2026

 Here we are in the beginning of 2026, and I don't have a plan of action yet. I spent 16 days in Adelaide with the family, and came home with another summer cold, the worst one in years. So my time at home has been sleeping and napping and taking medications and hoping to get better quickly.

We had a lovely Christmas, lots of jigsaws and books and colouring and lego. 

I think Isla most enjoyed the keyboard I gave her; we spent a lot of time sitting together while I showed her some basics, and then we worked through the start of an online course. Thank heavens it came with headphones! I felt like a bit of a hypocrite, urging her to use the right fingers and do some scales to warm up and practice every day, when those things had been a nightmare to me as a child. But I had never wanted to learn piano, and she does, very much.

The boys' top present was an archery set from their dad; they were actually quite good about not shooting each other with the suction tipped arrows, and aiming at the target instead. Second favourite would be new scooters for all of them, with light up wheels.  Scootering up and down their road in the darkness was a lot of fun.  All in all, they had a wonderful time.

We had so many good meals, ham on the bone and the best potato salad ever, but the winner above all was a pork roast, braised in cider on a bed of onions, with caramelised pears and gravy, and superb roast veggies. That one will live in memory, even more because all the kids ate it. Thomas is known as the White Rice Kid, because he rarely eats anything except rice crackers, Coco Pops and Butter Chicken, which is loaded with veggies that he doesn't know about😀. In a spirit of Christmas he also tried cheese, sausages, hotdogs and ham, so maybe this year he will expand his menu somewhat.

Breakfast of champions. 

Seonaid and I completed many puzzles, including two 1500 piece ones. The last one of those had us grumbling for 70% of it, about artists who use the same colour in various areas, thus making it hard to identify where pieces should be. I think that one won't be going back in the puzzle cupboard.

Back home to 4 days of searing temperatures, spent in the AC, finishing up my Christmas reading. I read the latest Ian Rankin first, in which Rebus is still limping along solving cases even though he's in prison. Will this man never succumb to his various diseases and addictions? But Rankin is a wonderful writer, so I overlook most of the improbabilities.

Then it was Robert Galbraith, aka J.K.Rowling, with The Hallmarked Man. A huge book, which is good, but I'm going to have to reread it to follow the plot a little better.  Again, she is a wonderful writer, so it doesn't matter how far-fetched the story is. I just love reading her books.

Now that all the Christmas rituals are over , and I'm getting over my cold, I'm ready to get back into the sewing room. I can't promise I won't start a couple of new projects straight away, but I'm ready to begin pushing fabric through the machine again, and that is great. I'm ready to be productive this year.