. Shoulders sagging, with a heavy heart and furrowed brow, I ...

I'll Be Home For Christmas ~ Bing Crosby

risk-takers, but first I needed to check in Lickety Split, as I had called my little rescue cat. Unfortunately, they had no room for further animals. Kitty Catchpool, the manager of Jacqui's Cat Palace, was a little perplexed. 'Why don't you take him home to your cafe?' 'Well,' I said ...