Walking through a wet, windy and wild Durham Woods with Fiona and Clifford was really nice. I like it when the weather makes the countryside dark and moody. An incredible amount of water was laying around but the River Wear was lower than I expected because it empties out so quick. Miles stayed at home because he couldn't be bothered to go out and walk in the rain. Bad dog!

Biscuit break at Cloisters was amusing and crunchy as it always is. Very dark though and we could hear carols coming from the Cathedral which was very nice. The Christians are putting on quite a few services for this Christmas. It was packed out  with what looked like lots of mums with toddlers. It must've been a mums and toddlers Carol service!

Onwards to Tesco's the mundane quality  of the whole afternoon increasing into the sort of bliss the only our family can enjoy experiencing the damp and wet ordinary. Thank God for that because an awful lot of life is indeed: ordinary. Fiona attempted to give Tesco's a five pound note because she could not find where Tesco's automatic checkout machine was supposed to give her five pounds back. Fortunately, a real-life human rushed over and gave her five pounds and I think the poor lady on those checkouts must do that an awful lot. I was on another checkout and I had to check very carefully for where the notes would come out.

Splashing back home to the damp and increasingly flooded Durham countryside was totally uneventual in part because I think the car actually knows the journey and I'm sure if I fell asleep at the wheel or even died it would just quite sedately take me back to my house. When we got back home we went through the usual routine of setting everything up so it will be dry  eventually and then Fiona and I had a really nice crash and cuddle listening to Leonard Cohen Live in London. Fiona was quite tired so she kept falling asleep and I feel that her little legs have maybe had a bit too much walking this week. But bless her little legs because they are getting stronger and we are soon going to be going up and over some of the bigger Pennine hills, Howgills and Lakeland fells.

The meatballs, tomato sauce with coriander, fresh spaghetti and garlic bread are chuntering away nicely and when I call my family in spite of them being engrossed in games and Fiona dead to the world in bed it is remarkable how 30 seconds later they are all there like eager beavers waiting to be fed. A really lovely day and God bless my family and friends because they are really lovely and I love you all.