Dearest Readers,

Belated Happy New Year's wishes to you! I hope your year is off to a better start than mine, although in the grand scheme I can't complain too much. So what if a case of Covid derailed my January bridge trip to beautiful Northern California? I didn't cry TOO much over missing the tournament with a favorite partner and teammates. I watched 7 Hugh Grant movies in my English living room to make up for it, didn't I?

Ah well, these things happen. I blame the French, as I like to do. Our son CJ came to England for Christmas, but he doesn't stay in one place for long! He wanted to see Paris, so we took the train from London for a 48-hour visit. We were blessed with a gorgeous central apartment loaned to us by friends, and a whirlwind tour of the City's most famous sites. I had forgotten how charming and beautiful Paris is. Since we've been there in years past, Paris has not been at the top our travel list for our sabbatical, but now we are thinking we should return for a more leisurely visit (though well before the Summer Olympics get underway!)

So I undoubtedly got Covid in France and California didn't happen, but my illness was mild and I got some work done. Once recovered, Robin and I took a road trip to visit our sister-in-law Leni in the southeast for a long weekend. After a night of crazy winds, our final day was beautiful and we got to walk with the dogs along the beautiful ocean cliffs of Margate.

Another day brought a Sunday excursion to the Hook Norton Brewery, a 30-minute drive to the edge of the Cotswolds. The two-hour tour of the historic but still productive brewery was actually pretty interesting, and the generous tasting session afterwards revealed new favorite beers for both Robin and me. Yes, we left with a full assortment from the gift shop. At last some English beer I will enjoy! (Not warm, flat, and bitter as most of the pub beers are.) Robin loves those, but not me! 🤪 However an ice cold bottle of "Hooky Gold" really hits the spot.

As January concludes, I'm wrapping up a brief trip to the US to see my Mom in Maine. She turned 90 in December and my sisters were there to celebrate with her - they pulled out all the stops! Mom was not impressed with my belated birthday efforts, but we still had a nice visit. She's a beautiful 90-year-old, don't you agree?

In early February we embark on a quest for my top bucket list item. I will report back soon! Meanwhile I hope all my readers are enjoying a healthy and happy beginning to 2024.

🇬🇧💂‍♀️🍺