Recently I was gifted two fans for my more melty moments...

This oriental gentleman has a little battery powered motor within that causes his fan-blades to rotate... he is very cute and very efficient at reducing the temperature of my face!!

This manual model comes from Japan and the ice-cream design panels add a sense of coolness as I waft myself frantically.

Each now lives in my bag and goes whither I go, in readiness for the tropical moments that make life such fun.

I suspect I am still the only person in Glasgow with windows open and delighting in the cooler weather!

So today was a blobbing at home, buying food, catching up on emails, reading blogs, doing the washing, playing with the cat kind of a day.

I've had a great time away - Cheshire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Cheshire again before I returned to wind-swept, rain-soaked Glasgow, with a detour because a large chunk of M74 was closed after lorries toppled in the wind.  It was great to catch up with various folk, and all kinds of life was there to share, sad and glad, fun and serious, celebration and commiseration.  It's even greater to be back home, with my black 'n' white furry friend, and ready to pick up the reigns once more tomorrow.

I am looking forward to 2012 - my fiftieth year (scary! but good, so good) - with no mandatory journalling, no essay deadlines, minimal hospital visits and lots of opportunities to live life to the fullest.  Elsewhere I commented that the last sixteen months has taught me to value every precious moment and (consistent with personality) to seize the day.  I am looking forward to lots of routine ordinariness but also some chosen adventures as the year progresses.