Magic

We did Christmas presents exactly a week late today. Everyone was rested, as we had all hit the sack before midnight last night, and The Dizzle was already much improved physically. Board games, jigsaws and clothes were the main themes. 

Amongst the former was Harry Potter scrabble which TSM and I played tonight. One of the cards gave me ten points if you could make another player laugh during the course of the evening, which I did; but TSM refused to let me have them as she said it was a snigger not a proper laugh.

We took a walk around the back of Albury at lunchtime, led by Mystic Em’s mad dog, which was lovely. Some wonderful woods with cuts and gullies full of exposed tree roots and exotically coloured soil strata. Even bumped into someone we knew from work who gave The Dizzle lots of hugs to aid his recovery. And in the car park a very strange and ancient Volvo that looked as if it had seen a few adventures but whose rusty colour scheme also fitted in well with the ferns and woodland.

It has been a completely surreal festive season but if this time of year is supposed to be a lesson in peace and joy and celebrating what matters then we’ve been well schooled and are thankful for a happy ending. We are not however rested; emotionally exhausted in fact, particularly TSM who held it all together. Somehow we need to find calm and regeneration over the next few weeks.

Talking of which: listened to The Goldberg Variations by JS Bach whilst writing this. Going through a bit of a Bach phase at the moment. I find he reaches the parts other musicians don’t reach ...