Dear diary

I give thanks for a wonderful treat I'd been saving - Alan Bennett's diaries on TV! Not only do you get to hear some of the dear man's moving and amusing words, read in his comforting as cocoa and mittens voice, but there are images of the places and people he talks about and snatches of the music that stirs his soul. He writes about these in his books of course but much of it is unknown to me so I couldn't auralise it (Is auralise a word? You know what I mean anyhow...) Now I can hear why he enjoys it so... I give thanks for my headphones to muffle sounds of unenjoyment (as above!) nearby, and for remembering to feel faintly guilty at laughing long and loud at a QIXL episode afterwards. For remembering an Eve's pudding in the oven just in time to stop it becoming more than bronzed!

Much beset by pain last night sleep was hard to come by, so I give thanks the day's rumbling rows fizzled out during the afternoon and I could have a snooze after making a dent in the backlog of chores. For the day's row with the printer ending in a truce and the most pressing paperwork done.

I give thanks for watching a documentary blending black and white photography of slum living in the UK from fifty or so years ago with glimpses of the lives of the 'hidden' homeless today...partly because I love black and white urban photography, and partly because sometimes I need to be reminded how lucky I am. Pretty much everyone I know personally is so much higher on the social ladder than I am, and though I don't intend to compare there's a level at which it's inevitable one is aware of lack and failure, and the fear of slipping down the last couple of rungs is always there.

I give thanks for pretty light this morning...for my hearty appetite and for somehow finding ways to feed it.  For opening another Christmas present...a book that looks good unopened (pretty cover) and looks as if I'll enjoy reading it. For having my blog to remind me to be grateful...especially on days when it's hard.