Thank for all the relies. I spoke again to Ola and Lukasz yesterday as well as my favourite cousin Patti, which rounded out a nice day. I had two unexpected and completely unplanned guests at ten in the morning. Delightful but it would have been nice to be slightly prepared!
And then I was supposed to go for late pub lunch with my cousin Ian, but it was not to be. It was delightful that he did call in anyway, but I had my flu jab on Saturday and it quite bowled me. Rough as a badger's proverbial.
So I actually went to bed very shortly after it got dark, and of course worked today, so catching up now.
a.palfreyman
For the avoidance of any doubt about being quiet, or down in the mouth: Of course one can look at the state of the world and be far from optimistic, but the reality here is different. Last August I became - of necessity - self-employed. I think that the contracted employeee is not so rarely treated as a sort of cheap bonded labour from personal experience. So being my own master is great. You sack the client, not the other way round!
But consequently I have been working harder [if in contented fashion] than in my employed days, and yes, after a scramble I am gradually getting out of complete poverty. So if I post rarely, and may seem sometimes subdued, it is simply tiredness, rather than a surfeit of pessimism.
Come next year, I'll be firing on all cylinders again!
Best wishes to everyone here. Thanks for the replies.
And have a great Christmas and contented New Year! From George