'The Advent Calendar Inside Steve's Head especially for Jo'

It's a secret, so don't tell Steve, but I've been making stickers for all the pictures of the 'Advent Calendar Inside Steve's Head.'

There's a special poster that I always sticker on. It's two from the end on the Northbound platform at Tooting Bec. Of course the stickers would have to go there.

I love this imaginary advent calendar game. I'm only hoping Steve won't suggest something that's too hard to draw.

So far Steve's given me:

Dec 1st - A tangerine
Dec 2nd - A camp bed
Dec 3rd - A small blue plastic elephant with a hoop on its back
Dec 4th - A TV remote control
Dec 5th - A small piece of sellotape stuck to something
Dec 6th - Two Duracell batteries

So I made all these stickers, and I stuck them on my special poster. I hadn't stickered for ages, so this felt good. But as I stuck my stickers I saw something surprising. Someone else had stickered on my special poster! There were two tiny biro drawn figures on white sticker paper. They looked a bit like aliens, basic body shapes, but one had a heart shaped head. The poster that was two from the end on the Northbound platform at Tooting Bec was an Oasis poster this time, and this had lots of detail, bits and bobs... So I had to feel one of the stickers, just to be sure it was someone else's sticker and not part of the poster design. Yes, there were two little stickers there, so I wondered who'd stuck them and why?

I wasn't sure how I felt about it, I'd stuck my stickers already, and if I'd seen the stickers before I might have chosen a different poster. Now I'd have to share with the other stickerer.

I did like the idea that someone else had been stickering while I'd abandoned this game. It just felt like this was supposed to be a poster full of stickers, a Christmas present for Steve. I wasn't sure how Steve would feel about someone else's stickering on his advent calendar poster? I knew he wasn't always happy about the idea of other people reading my blog when he doesn't.

The train arrived, so I had no time for further thought. But as the days passed I got used to the idea of sharing my poster, and I even hoped more stickers might appear, but there were just those two.

So I drew Steve's imaginary advent calendar pictures secretly, carefully, each day, and stickered for 5 days. And then something happened...

I headed to work as usual, a new sticker ready to stick, but I saw that the Oasis poster had been replaced. Instead there was a bright red poster advertising some dance music album. So all my stickers were gone..!

But it was ok. You see, I'd made 2 advent calendar stickers each day, just in case this happened. I know what stickering's like by now. So I took my 5 replacement stickers out of my bag and stuck these on the poster, two from the end on the Northbound Tooting Bec platform... I just managed to stick all 5 stickers before my train arrived. I stuck the 'small piece of sellotape stuck to something' sticker and then ran for the train, just as the doors were about to close.

Steve was with me last night, and at one minute past midnight he told me that Day 7 of the 'Advent Calendar Inside Steve's Head especially for Jo' was 'Grandad asleep'.

He's funny. I love him. And I think I'm going to draw a Grandad asleep with a Radio Times across his chest. We talked about Grandads, and neither of us had one who'd fall asleep at Christmas. But that wasn't the point..!

I've been playing a 'Guess the Advent Calendar picture' game with Amy since December 1st. Every day so far I've said, 'It's going to be holly!' And today it actually was! I knew it would be when Amy said, 'Yes, I think holly too!' Amy's guessed every day accurately so far, despite my warning that Santa only gives presents to good children, and cheating with advent calendar doors is not good.

The thing I like best about the 'Advent Calendar Inside Steve's Head especially for Jo' is that I can't guess what it will be tomorrow. But if you're passing the special poster, two from the end on the Northbound platform at Tooting Bec you can find out.