I’ve been wanting to tell my family and friends how much they’ve meant to me this year, and how much they’ve helped me through everything with loads of love and kindness - but I’ve been struck dumb with the weight of it all. I briefly and insufficiently told my family, I’ve told them before, I think they know. they do. I told Peg, Daisy, Bee and Beth...and P&D took the piss as usual. the taylor runs strong. I’ve been really scared a lot this year and I’m scared of next year too, but all we can do is hope things will be better, it’s out of our hands. I’m so grateful for loads of things and in the midst of the worst times we’ve had many belly laughs and good fun together. even when I shouldn’t have physically been laughing that hard. I’m grateful to my amazing surgeon and nurses who cared for me without knowing who I am, with so much concern and care that it blew my mind. our garden has looked after us so much too, I love it and I’m missing being in it so much...lots to do there next year after much garden inspiration this year - I love how much bee has grown to love it more too. I still feel like this year has been an awful dream and I get a fright when I realise it hasn’t been...but still can’t think of it as being all bad - because we’re all still here and healthy, happy, cosy, well-fed and together. happy hogmanay!


we had a nice new year - we won gillian’s new year quiz after tie-breaking with the london crew then getting the quick-fire question right. we watched the ozzy osbourne documentary then queen live at wembley singing along with bee and the girls. then after the bells we sat round the fire outside for a while and called beth who was eating cupcakes at home with jenson and bug.