1095

3 years -1 day, that leap year again. My first blip was 28 December 2010, my cousin's granddaughter, aged 7 months.

What a lot has happened since then. That young lady's aunt has married, her grandmother has died, she has a new sister, her grandfather a new partner and she and her parents and siblings has moved out of the city.

I've moved too, back to a house with a garden and I have a car again. I've started a new career, or is it re-visiting my roots, become a landlord (again) and grown, out not up, unfortunately. I've had 3 birthdays, one of them a 'significant' one with 0 on the end, and a fourth one coming up in 6 days.

I've also been made single again by a piece of paper, but no new partner for me. I've been sad and happy, up and down. My mother in law died and my immediate family reduced by 1, and then increased again with the confirmation (twice) of #1 daughter-in-law. A household of 2 became a household of 2+ with the arrival of Molly, the wonder cat, then became a house of 1+ with #3 son off to uni for half the year. Now with the return to the nest of #2 son we are 2+, plus the student, who finishes with Wales for good in May. Complicated!

I've visited Wales, Malaysia (twice), Barcelona, Majorca, Sicily and Turkey. I haven't been back to France. I've also become a regular on the Edinburgh-London route, an habituee of King's Cross and Liverpool Street with an Oyster card, and travel isn't that glamorous.

I've got worse at photography, not better, since pressure of work means most of my photos are now taken on my, second, smartphone.

And I've delivered the first Crisis at Christmas in Edinburgh.

My thighs, and the rest of me, are still recovering from that. I woke in the middle of the night reviewing Wednesday in my head and mentally listing all the things we need to remember for the debrief and review. I lay listening to the storm, the wind and rain having replaced yesterday's evening's frost. Once it was properly morning, at 9, I stayed in bed till lunchtime. Not much point in getting up in the circumstances and the things I wanted to do I could do, exactly where I was. Outside, the wind has continued to blow and the rain to batter against the windows. I've spoken to J, in France, and E, down the road, but not that young lady's dad. #3 son is studying and #2 son keeping warm.

So it hasn't really been a blip worthy anniversary day and all I can manage is G's conifer next door (the tree I love to hate). The fact you can see the gloamin' between the branches shows how windy it is. But the curtains are closed and we are all cooried in for a night of - well probably tv and a glass or two. It is Friday, isn't it?

Year 4 starts tomorrow (or is it Sunday, that leap year?)