I’ve been walking about as if I’ve poohed my pants! Last Sunday, I bent over to push the button to put the dishwasher on and my back went into spasm. I’ve been in pain ever since and can’t walk totally upright nor do anything above the speed of ‘very elderly lady’. So I’m thinking if the back pain is still there at the weekend, I’ll have to treat it with chocolate and maybe some wine. There’s nothing else for it! It’s medicinal!

How have you been this week? Shout out to my friend Dawn who reads this! How are you Dawn?? When we get together we are Dawn-in-stereo. Anyway, hope you’ve had a good week. My week has been pretty much dictated by my bad back. I haven’t really been doing anything exciting. I could make something up like I went to a Christmas ball and wore a huge ballgown and everyone gasped when I entered the room (cos I was so stunning, natch!!)…but nothing even remotely as exciting happened this week. Sigh. I am just looking forward to next week when the kids stop school and I stop work and we can have a long lie and a jammies morning.

I did have a good day today. I met my friends Tracy and Jane for brunch and Riverhill Courtyard in Helensburgh (a very nice restaurant by the way!). We ate a lovely meal and chatted and wished Tracy well on her up-and-coming trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

Good luck missus! Have a great trip when it comes and try not to fall off!!  Also take plenty of pics so I can live vicariously through your adventures! Feel I should also give Jane a shout out cos she’s not climbing Kilimanjaro, but is a lovely person too! Note to other friends who have not been mentioned, but are equally important to me: you are lovely too! Right, guilt trip now over…

Christmas films viewed since my last post:

• Nativity! (currently on the telly…the boy’s fave Christmas film)
• The Grinch (another favourite of the boy’s)
• Home Alone 2 (this and the first one are major favourites in this house!!)
• and the wonderful Elf

We also watched Into the Woods, which was just okay. I wouldn’t watch it again. I thought it was a bit…well long and just alright.

Books I’ve been reading since my last post:

• just the one, the very lovely The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

I’ve never read this book before. I don’t know why,  it’s a beautiful book. I am loving it. Recommended reading even if you are, like me, a few years past childhood!

Right, am going to go and make myself a cuppa and eat some chocolate (what? it’s medicinal!!). Til next time!

Dawn xxxx

PS I will have an announcement to make very soon…it’s about this…