Exhausted already.
And very nervous about Biscuit's visit tomorrow and stay with us. The boyfriend is coming too!!
A few people have made comments about the sleeping arrangements during their visit, as if perhaps its supposed to be an issue. They've been on holiday together on their own twice and regularly sleepover at one another's houses. So they will sleep together here, on the double sofa bed in the loft. For the record, he's 18 in two weeks time and she will be 17 in April. I can't pretend that the arrangement bothers me in the slightest.

Visit to Grandad's yesterday in the bitter cold. Drove past the burnt out shell of Buncefield. You can still smell the petrol fumes in the air.
No Uncle Dave - he's off with a heavy cold and doesn't want to spread it around. Good to have father-in-law to ourselves actually. He looked tired, weak and frail when we arrived, but the kids seemed a good tonic (especially LC) and he was clearly cheered up and feeling better as the afternoon went on.
Still a long way tho and we weren't back till after 9 so everyone has been a bit grouchy and difficult today.

Late start though, and we weren't up and ready to get on with anything before ten. Over to Tesco to set a new Personal Best of £188 at the checkout. This doesn't include the new phones we bought for the house with the money Trx Dad gave us yesterday. Having B and S to stay has added to the cost quite a lot and we have got extra food (nuts etc) as well as beers and wine which normally wouldn't be in the bill. We expect to go again on Friday to set up for Mum and Dad's visit over the weekend.

If the weather holds like this it will be a fantastic picnic in the Forest this year. Cold up in Herts yestreday but here today its been almost warm. Beautiful light again.

Visitors this afternoon, a phonecall to Biscuit and a walk around the parish delivering some more cards. Only one in the post again (now we have 24???) and we still have more to write this evening to deliver this week. Loads of wrapping to get on with as well this evening.

I'm hoping to settle later into a real good go at the Ultravox! media archive. I've read several of the articles that arrived last week that I haven't seen before (which is most of the pre-1980 stuff) Fascinating interview especially with Gilbert and Drake about the break up of the band. Foxx and "the others" seem to have a totally different perspective on it. I've spent some time on the Marquee Club website too and had email correspondence with them re" HMK and the Sharks gigs of '74, which does all ad dup to having probably enough material now to make a serious stab at writing this period up properly in the new Year.
RH has put a copy of Electrofear up as a competition prize, which I may go for. Its at last in the shops, but it will otherwise be February before I can afford to buy it.