Well, I've survived Christmas and am now drifting quietly into the new year. It was a busy but joyful time, with the infectious excitement of an 8 year old growing as the big day got ever closer. We visited the festival of lights at Malvern. Very pretty. And we saw Father Christmas at Kerne Bridge, which was delightful. We even went to the crib service at St Mary's. Carols in church on Christmas Eve along with hosts of little people all about to burst with anticipation. Surprisingly lovely....

I'm writing this on my 61st birthday. It's 9:30am, I've drunk two tepid cups of tea, had some birthday hugs from Lily, and am now held hostage on the sofa by Bella, my cat. She doesn't seem in the mood for moving so I may stay in my dressing gown for a while longer yet. It's been a significant year. We lost Dad. This has freed up a lot of my time, but left a gaping void where his personality was. It has also created a big hole in the fabric of our family, as he was the reason for other...

We've been away for just over 3 weeks now, and yesterday I finally managed a bit of yoga! Only 25 minutes as I was bring bugged by flies...