Sometimes, you just need to go home. And after an utterly fretful last week in England (travelling and numerous other events caused an utter drain on me), I was more than ready to get back. A few weeks of drama-free R & R with the family and my old friends (including a skiing trip in Canada) showed me how nice the calm life can be.

The brothers, myself, and Ripley posing for the annual holiday card...it was definitely good to see all three of them again as it seems that only happens once or twice a year.

Holiday season means Christmas. And Christmas means presents. Hehehe, I'm not materialistic...I just happen to like getting nice things ;-)

Mom and Pop, and then me with Ripley in the midst of a walk around the local woods/beach..."Man's best friend" indeed!

None of us really know what Rippers has against cattails. But she definitely has some kind of massive grudge. Good fun!

Scenic shot. Sometimes I just can't get over how ridiculously gorgeous it is around my home. Yes, you should be jealous.

Anyway, eventually I had to fly back to England. I still had a bit of time before I was due back in Oxford, so I headed off to visit my friend Clare in Scotland! Home