Deck the mantlepiece with twelve Christmas trees

fa la la la laa, la la la la

We don't officially have our decorations out and up yet but I let Tess line up these trees along the mantlepiece this evening.

They're very neat and evenly spaced and all facing the same way - unlike last year when they were in a wonky huddle.

I wanted to cheer her up because she's a bit less perky than usual at the mo. She's had tummyache and been bravely trying to ignore it but we can tell she's struggling.

Tiz the season to get bellyache, colds, sinus and chest problems (Richard), headaches, (One for each of the teenagers this week), and warm on sherry (me)

Time for bugs to bog off and give us some happy times now please.
It feels like a black cloud is following me around right now and I would love to feel lighter and less troubled.

(And yes, that's Michel Roux Junior on TV)