A relaxing break.

Well that's the festivities over for another year and I'm back; refreshed and ready to get started on a new years blogging.

We had a great Christmas at my middle daughters, all of my girls were there including Elsa my grand-daughter.

All my girls in one place.

Lots of good food and drink, laughs and presents, what more could you ask for?

It was sad to leave them all and come home but we'll meet up again soon, Naomi is expecting a baby (her first) in Jan so another visit 'back east' will be happening then. 

Not only that George will be down to see us as well.

I'm now facing a life without getting up at 5am every day to bake bread. In a way its a bit of a shame, the emails from customers have shown me just what they thought of the loaves I made and I feel slightly upset that they won't be getting the stuff they grew used to. 

BUT and its quite a big one, our lives will improve. No more being tied to delivery times or spending sunny days making bread when we should be outside enjoying our retirement. The trouble was really of my own making, when I did bread 'ad hoc' it fitted in with what we had planned. When I got tied into schedules for shops it became a tie and I started to resent it. I guess after 40 years of never working in a conventional job, with ever changing shift patterns I just couldn't handle it. Other people will of course see it differently.

My first 'solo' bread is here, just a plain white bloomer, not sourdough.

Ready to rise

Oven ready

I'm going to have to re-educate the dog into getting up a bit later as well, he's back from his holiday in kennels and ensconced on the sofa with his present.

Sunrise today and the days are getting longer, only a little for a while but spring is on the way.

We have bulbs up and the Geraniums are still in flower from last year, a neighbour has Daffodils as well.

I have finished my novel "The Rocks of Aserol," and it's ready to be edited. Its a standalone story, not connected to either of my others. 

This ones set in an alternative universe where society has evolved without Electricity, using Coal as a main power source. Vaguely Victorian but with some fantasy elements its a tale of adventure with an unlikely hero. Once the edit is complete I will be offering the first few pages as a download before publication, more details to follow. 

It looks like a nice day today so we're taking a picnic and heading out....... somewhere.