1  My lovely sister in Hawaii has made a beautiful Christmas card of her turtle experience and it arrived today and I found the perfect birthday card for my very good friend, Angie, left behind in the North when we moved back home. That delightful ‘pig of happiness’ says it all.

2  For lunch today we had our fabulous ‘Christmas Leftovers Soup’- our favourite meal of the season! The stock has been simmering for two days making the most amazing broth to which I added everything leftover!

3  My sister-in-law in Atlanta, Georgia emailed to say they have their dates for their visit next year! They’re renting a cottage in St Mawes and my brother and his wife will also come over from Germany to visit at the same time. V&P from Atlanta have not been to the UK for 8 years!