Beneath the mantlepiece

I had a lovely surprise yesterday evening when an old friend, who lives in Switzerland, rang me for a chat.  We always exchange Christmas cards and emails during the year but haven't spoken since we visited them in Basel around 2000.  She has a wonderful mix of Yorkshire and German accent, having lived in Basel with her Swiss husband since 1968.

She fell in her kitchen in November, breaking her arm, and has spent two months in hospital.  In that time her husband moved them into a ground floor apartment, which she didn't find out about until she got home.  She was understandably furious at the time but has since admitted it was a good idea.

Now planning a flight to Berlin for a few days, train to Basel for a few days and home by train.  Not sure how that's going to pan out.

MK this morning, although we had to go the long way round, through Olney, as the A422 was closed due to an accident.  It was open again by the time we came home.

It's been a filthy day weatherwise.