January..

2014 started with me suffering with a bad back that went on for nearly a month. Miriam's continued mobility issues meant my opportunities for getting out were pretty limited.
A couple of years ago I bought Mir a Dolls House in kit form which I then built and decorated. Whilst at a dolls house fair in Exeter I saw a kit for a shop which bore a striking resemblance to the shop I grew up in Woolwich, South London.

This is the only existing photo that I have of the shop but it was enough to help me with the decoration and to jog my memories from over 50 years ago. As I was suffering with my back It seemed a good time to get the kit out of the box and start construction. I spent most evenings working on the shop trying to recreate it as it would have been in the early 1960's when I lived there.
I also enquired from my Social case worker whether I could be granted some respite this year and was told that this  would be the case. To this end I started researching birding trips to the USA and eventually plumped for a nine day trip to Cape May in New Jersey in September during the prime autumn migration. I've paid the deposit and am now waiting for confirmation that the trip will get enough punters to go ahead.
Something to look forward to.....