Thursday: Barney’s Christmas

Barney would like to tell you that he too has had a good Christmas.  Having continued to spurn the expensive bed we got him he now has a little straw hamper box that he is sleeping in, dropping little bits of fake straw all over the place.  We call it his manger.

Very sadly for us, we dropped J off at the airport this morning for her return flight to Vancouver.  We’ve so enjoyed having her - she’s great company and it’s been a lovely visit.

That aside, Brother J has been helping us with some household jobs, such as taking shutters down for our impending window replacement.  It definitely wasn’t a job for the fainthearted, particularly given they haven’t been moved in approximately 15 years.

I heard this evening that my former headmistress, Miss Howell, died on Christmas Eve.  She was in her early 90s and had been in declining health for a while. I’m still in touch with a lot of my school friends and former teachers which is nice.  Miss Howell was an amazing headmistress - the embodiment of kindness, natural wisdom and authority.  I hope she knew how many generations of girls she influenced.