Aromas of fresh coffee and bacon woke me: Dan was doing his stuff in the kitchen again. I was treated to Eggs Benedict for breakfast before taking advantage of his wifi. Mid- morning we drove past stunning snowy landscapes and hundreds sledging down Queen Elizabeth Country Park to Si’s office where a picture of a yacht was scooped out of the snow. The search began for water filters then disappointingly, despite emptying my holdall in the snowy car park, the oars from the other dinghy where too big to fit. Si said not to bother with another piece of outsized luggage.

   On we drove to Bob’s in Winchester where I saw my youngest with no webcam for the first time since August. Oh was I a happy bunny? We caught up over coffee then on to Julie and Andy’s where my beautiful Ami, mum, Bob’s girlfriend Roz, my nephew Ashley and his fiancée Christine and little boy Liam all turned up. Sadly Mitch was away on a gig and with their much awaited first album due out soon I wonder when I will see my soon to be superstar nephew again. We caught up with everyone’s news while Dan sorted my films and books on my laptop and Julie rustled up a curry feast for dinner. My heart was happy with such positive events in everyone’s lives; Ami’s holiday in Australia and exciting news about her fashion label Mia Mai www.miamai.co.uk, A trip in April to Japan for Bob and Roz, conservation work and a job interview tomorrow for Julie (fingers crossed), an exciting new job and wedding plans for Ash and of course Mitch who is having a drum kit custom made for him in The States by a manufacturer who obviously wants their name on his drums. How exciting for everyone! Well, except mum that is who had crashed her car on ice and broken her lights but thankfully was unharmed herself. The evening was over all too soon and goodbyes were hard for me. Ami and I stayed the night with Julie and Andy where a large part was spent sorting my mail which Sal my friend and tenant had delivered from my house.