All's well that ends well.

The year is drawing to a close.  I have another birthday coming up soon.  Not much has changed in my life in the past year really.  I'm busy as always with  the usual stuff : work, theatre, italian, children and grandchildren.  We had 3 lovely days in London with Niels, our youngest son, and Fauve, Niels' girlfriend 2 weeks ago. The weather was mild and agreable for the time of year. It was even sunny when we arrived so we went to Potobello Road Market as planned.  It was very nice to stroll down the streets past all the colourful stalls and we enjoyed the tappas we had for lunch outside in a little square nearby.  We went to the British Museum and Tate Modern, crossed the Millenium Bridge, saw Saint-Paul's Cathedral and Admiral Nelson on his column and the fountains in Trafalgar Square.  We went to see a Musical, The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre, and were overwhelmed by the costumes and the performance and impressed by the stage, colourful sets and stunning effects.  The building is a piece of art on its own dating from 1834 with a balcony overhanging the circle, rebuilt and richly ornamented in rococo style in 1904.  We also did a spot of shopping and as it got darker were able to admire the Christmas decorations in the shopping Streets.  I was surprised to see how different Carnaby is from 30 years ago.  We all had a great time and lots of fun.  So much so that we decided we may go on holiday together to Tuscany next year. I have started taking the eldest granddaughter to the swimming pool every week.  She likes it a lot and  I must admit: so do I.  I don't get to swim much though, so after the performance of my theatre group in January, I will take up swimming again, at least once a week, to get some dire needed exercise.  I am proud to say I did accomplish a couple of important things this year.   I don't want to go into too much detail, as it not only concerns myself, but I managed to take care of something that needed to be gotten out of the way with and I did it on my own, saving a lot of money.  Time and effort well spent.   And now things can move on.  The 'guest rooms' still need redecorating but one of the rooms is almost empty and I hope to start on that one in January.  The other room is uncluttered and clean and has already welcomed one guest, hopefully not the last.  With Christmas and New Year coming up, I am already busy planning for the dinners and thinking about which presents to buy, especially for our grandchildren.  And so: all's well that ends well and I hope you all enjoy your family and other gatherings the coming weeks and  I wish you all a healthy, prosperous and wonderful 2015.