I’ve had a busy, and rather emotional, couple of weeks and haven’t been online much.

My nan, who had been ill for some months, died just after Christmas. The family had gathered together and we all were able to spend some of Christmas Day with her. But it has been a sad time. She was a kind woman with somewhat conservative views, whose gentle and diminutive appearance hid a very strong and determined spirit. She had remained fit and active well into her 90’s and will be very much missed by those who knew her.

For New Year I joined a group of friends in a cottage in Cornwall, just outside Bodmin, for a few days. I had a great time. The cottage itself was lovely. A lot of wine and food were consumed, board games were played, jokes were told, and I ended up doing a fair bit of baking. I have come away feeling very relaxed.

As a taster of my stay here is some Cornish countryside:

I also visited a number of really good tourist attractions. I was slightly disturbed by the gruesome history of Bodmin jail, was educated by the Eden Project, and impressed by the rather brilliant National Maritime Museum Cornwall at Falmouth.

So Christmas 2010 has been about sharing things, both good and bad,with family and friends, which I suppose is how it should be.

I am back now and back online. Starting 2011 with what I hope will be a new vigour and determination.

Happy New Year everyone.