Approaching the end of 2016 and all that that has entailed…2 weddings, 1 retirement, 8 or is it 10 ? hospital admissions, 0 surgery well…just 1 tiny 1, parents admissions and surgery too…my melt downs? Mmmm well 1 major many minor. Brexit Trump have dealt their hand and Black Box Thinking would indicate we should learn and improve from mistakes and 

disasters.

. 

We are driving South from Scotland. Our usual post Christmas dash made different by my travelling up separately on account of looking after daughter 2 who uncharacteristicly really unwell. That meant train to see newly married son1. Wow that’s a first. To be fed and fizzed insuch comfortable surroundings by our very own children is a treat I’d like to repeat. I recommend a certain farmhouse near Edinburgh…it’s wonderful. 

Trains are nuts. How on earth do the wheelchair bound cope? But that’s a big tweet I’m involved in.  

Back to family:Newly married daughter 1 has dog 2 for us. I sadly had to find time to despatch Dog 1 to canine heaven in between hospital stays. 

Son 2 the Christmas chef extraordinaire is to join us in Cornwall for New Year..

Lands End to John oGroats be dammed…not a care in the world….this retirement care team is marvellous! 

As for cakes. Well. I felt important to try to express my appreciation of those that look after me in some small way. Ages as ago I stumbled across an old copy of a JKJ book which was an obvious Jerome small appreciative token. The reading of which nothing like 3 Men in a Boat. In fact a bit weird. Perhaps we need to think of a new analogy for the plethora of medical men who keep this here boat afloat. Or maybe funny one day, weird the next, sums it all up, really. 

In addition I took some tiny cakes with me at the last Dipstick appointment. They were meant for the office staff and ‘awesome nurses’ downstairs. As I giggled with the receptionist. It’s the least I could do, having spent so much time there it’d be cheaper to move in. Anyhow somehow the ‘ awesome nurses ‘ and Jerome’s Sec in particular missed out. So a hasty call to an old friend who runs her own cake business from a kitchen in Shropshire. Result. Cakes 2 now distributed via diplomatic discrete Sec.phew. Not sure where the first 12 went. 

So hello 2017. Let’s hope it’s a good one without (too) many tears. 

Written and drawn in car on M6. Well I tried!