Here comes another one

The early hours of New Year's Day were mercifully fog free and mild for our return after an enjoyable evening with the Gillingham tendency.  But I didn't hang around outdoors to watch the fireworks, since the wind was a bit sharp.  We were just about washed and dressed by midday, and proceeded to have a thoroughly idle day, if only so as to set the pattern for the year to come! 

Next day we'd to collect Annie from Heathrow on her return from a short stay in Madrid with her brother and sister-in-law.  Once again, the M25 was relatively user-friendly, as on our drive to Southampton.  Definitely a road to be used at weekends or public holidays.  Annie [with help from a Christmas present voucher from Marion and John] took us to lunch next day in Tenterden.  A pleasant drive in fine weather, and a decent snack lunch at the good old Café Rouge.  I'd never had a croque-champignons before, and shall be replicating the same next time I have some béchamel left over! 

The cards are down and boxed for recycling, the Christmas tree and decorations are bagged up and put away, and we're hunkering down for the worst months of the year.  There has been hard frost and freezing fog, but we haven't had to venture out on the worst days, though it was very frosty when I got home on Thursday after a long day at the hobby.  Yesterday's dreich weather had one small compensation: there were fewer than usual people at Fortnums' when we went to stock up on essentials.  But many of those who were out and about had no idea how to use their lights in fog.  Many had no lights on at all.  Others kept their rear fog lamps on even when the fog had cleared, though I guess this is less of a problem now that most cars have high-level brake lights.  [I switched on the rear fog lights yesterday when the fog thickened at one point, only to be instructed by the car to switch them off again!  I elected to use my judgement...]

Today has been mild, so I have done a modicum of gardening.  The roses that we look out on from the dining room had been looking very straggly, so have had an interim prune.  There were already sporting new buds, but from weak shoots.  The Bramley has had an overdue prune: a bough that had been overhanging the garden is now heading for the municipal compost heap, as is a smaller branch that had been rubbing on the fence.  I gave up at that point, since I had slipped a few times on the lichen that afflicts cold surfaces at this time of year.  Bit of a pain, this getting old stuff.