Christmas Week (plus a few days) 2

Veronica and Tyler in The Old Barge in Hertford

Happy new year to you all! We have officially entered the year 2012 and I have to say that it seems to be going pretty well so far. Owen and I were fortunate enough to have some visitors for the last week of the holidays. My cousin and her boyfriend were with us for a week, exploring London and experiencing the English way of life. They ate all of the traditional cuisine, drank all of the traditional beverages and took in as much culture and history as they could during their short stay. They weren't able to catch much of a break when it came to weather, unfortunately, and were forced to do much of their sightseeing in the rain. They were troopers, though, and were rewarded with a December 31st that was clear enough to allow a trip to the banks of the Thames to watch the London fireworks at midnight.

Waiting for the fireworks.

We were also able to spend a significant amount of time lying around, watching movies and Family Guy, and eating takeout. The perfect way to rest up after a boisterous send-off to the old year. Add to this many afternoons spent in the pub, regular lie-ins and frequent restaurant service and you'll understand just why it was so hard to go back to work...so, so hard. Somehow I seem to have managed it, but I will admit that I haven't been in the best mood the last few mornings. This weekend I plan to rest up during the day and (hopefully) get myself back to a good sleeping schedule.

In other news, congratulations are in order for a couple of exciting events that happened since my last post. Firstly, two of our American friends tied the knot in Michigan just over a week ago. So, here's wishing a lifetime of happiness to a really fantastic couple! Secondly, I am ridiculously overjoyed to share that two of our friends from Hertford recently welcomed their first child into the world. James Alexander was born during the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday. I don't know who is more excited about this - the new parents or their group of friends who will undoubtedly spoil this child at every possible opportunity. Let's just say that I began offering my babysitting services before we even knew the baby's gender.

And so accompanying the new year are new lives, new partnerships and endless opportunity for new experiences. I hope that you all had a fantastic end to 2011. How did you spend it? And what new adventures will you be embarking on this year?

Love and peace in 2012.