Happy New Year and into 2026

Christmas went very well considering I was nervous about spending it for 3 nights and 4 days with Darcy's parents, when my stomach was still playing up. I took my own food with me, in case they served something unsuitable. I was glad I did as some of the fare was spicy or very late at night - both things that can send my stomach into orbit. Kay collected me on Christmas Eve, drove us down to deepest Kent and from then on it was one long party with various members of Darcy's siblings dipping in and out of the celebrations over the four days. Christmas morning was spent with most of the family doing a 9am park run followed by a quick dash for the 10.30 church service. Once home, there was a group effort to prepare vegetables to go with a Beef Wellington, followed by a cherry and almond tiramisu. Canapes first and champagne cocktails (from which I sadly had to abstain as I was on a no-alcohol diet for my poorly stomach). We ate lunch at 4.  The evening meal was cheese and biscuits at 10.30pm (far to late for my stomach to process) so I just ate 2 digestive biscuits to show willing. The four days were studded with many games. I am not used to playing games. As an only child, there was never anything like that in my childhood and Greg was never one for family games. Now living alone, there is no opportunity either. So I therefore found it hard to join in, but must say, when we played Traitors, I was elected Traitor and apparently played it well, eliminating most of the Faithfuls to the last two! 

For New Year, my friend in Brighton had invited me and my best friend to spend it with her. Sadly my best friend was unable to come at the last minute, as she had an emergency, so it was just the two of us. My friend lit the fire, as she always does when we celebrate New Year together, and it cosily saw us through to midnight, when we watched the midnight fireworks on Brighton seafront from the safety of her windows.

And so, now we are into the new year. Normally I feel all discombobulated at the beginning of a new year. I compare the passing of a year to climbing a mountain.  In January, we start at the foothills where the vegetation is lush and slowly make the ascent into February, March, April and so on. By December, after a lot of hard effort, we finally get to the snowy peak and regard the world from on high with much merriment. But come New Year's Eve, we fall off the cliff edge, falling falling falling..........until we reach the ground, there at the foothills once more to start the arduous climb into January.

And so I start January with optimism that this will be a better year. A year with lots of tests on my stomach to start with, but hopefully with some improvement. I'm also considering some tooth implant work too. A Happy New Year to you all from the foothills of January!  I'll try to keep up with my regular Sunday waffling all through the year.