Best wishes for 2018

Happy New Year to you all!

Sadly, I’m finishing the Old Year in nothing like the way I’d hoped. I’m flattened by a dose of indigestion whose details I’ll spare you. Let me just say that it leaves me with only one desire, to sleep, in between runs to a rather smaller room.

What makes the experience less harsh is the company I’m enjoying. The little splash of orange is Toffee, our tiny dog, and it’s always good to have her around; the large grey and white lump is Misty, our enormous cat, who can be affectionate too, though he does have a way of biting me – hard – if he feels I’m not stroking him quite right.

Making my sickbed more cheerful:
Misty and Toffee

Between them, they’re making my goodbye to 2017 far better than it might have been. As was the fact that the sun went down appreciably later than it has been: there is a distinctive smell of improvement in the air.

That’s what I like this time of year. We ring in the New Year at just the time when we can feel that things are beginning to move back uphill again. At least, in this hemisphere – to my friends in the south, at least you know it’ll come back for you too in time.

Anyway, for now, let me just wish you a great 2018. With Toffee and Misty adding their wishes to mine.