Celtic carvery

The Killing Time was more than happy to oblige; it raced in at maximum acceleration and at the very last moment instituted a crash stop, finally coming shuddering to rest exactly where the Excession had been. It reported, disappointedly, that there was absolutely nothing to be seen.

First day back at work - start by tidying up the office and filing over a years worth of bank statements. Then it’s business as usual.

We head into Edinburgh before 5. Claire gets dropped at Morningside for a social with Cheryl. Megan leaves at Haymarket for the train to Glasgow. I collect Angus from work and take him back to his flat. And then I’m off to visit Nick in Portobello.

Catriona has been in a bad way over Xmas. Nick sits at the kitchen table with a baby monitor, going up to help her onto the commode on a regular basis. Barbara and Pegeidh are also there, which makes a nice surprise.

The ladies leave, I get fish and chips, we drink tea and talk. 24 hour care for your mother is a daunting prospect and Nick is feeling the strain. He shows me his latest carving that he’s been working on in between commode missions. He’s also getting good at super Sudoku.

I pick a sozzled Claire up from Cheryl’s and transport her through the night back home.