And so that was Christmas

Time to take down the cards and the tree, so of all the lovely cards we received, I've chosen perhaps my favourite to say goodbye to the season. It was send by a very dear Danish friend, Else, who lived with us as an au pair when I was around nine or ten. And guess what? She married another Dane and came to live in Brazil, some years before we did. Her life here hasn't been easy - her husband was an agronomist , a quiet, kindly man, and they had a small farm (beautiful, we'll never forget our visit there), but farming is a hard way to make a living. Alas, her husband died many years ago and Else had to sell up - also not easy. We've had a few visits, back and forth, and Else has stayed with us in Rio and up in the hills, but not since my mother died. She always stays in touch, though, and always sends pretty cards or cuttings from magazines. We really must persuade her to come again,  it has been far too long and it would be wonderful to see her.

Taking down the tree and the decorations was a distraction from the panic-filled moments of finding our way through the maze of Brazilian bureaucracy and regulations and making some of those ghastly payments that crop up every January. Really, the aftermath to Christmas and the New Year is Not Fun. What was that about a 19th nervous breakdown?