Christmas lights transformed...

...as if by magic, by the beautiful paper stars I bought 4 years ago in Goa, which have for some bizarre reason sat in the drawer for the 3 years since I moved here. Lord knows what I was thinking!

Goa was the first beach holiday I've been on in years. It was to be my dad's holiday, but we lost him the summer before and, after 6 months of dealing with his estate, I was close to a breakdown (thank you for that, Santander). My brother suggested I take the holiday, and I jumped at the chance.

My auntie and uncle go every year, and they were there when I arrived and for my first week. They really did take care of me - we spent days mostly lounging on the beach (the family had bought me a Kindle for Christmas, which was almost literally a life saver in allowing me to lose myself in mystery and intrigue in the sunshine which slowly seeped into my frozen bones), evenings chatting and laughing about Other Things. They introduced me to their friends and some of the local cuisine, but there was no pressure, no decisions I had to make.

I spent the second week alone and didn't vary my routine much. I did a couple of trips - waterfalls and dolphin spotting - but mostly just lounged. And when I came back, I was almost whole again. Or as whole as I'll ever be, in any case.

So you see, good memories abound in these 'ere lights.

x