With a family stretched across North Wales, Leeds, and Edinburgh , we made a collective decision some weeks ago to stay in our own little burrows for Christmas, regardless of the ever changing governments’ guidance on the subject, so we made no plans to meet up and were not disrupted at the last minute. The decision was made easier for us by the prospect, even if some weeks away, of a vaccination for the older members.

To compensate a little for not being able to see children and grandchildren, I put energy into food planning, which has taken up a significant amount of time in the last few months. For today’s lunch I had prawn cocktail, mallard breast fillets with a cranberry and port sauce, roast potatoes, Christmas pudding and cream, and some Rose wine grown ten miles from here at Pantdu. The other items resourced from my local Waitrose, Wiltshire game, and Donald Russell in Aberdeenshire.

We will all be hoping that 2021 will be the beginning of the end of all the disruption. Peaceful Chrsitmas and Happier New Year to all.