Today Rob’s X-man and I had similar experiences. His car has been at the smash repairer’s all week, getting some dents repaired. Today he finished work too late to pick it up, so with my trekking poles I walked ALL THE WAY to the smash repairer’s, about 30 minutes’ slow walk, to pick it up.

So when I parked it on the front verge, I felt some kinship with it. We are both well out of hospital now! And Rob will be very happy to have his car back. He really enjoys driving his X-man!

This local bookshop used to be a hive of activity with bookclubs every day of the week, several writing classes a week of which the one where I learned to hone my writing was one, and locals meeting there for coffee and chat as well as browsing and buying books.

But the world has moved on to e-books, and my e-books will soon join them, so sadly this sight will be repeated around the world many times this year.

Here’s to the local bookshops – they have been wonderful gathering places for communities for hundreds of years!

Today, as Elwyn packs up to return to her home in England, I packed up our grandchildren’s toys from when they were small, ready to take to the local kindergarten. Our favourite, because it was Tom’s and then Thea’s favourite for at least 1 year each, remains the farm tractor. Tom used to push it around the house for hours at a time, tooting the tractor horn and pressing the buttons that made farm animal noises.

But now that Tom can read a normal type book of around pages to himself, and Thea can recite from 1 to 10 in Mandarin, it’s time to let these treasures go to a new home where other small people will enjoy them once more.