I got a nasty cold - but I got better !!

Excellent anecdote Harold - made me laugh too.. "Justin Bieber is a girl !! "
Sad to say - I recognise the name Justin Bieber I think he used to be Jimmy Dorsey before he had a sex change ...

Hmmm...I believe THAT Engelbert Humperdinck may have reincarnated as the 1980 version of Mr. Darcy.

a new tie, a couple of cds, a couple of books, and a trip to Wales (already taken in November!). I think I made-out well this year.

I got a sweatshirt and a Dunkin Donuts gift card. Dunkin Donuts is the working man's Starbucks... We have one Starbucks and six DDs in my Stratford. You can't sell croissants in a donut town!

The first Engelbert Humperdinck, 1854-1921, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engelbert_Humperdinck

They're all with Elvis together at that operatic jam session in the sky...

RIP Engelbert Humperdinck. He is with Elvis

Ever since my little 8 year old granddaughter, London, was old enough to speak, I have asked her a rhetorical question over and over and over, "Whatever happened to Engelbert Humperdinck?"

At first she just shrugged her little shoulders then after years of repeatedly hearing the same question again and again she developed her own standard reply, "Oh....P-a-p-a...!" Then, one day we were all watching the movie "The Princess Bride" and the villain in the plot was introduced as "Prince Humperdinck." London gasped aloud and looked at her mother in amazement. "Yes, London, there really is an Engelbert Humperdinck and his name is just like Prince Humperdinck in this movie...

So, about two weeks ago, trying hard to think of a special present to buy her Papa for Christmas, London suddenly announced to my daughter, "I know what I want to buy Papa for Christmas! Take me to Barnes and Noble!"

You can imagine my surprise yesterday when I unwrapped my Christmas present from London and inside was a beautiful hard-bound volume entitled, "Engelbert: An Autobiography."

I have to say: It was one of the sweetest, most thoughtful gifts I've ever received! But Phyllis, my wife, seeing my predicament added, "Now you ARE going to read this book, aren't you? YOU KNOW she will ask you soon if you've found out what happened to Engelbert Humperdinck!"

I said, "I can do that right now. All I need to do is read the last few pages. That should tell me everything I need to know!" I flipped to the very end of the book and skimmed through the very last pages. "Oh no..." I announced, "...he died in 1994! (he didn't but even my wife and daughter gasped) "But..." I continued, "it says here that he has since become reincarnated! And that his name now is Justin Bieber!"

My son-in-law burst out in laughter and London once again scolded me saying, "Oh P-a-p-a...he's not Justin Bieber! I heard Justin Bieber singing at the skating rink and Justin Bieber is a girl!" What can I say? She was was probabiy right on both counts! I guess Engelbert Humperdinck wasn't really dead, he was just mostly dead. Have fun storming the castle!

I've still got some presents to open, up in London. What with the confusion about travel on Sunday and my PC acting up, I forgot to open them before leaving. But I've hada 40 gift card for M&S (always welcome), a bottle of Prosecco (again always welcome!) amongst other things and a magnetic bangle to combat arthritis (that really tells me how old I'm getting!). Some posh smellies from The Sanctuary are very nice too.

What did YOU get for Christmas? I got socks and a Starbucks Gift Card. I'm as lucky as Kylie Minogue!

updated by @ceri-shaw: 11/11/15 10:38:42PM