Rachel's homecoming

Minus one this morning under a cloudless sky with bright sunshine. I heard the central heating switch on automatically when I woke up in the night. I was awake for nearly four hours of nine and a half in bed, a poor night's sleep indeed, lying half awake plagued by anxious thoughts and feelings, maybe due to eating more than I normally do yesterday.  I don't have trouble getting to sleep to start with, but if I'm disturbed by the cold or my bladder amd wake up, it takes longer to let go of consciousness again.

I posted today's YouTube link to the WhatsApp Daily Prayer thread when I got up at half post eight. After breakfast I went through my postings on the prayer thread to make an archive copy of all this year's weekly Biblical Reflections, about four dozen of them. The few missing are from the period I was recovering in hospital after the stroke. This task took me up to lunchtime. Despite having cooked bacon for breakfast, my brain was foggy and tired with low blood sugar by lunchtime, but Clare's fish pie for lunch revived me.

Veronica's Christmas email newsletter illustrated with family photos arrived. The resemblance between her and her mother June is striking.  There was a WhatsApp message from Rachel in the small hours, when she was about to take off from Phoenix to fly home. It will be so good to see her again, especially after the uncertainties of illness over the past three months, wondering on bad days if I'd survive to see her again. It won't be long now! Her flight arrived at half past one. Kath picked her up at Heathrow and drove her to Kenilworth to celebrate New Year. 

I went out at three and walked in Llandaff Fields for an hour and a half until the setting sun lit the clouds along the horizon in shades of orange yellow and pink against the clear sky above. Tonight is going to be another cold one. Once it was dark the random noise of festive fireworks, far away or near, shook the neighbourhood, distressing pets. I watched a couple of episodes of Le Carre's 'Little Drummer Girl on BBC iPlayer and then opted to see the New Year in by going to bed early, tired already.