Christmas

At its peak, the family Christmas reached 19 around the table - and I remember David presiding over a turkey the size of an ostrich with a big knife and reserving a leg for himself.  David's Big Job at Xmas was always the same: find a table big enough to accommodate everyone, go and get it on Xmas morning from the office, remove as many doors as necessary (and a few more) to get it in, assemble it and lay the table.  Next big thing was greeting the guests with 'champagne cocktail' - actually a glass of something fizzy with a sugar cube in it.   There then followed the serious part...

Once the man's work had been done, the main responsibilities were handed over to mum.  Once the family had gathered, men were off to the pub (women were admitted in the more recent years), where Alf would ensure he bought the first round - including a Mackeson for himself. A couple of pints later, we'd arrive back - always late, but by a closely calculated amount that stretched but did not break the patience of mum.  After eating a vast meal, David would lead the republican deconstruction of the Queen's speech at 3pm from a near horizontal position on the sofa - fortified by port and a mince pie.

David must have taken this one  - but it gets the mood of the time.