Goodwill to all humans!

I hope you had a splendid Christmas, full of love and warmth. In the run up to Christmas, I just couldn't bear the news some days, it was an endless list of ways people were horrible to other people. It was nice to spend time with loved ones and realise that actually, most people are fundamentally kind and decent, it's just the awful ones who get all the attention. I look at my tree, which is covered with baubles, and remember where they were bought or who gave them to me. Each year we get one or two more; this retro robot is one of a box of three that my husband got me this year, from Paperchase. I'd really wanted them (robots are ace!) but had been really busy at work and hadn't made it that far into town. I even had to go into work on the Saturday before Christmas and was late meeting my husband afterwards, and so he'd gone and got me my robots! He is lovely. And every year I shall unpack my baubles and get a little robotty reminder of how lovely he is.



I didn't get a mass of vintagey things for Christmas. I think we've hit the age where we've mostly got all the things we want. However, Mr Robot gave me a Cath Kidston 'Trains' double duvet set. He does tease me about liking steam trains, and one of the annoying thing about our office move in the autumn was being moved to the side of the building away from the train tracks so I can no longer see them go through. Now I can dream of trains. (And Boycie the cat likes them too...)

One thing I did get lots of is BOOKS! First up, a book of Christmas mysteries. I haven't dipped into it yet, but I really ought to start it before the festive season ends. It's divided into all sorts of categories - I may head straight for the noir ones, though the Golden Age stuff is also begging for attention. However, I haven't started it yet...

...because I cracked open A Game of Battleships, the next adventure in the Space Captain Smith series. (I've already reviewed Space Captain Smith, God-Emperor of Didcot and Wrath of the Lemming Men.) My husband got me the two most recent books so I'm now fully up to date with our bumbling hero's adventures. I'm only a short way into Battleships, but Smith and his crew have already had to go to the planet Europe for ship repairs.

I also got two books from Cherie Priest's steampunk 'Clockwork Century' series from my mother-in-law. I reviewed Fiddlehead fairly recently, and though that's the last in the set, I did say you could read each one as a standalone. I'm very much looking forward to these, which I will read in sequence.

Anyway, I can't sit around waffling on about books as today is BLORPFEST, our annual feast with good friends. I look forward to this as much as I do to Christmas itself. Friends are the family we choose, and I feel immensely grateful that mine are willing to spend a day of their holiday with us. We'd hoped to do suckling pig but couldn't get one small enough to fit in our oven, so it's roast goose again! And on that note, I'd better go and hoover the bathroom before everyone arrives... Stay warm and cosy, and enjoy your holiday!