A slow start

Christmas day in Bridgwater





Javanese snacks









Cheese lunch










Christmas with my four offspring who all seem to have turned out to be enthusiastic cooks – maybe in reaction to the way I fed them as they were growing up. At all events a great time was had and I have enough food and wine to last a couple of months or until it goes off.

My new year is starting off slowly – as we get older we should surely be speeding up to get everything we want to do done but it seems that laziness takes over, avoiding strenuous walks in the rain, struggling to get out of bed in the darkness of the pre-dawn and putting of even writing “to do” lists.

Never mind, things could be worse, I might be working 9 to 5 in an office, instead it’s the end of year accounts, new electrical wiring and some redecoration for the faded Georgian building that my political party have in the town. Also went to see the film “the golden compass” – good but of course much reduced from the book and not really up to the Lord of the Rings films

Over in Java the marriage of Thomas and Alice has finally broken up – it may have been inevitable but with neither talking to each other it has been a long drawn-out, sad and disruptive period. Alice has returned to her family home in Sumatra and Thomas remains in Jogya also starting a new chapter in his life. I hope I will be able to remain friends with each of them but only time will tell….