December 2025 | James Durose-Rayner's website

DeCEMBER 2025

The A's

ALL IMAGES OPEN IN TECHNICOLOUR

4 December 2025

Kaliméra.

I was up at 7:45 am (GMT+2).

I wouldn't say that I had a lie in, as I was up until 1:00 am animating, whilst watching the football results come in.

In Cyprus every Premier League match is shown in the bars - however, night matches don't finish until midnight - which for me, is far too late.

Therefore, I am happy enough just to watch the scores come in on my laptop.

We obviously have a TV, but it's something I never watch, bar sticking a DVD on.

The back door is open but there's no sun out. Yet.

I can hear the gardeners up the street with either their chainsaws or blowers.

Our garden is much tidier since we had the guys round to trim the palm trees. The biggest job we have now is pouring weed killer around the periphery and shifting the cat shit.

Yesterday, I went up to Fosis Coffee Shop hoping that I'd drop on Tony who has the barber's next door.

Wednesday innit?

In the Cypriot villages, Wednesday is a nice excuse to have a day off - especially in winter.

Even the petrol stations close and you need a degree to operate the automated self-service machines as they all tend to be in Greek.

Last night I ate in again, but I made the mistake of putting Balsamic vinegar on my salad - which had strips of smoked salmon in it.

All I could taste was the vinegar. I won't be doing that again.

Animation. Opposite is something that I'd wanted to do since I firmed up the story as far back as last year, and when I started learning the animation process.

Not Tonight Santa was something that I really enjoyed doing.

I obviously looked at the Girl's Aloud video way back and thought it would look better with the girl's more active on a stage rather than sped up in corny clips.

Plus the girl's in The A's are much better looking than Girl's Aloud!

There are a couple of times where the Angie character is mentioned dancing. In one instance, by Mason who is talking to a 12/13 year-old Marvin Marshall (M&M) - Angie's nephew (Series 1), and ends up giving him the sex talk.

Mason explains that his auntie is a lovely dancer and whilst Angie and Marvin's mum are in earshot.

There's a reason for this but one I cannot tell you as it's all part of the story.

In Series 2, Marvin is seven years older and is lazy and disinterested and just wants to bum around at his parents house with his girlfriend.

Cue: Mason Green.

3 December 2025

Kaliméra.

I was up at 7:00 am (GMT+2).

I ran out of steam last night and tiredness caught up with me and I ended up in bed just after 8:00 pm (GMT+2).

I'd made my tea. A Capsicums-Green pepper salad with Tuna and sweetcorn in mayonnaise along with a couple of jacket potatoes. Very healthy apart from the two bottles of Estrella that I knocked back whilst doing so.

Eating alone is very fucking sad; and washing up afterwards even more so.

I'd set out my stall to watch a bit of Dad's Army - the late 1960's Series 2, as I'd been thinking about about my stepdad. He always loved the runup to Christmas and that was one of his favourite programmes.

Sentimentality, eh?

I only managed 20 minutes and ended up going to bed only to wake up at around 11:00 pm (GMT+2).

It had been a busy day. Sort of.

Christ - I sound like the Gaynor character in The A's now as "Sort of" and "And that" are her favourite words when she's not swearing.

I got up and worked for a few hours and had a couple of cups of sweet tea and then tried another shot at going to bed. It worked, thank God.

Yesterday, I picked up the FTO and it is running like a dream - with all its new red cooling system piping beneath the bonnet, water pump, thermostat et al.

Only €250 as there were no parts for him (Kleitos) to buy - and that included the two-year MOT.

So, I got home, washed and waxed it as it was filthy, and did the hike back into Paralimni to retrieve the scooter. Three miles and all up hill.

Later on, I drove over to Vrysoulles to see Fosis at his coffee shop.

I had a couple of Keo's and a beefed-up Cyprus coffee and sought out Tony the Barber's son, as he runs a taxi service.

I need an early morning ride into Larnaca Airport very early Friday morning - and Chris from Empire Taxi's along with all his family are going to Disneyland Paris.

So.

This morning I've washed two loads of darks and hung them out in the sun.

Hopefully they should be dry by Friday!

Animation. I have cut and rendered loads - however, the time consuming part - as none of what I chuck up on here is to script; is very time consuming.

Opposite, is me just playing around.

2 December 2025

Kaliméra apó tin Kýpro.

