Wednesday and I wake up under the fluffy new duvet and I am still pleased at the decision to buy one. I get up and shower in preparation for my visit to the chiropodist. A quick coffee and morning meds and I drive to the next village where my chiropodist practices. I park in the local co-op store car park and walk over to the chiropodist. A surprise awaits me. My usual chiropodist Jane has retired, and I am greeted by Emma. It turns out that Jane has legged it into retirement and handed on her practice to Emma. Emma has graduated this year and as a local and a friend of Jane has taken over the practice. She tells me all this as she soaks my feet in magic nail softening solution. I of course grill her (subtly) about how she became a chiropodist and what sort of course she did. She has the scalpel in her hand as she explains the three-year degree and all the placements that she did and what a network the chiropodists have. So, after more gentle prodding about future plans: it’s possible to do an MSc apparently, and to build a chain of clinics, I am done and finished with a gentle massage of foot cream. Back to the co-op to collect pizzas and the car. I return home with happy feet and have breakfast.

I watch a football match and then refill the bird feeders. The birds are hungry and emptying the feeders quickly. Winter is here as the birds have come in from the fields. The squirrels are going through peanuts like there is no tomorrow. The food has gone from Fort Hog so I top the bowl up before returning to the house. I skip lunch as I had a late breakfast and set about writing my Christmas cards. I return to last year’s list and cross off the dead and estranged then work my way through my list trying to select appropriate cards from selection. All my cards are Japanese, I find them less cheesy than the standard Ho Ho Merry Christmas stuff. Once they are all written I stick the stamps on and then seal them all with a gold seal, my Christmas touch. The post arrives and in it is a book. My friend has sent me another book, it is a classic children’s book that has never gone out of print. When I open it, I find this inscription: ” Happy Birthday Ruby. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did” signed “Auntie Vicki xx 26/1/21.” My friend is green minded and always sends me preloved books. It seems apt. I read the back cover and the additional information; it looks like a book I will enjoy.

Christmas cards completed, almost, they will sit until December chimes and will then be posted. Nothing like getting in early. My partner return from visiting her mother and we watch the end of another football match. We have an early tea and I get ready to receive an old supervision client who has asked for some time to process some material. My old client arrives, and we spend an hour talking through the material and thinking about the future. My client leaves and I watch the end of the final football match of the day. Once over, I draft the blog with the intention of retreating to the new fluffy duvet with my new book. Night meds taken I meander towards the comfort of my reading nest noting that I have not trained today and that my cold appears better, so I shall return to training tomorrow.