Winter rain

Eben stayed with us last night, and fortunately slept well.  He woke us at 6.45 a.m., which is when we normally wake up anyway.

Wind and rain have battered the windows for most of the day. Richard and I dropped Eben back off to Ruth and Josh mid-morning, and then did a bit of last minute food-shopping. We also delivered Christmas cards to various local friends.  That part has been fun, and it finally stirred up a bit of pre-Christmas spirit to counteract the ever-present grimness of news reports.

On that score, I take refuge in BBC Radio 4's 'Newscast' daily episodes... they combine good humour with a good balance between personal stories and big national themes. And the presenters don't pretend that things are easier or more upbeat than they really are.