30th December - THIS is what I'm doing on NYE



Perhaps I'm a tad bland, or predictable. Because for the past few years, my Xmas gifts to my other half have all followed a very similar pattern... Ibiza, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, and now Athens. When it comes to presents, I just can't think of anything comparable to buying someone a trip abroad. Material items perish after time, and in 2022, there's nothing materialistic that any of us 'NEED' as such. Most of us (in the U.K) have food in our bellies (just about. Thanks Tories), and a roof over our head (though that's debatable, as energy prices continue to soar), so the need for anything else is a luxury, but not a necessity. 




But a memory? A memory stays with you forever. Or at least until you get dementia. Culture, sophistication, new landmarks to feast the eyes upon, new authentic foods and traditions to sample. That right there, is the very basis of our entire civilisation. That's our reason for being human. We have an entire globe to see, not just the same patch of turf we were born upon. Earth is ours. Not just England, or Britain. I've never personally been to Athens before, but what's not to love? One of the most ancient and primitive foundations of human life, steeped in history, all topped with Souvlaki, Gyros, Hummus, and Moussaka. 




NYE is always a damp squib in the United Kingdom. You either end up at some shit party, or worse still, allowing the pressure and enormity of the night to consume you until you end up strapped to your sofa doing nothing and succumbing to the Hootenanny. Well I for one, refuse to allow the Hootenanny to consume me just yet. Ask me again when I'm 50 and the answer might be very different. By which point, I'd imagine ol' Jools himself would have snuffed it. No no, this year, is the year of watching fireworks over the Acropolis. Now THAT right there...





... is a New Year's Eve, 'Year of the Gable' style.


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