Happy New Year?

Yeah right. Not if Merry Christmas was anything of a benchmark.
      The week before Christmas, my mother, and four of the younger members of the family managed a 2000 mile round trip to Spain to visit my sister in hospital. How they managed to get a flight while hundreds of miserable would be travellers were sleeping on airport floors will remain a mystery.
       Here in Belgium, on Christmas Eve, we couldn't even get my little Muppet ten miles from her mother's place to mine. No buses, no trains, no taxis and not a friendly Eskimo with a snowmobile any where in sight. Finally got her to my place on Monday morning 27th and she had to go back on the Wednesday afternoon.
       We did have one special moment though. While taking a walk in the snow covered countryside outside the town, a male Hen Harrier flew directly over our heads. Twenty feet above us. A beautiful hawk. White underside with black wing tips. First time I've ever seen one in the wild. Jessica-Marie's reaction to my enthusing about this event?
       "It's just a bird, Daddy."

        Anyway. Apparently my sister is recovering slowly. Can't be too bad now. She's fit enough to complain about the hospital food. Makes me wonder if the chef from the hospital where I lost 10kgs in 2009 has emigrated to Granada.

        Well, I digress. This was supposed to be about Happy New Year but 2011 has begun where 2010 left off. I'm on my own, it's nearly lunch time and no one has called. Maybe I'll call the hospital in Granada and check on my sister. Perhaps I'll get a good paella recipe at the same time. Oh no, wait up. Almost forgot. Hospital paella?

         Still, let's hope 2011 brings a bit of luck to everyone who needs it.

         Happy New Year to one and all.