Phew!

Glad this week's over!! Things have been really busy being back at work, bit of a shock after two weeks in bed, plus the added stress of thank-you-present-giving, which (like everything else!) has it's own protocol, although luckily I had some help getting the right presents and working out what to say to people. I was so determined to do everything right but it turns out most people weren't expecting me to do anything, which was embarassing in some cases and funny in others. At any rate I figure it's better to err on the side of doing more than enough, and if it was too much then I hope people will put it down to the fact that I really am grateful, beyond what is required by etiquette. Being so far from home and getting sick makes you everyone's responsibility, because you have no primary carer or next of kin. In a society where everything has a procedure, and everyone has a role to play, it's impossible to draw the line between work responsibility, good manners, and genuine concern, but it meant in the end that I was never abandoned in hospital for more than a few hours, and I was made to feel like my presence was missed. For which I feel far more gratitude than it's possible to show with properly wrapped presents of the appropriate value, accompanied by the correct combination of honorifics. Although of course the real chance to prove that is next time school asks me to do something horrifically embarassing, or the office ask me to work a weekend...

Incidentally... the weather here's been getting a lot colder, only one or two degrees by teatime. We've had a couple of gorgeous mornings where it's been frosty and clear, with fantastic views across the bay; really thought it would snow today - I'm sure it was snowing this time last year - but so far nothing except huge rain storms and the odd bit of hail. Still... managed to get a few shots of the village looking wintery.