We Are Family

Firstly, apologies for the quality of the photo - taken eight years ago on an old phone, in dim light, in a crowded restaurant.
But this is a significant photo as it includes all the members of my immediate family and is one that cannot be replicated as my dad passed away nearly three years ago (we were all out celebrating his 81st birthday).
We couldn’t even get close to it this year, as my nephew and niece now live in London and the other three households involved could only have met up on Xmas Day!
But it has been a family day of sorts. We have been delivering presents in a socially distanced way - drop bags on doorstep, ring bell and stand back. Missed my aunt and uncle as they were out on their daily constitutional but managed a quick chat with my brother-in-law. After lunch went to see my mum and sister and spent a bit longer chatting to them (they have a long garage attached to the house so we stood at the drive end and they stood at the house end!).
Everyone is well and we all have individual plans for Xmas, so we can only hope that next year it will be possible for us all to get together again and celebrate properly. Though that does, of course, rely on us all still being on speaking terms, which is not necessarily a given in my family!

LATER

Just had an excellent early Christmas present - a phone call from the nurse to say the results of yesterday’s blood tests are back and the positive trend continues. I can dispense with one of the diabetes drugs entirely (dosage was halved back in September) and we will assess the dosage of the other pills at the annual review in June. My personal goal is to try and get rid of the high blood pressure pills next - or reduce the dosage, at the very least. Onwards and upwards!