New Year

I know I have been silent for several days now, but we had a lovely Christmas chez Elder Daughter and also in the company of Elder Son and Younger Daughter, which was extra specially good as it must be at least seven years since we have celebrated Christmas together.
And now, we are on the doorstep of the new year which, judging by all the news and predictions at the moment, will possibly be one to remember, although not for the right reasons. I think one of my new year resolutions may be not to watch or read the news any more - it's just too depressing and, so much of the time, it is disaster being talked up which all too often often leads to self-fulfilling prophecies.
Apart from that, and because we do listen to the news and would have to be living on a desert island somewhere not to be aware of the current economic climate, we have decided to take the house off the market and forget about moving to France in the near future. (If the Guardian is right and the housing market is going to take 10 years to get back to 2007 conditions, it will be too late for us anyway.)
Of course, we have a lot to be thankful for so there will be no feeling sorry for ourselves, but I reserve the right to be annoyed, nay incandescent, at Gordon Brown's insistence that we all need to batten down the hatches and develop a good dose of 'Dunkirk spirit'. So he, those in charge of banking institutions and politicians everywhere will also be tightening their belts and feeling the cold misery of depleted savings, repossessed houses, lost jobs? No, thought not - and no punishments or recriminations for having got us into this mess in the first place!
(Note to self - New Year Resolution should perhaps be to go easy on the incandescence next year - there will be far too many possible targets!)
Happy New Year, everyone!

Plaster board and dust

So, we're still no further forward on the British Gas smart meter front and I've given up making non-existent appointments with them...