Barely had time to breathe, let alone saunter around Bitterne. Over Christmas I has a whole week of Bitterne detox, and last week only managed one quick trip to the gym. Sent Rob on errands which would have been perfect for Bitterne (keys cut, buy drawing pins, get hair cut, pay cheque in) but he chose Hedge End as his destination. Snob.

I have been doing lots of research into holiday destinations. France, Bulgaria, Austria have all been mentioned, but as the girls would like a week in a caravan on a Haven site, why ruin a winning combination. I am collecting my Sun tokens to get yet another Haven trip in this year, and have to read the Sun to find the token. It is great, there is nothing bad going on in the world, only Big Brother. If you want to get a fresh perspective on world issues The Sun is the only trustworthy source. If you would like to come to Haven with us just drop us a comment and we will vet you for suitability to cope with the harsh climate, great entertainment and family bingo.

I have started working as a teacher today, hence not having time for drawing breath. To get from my classroom (a hut) to that of my two colleagues, a distance for crows of 20m, I have to go through 6 sets of doors. That is taking the outside route, it increases to 7 if you don't want to go outside. After trailing back and forth today I am thinking about getting a walkie talkie. If you have one or two, spare, please let me know.

We had lunch with my family on Sunday, 9 of us now with youngest cousin of 8 months. All of the Surrey branch went to see the Morris Dancing on Boxing day, as is traditional in Claygate. I did not see any in Southampton, which is disappointing. But that is life when you move from the rural hamlet to the big city lights. No morris dancers, no maypole dancing... what was I thinking?