Walking along the Royal Mile I saw a chilly tiger, just what you would expect to see on a snowy Scottish street!

So far so good, I’ve stepped on the scales and although I haven’t lost my ‘Doha’ stone, the little needle hasn’t shot up too much…so I can still enjoy the Creole Christmas cake and stollens (bought in German market) and all the other delights that haunt the kitchen at this time of the year.

I am suitably impressed with daughter Gerry who has lost so much weight by following some French regime, that only takes 2 months…she is just a sylph and the whole programme is just so delicious.  Oat pancakes and days of protein and days of protein and vedg. The big thing is the farewell to carbs, and sweets which might be a little painful for more mortal souls such as moi. Today I am making Pad Thai noodles with left over turkey -a very spicy and zingy dish from my cookery classes that I did before I left.

The other excitement is I now possess a PINK massage bed! I have Natasha and Gerry and John lined up as clients…so I will have to prepare a bowl of floating foliage for them to study through the peep hole. I will play Davy Spillane, and of course my notes will be close by…just wish teacher, Chris was at hand as well.

It has been lovely having all my kids back…Natasha made it from Wales, and she is full of the joys of her life as a puppet maker and dresser. Rastamouse should appear on our screens at the end of January. I was very impressed when she gave me a full run through of her Tai Chi routine…seems to be very good for you, very disciplined. Might be good for my absentee muscles!

Nick came and joined us for THE DAY…and ate and drank and was merry. He and John feel a little overwhelmed by all the mess and clutter that has suddenly taken over the house (make up, clothes, magazines, and just STUFF) John keeps talking wistfully of joining his son Matt who is skiing in Spain…hmmm. Now what does he mean???

Gerry and I have been shopping, and she bought me the most luxurious cashmere gloves for Christmas….I just love them. They are bright blue and go so well with my new green cashmere socks! Today I am having a day off the colour and am draped in grey.

I felt a little low this morning, waking up to the rain. No matter I will perk up as the day goes on. Maybe it’s because I have just finished Marilyn French’s ‘Her Mother’s Daughter’. Don’t know if you ever read ‘The Woman’s  Room’ that came out in the 1970s…it was quite disturbing and feminist…Dave said I was so awful whilst reading it, he saw me empathising with all the characters that he just wanted to burn it. This one was less forceful, until the end…then it was all pretty gloomy. I need a happy book as an antidote. Maybe I should write another chapter of ‘my rocks’…that usually cheers me up, even though I haven’t sorted out the aftermath of Neal’s drowning!!! Too many distractions.

Have seen a fabulous pattern, to be knitted with Japanese wool in John Lewis…and I so crave it…I wonder if they put wool in the Sale???? But my ‘good’ conscience tells me I have my embroidery to finish first….and a book to write, massages to give, and a French Diet to follow and Tai Chi exercises to learn…Oh dear lord, the days are just not long enough!

Here is a cracker joke to leave you with,

‘What did the Scotsman do when he saw a trumpet planted in his garden?’

‘He rooted it oot!’