Presence for presents

Having pre-empted the depression on our return, Rhod and I had always planned to fly back home on 19th December plunging us straight back into the heart of Christmas frenzy. This was a wise decision as it provided a distraction to any nostalgic thoughts of happier times abroad. It also meant that any lame Christmas presents were overlooked in favour of our mere presence back in the country.

The first fortnight was a whirlwind of visiting family, meeting new dogs and babies(!), catching up with friends and answering that famous question "Where was your favourite place?" Hint: this is a rubbish question to ask us but at least it means that the person wants to find out about our holiday. My Dad has now taken to watching the rugby instead of our enthralling holiday videos! While we're on that point, full marks go to Shane who wins the prize for most inventive questions "What was your favourite man-made structure and your favourite natural wonder?"

We even managed amidst all the chaos to choose a date for our wedding, secure the church and priest and find the most amazing venue for the reception. 21st June 2008 in Bath. If you're organised enough to have a diary for 2008, pop it in!

Unfortunately the festive period did bring with it some sad news; the death of my wonderful Grandma at the grand old age of 96. Thankfully I got home in time to see her the day before she died in hospital so I got to show her my bling and bore her with some holiday photos! Despite the obvious sadness her passing brought to our family it did mean that we saw a lot more of each other and I'm pleased to say that it didn't put a stop to the usual drivel that gets spoken when my Dad's side of the family get together!

Then a strange thing happened at the beginning of January...everyone went back to work except Rhod and I. We had forgotten that people actually have jobs! It was time for some serious work to claw our way back into the world of employment. The fun was over and it was back to reality with a big bump.