Is blood thicker than water?

Compared to my husband, who boasts a heady mix of Welsh and Irish- Scottish Catholic blood, gazillions of cousins, uncles, aunties and hangers-on, plus the corresponding Christmas card list, I descend from a relatively spindly branch of the family tree, many of us are dispersed widely across the globe, and not always present on occasions...

Good Intentions, and best laid plans.

All too soon the summer's gone and all the flowers are dying (cue: Danny Boy intro) A week of Michaelmas Term is already passed, and our holidays are becoming a dim and distant memory. Having spent a few days mucking out and an re-arranging nearly all the rooms in the house, and catching up with...