My new civil partner was good to her word and prepared bacon rolls for breakfast. The family sat round and happily chatted and feasted on the rolls and the other breakfast goodies that were in front of them.

Once we had cleared a space and made more coffee my partner and I set about opening the envelopes and parcels that we had gathered over the last few days prior to our civil partnership ceremony yesterday. People had been generous both with their presents and with their best wishes for us. We were taken aback by the affection and the generosity. There is no doubt that we will be organising something based on champagne in the future in-between afternoon teas, dinners and courses in a chocolate factory. We will also prepare food using our new kitchen boards and choosing pictures for the picture frame.

The thank you cards are ordered and will be winging there way as soon as possible. We lazed, chatted and watched a bit of football (FA cup, my childhood team Brentford were playing our local Leicester team), until it was time for me to take my sister to the station. We had been concerned the evening before when we became aware that a lot of midlands trains had been cancelled due to work at Kings Cross. Fortunately it did not affect the Leicester to St Pancras service so she was able to get her planned train. She later phoned to say that she had had a smooth and rapid journey home and was comfortably nestled down at home. I returned home and took my partner to the garden centre to buy pies for tea and vegetables for the week.

I retreated to the office to watch rugby on the system and to start to write the blog for yesterday and to find some photos of the day to include. This took longer than anticipated and was punctuated by the realisation that in all the excitement I had forgotten to take my medication. Dinner and then back to the blog before I return to the family and indulge in games, chat and drinks. Funnily enough I feel no different now I am legally civil partnered than I did before except that I do not have a feeling of something that I needs t be done hang about in the back room of my mind. Apart from the tax man my affairs are in order. Perhaps now I can think about what I am going to do until the 24^th of March when I see the oncologist and the fingers crossed phase comes to an end. I still have my poems to organise and my garden is beginning to nudge me by sending increasing numbers of new green shoots up. It thinks Spring is well and truly here.