We've been in Turkey for 5 days and it's been good. Our coach load of people are a fairly similar band of newly retired people interested in seeing antiquities on the cheap.

Well we're not all newly retired. One of us is 97. Her name is Mary and she lives in Bath. She is tiny, wears tight pink trousers and has a sharp sense of humour. This is is her first organised trip, before she has always had travelling companions but her latest has died. "I am looking", she said, "for an old gentleman with a motor caravan". Meanwhile she's with us.

Turkey is full of antiquity and the natives are friendly and have a good sense of humour. Why didn't we disscover it before?   Our education was so based on a Greco-roman heritage and we were ignorant of the wider (and earlier) influences. I shall rabbit on about this continuously, be prepared

Decorations down. Parents back. Games over. Real life starting up again.

Today I went to Cattle Country with H&T.  I have agreed to pay T a fee for creating his own blog this year.   He has chosen the name Mr Piggy- i think it is something to do with the skylander lego things, I mean minecraft, no doubt he will explain in due course.  We got very muddy at Cattle Country and i now have to remove all evidence from their clothes before returning the boys to thei parents tomorrow.

Our Christmas tree is down, this was a last picture before it went.  Happy New Year

Horrible weather.  Heating and fire on and a computer to clean up.  This is the first time D and I have been alone in the house since Christmas Eve.  Time to get our heads back together.
Nigella Lawson is on the tv in an old programme.  What utter rot, how fake the whole thing is- a familiar, easy, household goddess matey style.  Abundantly clear that the thing is staged and contrived and she's in it for the money, and what money.

Anyone of us could make these cosy comments,  "I sometimes use garlic mayonnaise but find it has a heavy flavou!.... "why not freeze the leftovers for ready meals when a friend drops in or the children are late home from school......."    "for me the evening meal is incredibly important, not just because I'm hungry but because its a time of being together"   

We no longer worship gods but instead we worship celebrities.