Christmas and New Year have pretty much gone ahead without us this year, though we have indulged in a smattering of traditional occupations. I am currently eating a slice of Stollen, for example. If cake-eating is an occupation – I am sure it could oh so easily turn into one.

Today has been spent decking the halls with pictures and mirrors and curtains and things, endearing ourselves, I’m sure, to our new neighbors and their New Year hang-overs. The drilling and hammering was orderly and in short bursts, so hopefully no harm is done there. (Though some of the walls are suffering from a little scarring underneath the pictures and mirrors and curtains and things, poor dears.) Mostly today, I have been amazed at the variousness of fixings. I praise the Black and Decker drill with its attachments, and the multi-purpose screwdriver. Amen.

The house is slowly coming together and becoming recognisable as home. Like printing photographs in an old-fashioned dark room, it is appearing out of the print-tray. It needs a few more days in there to come more clearly into view though. And I need a beer.