Good morning from Cyprus.

I was up at 8:00 am (GMT+2)

The back door is open and the sun is out.

For now.

These are short days and the old boy tends to put his hat on in the afternoon.

I've just been out and recoupled the battery to the scooter. I will have my second coffee and call at the bank before shooting down to April Avenue, where I hope to finally retrieve the FTO.

The car has had much TLC this year - the majority of it being my fault, as in hindsight, I should have never had the new radio CD put in.

That said. Why ever not?

I'll hopefully bring the car back and then walk back or catch a bus into Paralimni to retrieve the scooter.

It sounds a bit of an arsehole around tit way of doing things, as I could have just walked the three miles, but if the car isn't to snuff - then I've walked twice - and for nothing.

Trivialities aside.

The flight over was very good.

Seat 1A.

You can't get better than that. I managed to drop off for around 20 minutes but my mind - when I'm coming over here is always active.

I may have been up at 3:00 am but, I got stuck into some animation last night and it eats up my time like you wouldn't believe.

I wasn't bothered about going out, so whilst doing it, I knocked back the rest of a bottle of red wine that was on the side and a couple of tins of fish in oil.

Not sure what. Either squid or octopus; and mussels.

I'll eat properly tonight.

Opposite is an animation that has some dark history in the series.

At 22, Anthony N'Gonte is a mature student at 40 Martyrs and is a keen cyclist - and a semi-pro rugby player - who is on the books at The Harlequins down in Twickenham.

He is after getting is last A Levels to go to university to study to be a P.E teacher.

Where as most students parents pay for the privilege of going to the college - Anthony gets a free ride.

As you will see, the unfairness of the so-called levelling up process drives Gaynor to despair as in Series 1, she is very much into politics. And Anthony N'Gonte, often feels rather over-entitled, in that he tends to do whatever he wants.

Hence the storeroom.

In reality, he has only been let stay on at college as he captained England Under-17's Rugby Seven's a few years prior; and he is the so-called star of the 40 Martyrs rugby team.

Mason isn't one to be easily impressed and just goes to college the two days a week to complete the A Levels he missed after his recuperation from the death of his parents and of course the accident.

In fact, Mason only ever speaks to him the one time.

Very good though!

1 December 2025

It is 3:05 am and I am up.

I'm in the study with a coffee, and have just checked my emails to make sure that my flight is still on.

It is.

I'm heading down to Luton in a bit, to catch the first flight out to Larnaca.

It's my twelfth journey out to Cyprus this year and one that I hadn't planned.

However, what is different about this flight is that I'll be travelling out there on my own. It is the first time I've done this since I went to Bahrain last September.

Regardless of what Julie thinks I think; travelling alone is shit.

December is generally a month in which I never go anywhere. All year is a slog, so the run up to Christmas I generally try and savior. There has been exceptions through the years, but it is without doubt my favourite month.

I never try to overdo Christmas as it's never something I ever want to get sick off.

Julie brought the snowmen down last night - the countdown chalkboard which hangs on the kitchen window and the biscuit barrel. She filled up the main advent calendar's drawers with Quality Street - not for us, but the dog; and got the Dairy Milk and the Terry's chocolate orange calendars out too.

Today would have seen Radio Caroline put on hiatus for 25 days as the Carol's and Christmas songs would be getting played - however, I'll be out of the UK until Friday.

Again, it was not something that I'd planned.

So, with that I'll log off until I get in the Departure Lounge of Luton Airport.

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I am in Luton Airport - not the Priority Lounge, as Julie as the Priority Pass, and the Stasi at the desk check every miniscule detail, so I have got plonked in Nolito's restaurant and just thrown £28 at Scrambled egg, fresh salmon, mushrooms, two Italian sausage and a Macchiato that tastes sort of like a Macchiato.

Nor am I being force-fed shit music into my earholes at volume and nor am I eating and typing in the dark.

The drive down was rubbish.

Very dark and it hounded it down all the way here.

And the M1 on a Monday morning is never good!

The animation opposite is of Dottie West.

I absolutely loved doing it as I was out of my comfort zone and it is like a test to see how quick I can turn them around.

A 46 second video took me less than 60 minutes to create from scratch. Upscaled too.

Anyway, onwards and upwards..

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© JAMES DUROSE-RAYNER 2025