Merry Christmas and a Happy 2013

I thought I'd post this picture of a Christmas card my grandparents sent to friends on, or around, 1959. This card was recently given back to my father by the grandson of the person the card had been sent to all those years ago. This is a photo of their house, which was extended and changed beyond recognition into an hotel and then a carehome. My grandparents had racehorses grazing at the front and a beautiful valley with deco-shaped pools tiered down from one end to the other at the back. It was very beautiful and the pools still remain - as far as I'm aware - and this house has offered me much inspiration for my next book.

I'm almost ready for the festivities and have bought most of the food and begun wrapping presents ready for various family members to come and join us for Christmas lunch. I'll also be taking a week off work, phew, so will hopefully have time to get involved with my plotting for a few book ideas that I've had.

Happy Christmas to you and here's hoping for good health and every success in 2013.xxx

12.12.12

12.12.12 might be a date that most of us will only see once during our lifetime, but according to the St Catherines Standard, there's an Australian woman, Florence Turpin, who was born on 12 December 1912 and she's celebrating her 100th birthday today. I can only imagine the enormous changes this lady must have seen throughout her life.

According to Jonathan Cainer, there are 'no major planetary aspects today', so apart from the date looking a little more interesting than usual it doesn't seem to be a day with any special meaning.

It is a sunny, crisp, winter's day though, so a walk on the beach should be just the thing to wake me up and give me the energy to keep going until the weekend. Who knows, I might even force myself to decorate the Christmas tree that's been standing in the conservatory since Saturday.