Oh I say, cauliflower cheese, M&S are to be recommended. Their potato croquets are also the best available.

You don't make your own? I already have an Irish consultant in potato, thank you (and doubt she would mention M&S in the same breath - C19 prevented me from having to grow-on her duty-free seed and her from visiting the races).

Perhaps you grow your own turkey, I wouldn't be surprised.
Half the spuds grown in East Anglia are exported to Ireland. Squeeky bum time for farmers in Norfolk.

Good seed is traditionally always from North of one's present position (presumably only in the Northern Hemisphere). She would never live it down if she had sourced Norfolk seed to grow here.

(I have two hens but they are paid to keep the slugs down and for their conversation over breakfast. I have had to deny the cats chicken based biscuits in favour of herring and tuna. It doesn't stop the fighting, only the cannibalism).

Over the years I have declared war against slugs in the garden, N, B and C with little Damage Control. If you advise the "Chicken" route I'll have two Rhode Island Reds for Christmas, in the garden rather than the pot.

They certainly forage for themselves during the slug season and only in the last few weeks have accepted the peanuts thrown for them at breakfast. I didn't know they ate meat at all until I saw the late Clementine devouring, with prehistoric relish, a morsel of rodent left for her by the cats (as if). Horror movie stuff in miniature. You will need something in the way of tree for them to sleep in (didn't know that either). We have the occasional polecat in the country but are not troubled by fox or badger.

I could lend you our latest pet to help eradicate slugs and things provided that you can guarantee that St Patrick will not do anything untoward to him like he did with your snakes. He just wandered in a month or so ago is Covid free, about 1,600 mm long and his name is FIDO.

My miscellaneous small amphibians perform adaquately enough, but I think 'Fido' would even find them to be tasty morsel, which might defeat the object.

If I borrowed Fido could he be trained to bite the Memsahib?
I can tell by the cut of his jib he would attack Varley on sight but swallowing him may be beyond his ability.

Isn't Fido a little old Testament for this time of year? (as is your plot for the Memsahib).

Would you Adam and Eve it?

Baltistan of the Strick line.

you there!..cut out No 6. get down under the ship and tell the dockies theres a bottle of scotch per man if they finish scraping of the barnacles by 6pm.

Have a care there! You might have us sailing before the bigtime Tom Turkey meal.

Off watch for a few days shipmates, my bottom needs scraped as well and some plating repairs could do with some attention.

I have left a crate of Black Bush bottles on the control room flat, they are all empty (I'm not that generous) but you might get a few shekels back from the off licence.

In the meantime have a great Christmas one and all and may Santa bring you everything you wished for.

Thats it! bottom nicely scraped and washed. next comes the paint, and prop polishing. No workers today so quiet and peaceful.

Tmac, with you all the way my friend.best wishes for a doctor free year next year.

Right.Now I will come and hang a bauble on the smoke-room tree. Not a moment to late.

Not Bah and un-Humbug.

A seasonable, charitable tip for our Belfast shipmate; double up on the anodes and slap on a coat of anti-fouling. You will be as right as rain in jig time.

Enjoy the day.

I think E-S is probably right. A few kilograms of patent zinc alloy just there might be more impressive than all that palaver around dielectric shielding.

Any way. Take the opportunity to vegetate whilst recovering. Contemplation is good for the navel if not for things naval (maybe turkeytate would be more apt or even brusselsprout'n'turkeytate).

USS La Salle.

Ok, time to move ship. i'll use the electric motors. get the lines in cut outs! prepare ropes and fenders on Port side for docking.
here we are, slow astern both....and stop!
2 and 1 at each end cutouts. well done!
Nice, close to a Bar now. no more borrowing a dockies bikel.
crew will all be back by Wednesday. Must give the agent a call see if theres anything doing.

Tmax very quiet this festive season but I suppose when you have pain up your jacksie it's hard to talk through it. Sad.

I think the poor chap has a less fundamental problem too. The telegraph has to have so many unusual annunciations to transfer Sir W's grabeled demands to use electric motors with cut lines to go slow astern on both and stopped at the same time and then all back (American now?) on Wednesday. It's not a dockie cyclist he needs to watch for but a tricky one.

The All Backs are American now??? Are you sure? When Tmax and me played rugger for Harland & Wolff Welders the All Backs were New Zealanders or perhaps South Africans and did a sort of Riverdance to stretch the hamstrings and warm up. Queer bunch, perhaps they were American.

Thomson Celebration.