As 2021 winds to a close, it is natural to reflect on the year that has been. I’ve decided that is a slippery slope as, of course, this past year has been such a strange one.
I had great plans, but some of those plans fell by the wayside due mainly to border restrictions and a rather large, extended dose of apathy.
Yet, I am not going to beat myself up over what I did or did not manage to do, and what I could or could not tick off my ever-present list. As far as I’m concerned there is a brand-new, sparkling year ahead of us, waiting to be filled with adventure and accomplishments, big and small. I can’t help but believe 2022 will be a good vintage.
And it’s easy to forget what we did achieve over the last few months. Among other things, I often need to remind myself that Hennessey’s second foray into sleuthing was released into the wild in September – no small feat.
The sun is shining, the water is perfect for ocean dips and I can feel a list of goals for 2022 coming on.
Happy New Year, everyone.
One of our cats, Sweetpea, pretending she had absolutely nothing to do with the fact multiple Christmas tree ornaments are now scattered around the lounge.

This festive season, did you know . . .
- Reindeer are the only animal with noses completely covered with hair. This helps warm cold air before it enters their lungs.
- Their eyes turn from gold to blue in winter to better cope with nearly continuous dark (far less light is reflected out of the eye).
- Males and females both grow antlers but shed them at different times of the year, therefore, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer must be female to still have antlers on Christmas Eve!
Wishing you safe and happy holidays (and I hope Santa brought plenty of books),
Andrea
P.S. I’d love to hear from you, so feel free to drop me a line.
On my bedside table at the moment is Heaven, My Home, by Attica Locke.
Darren Mathews, Texas Ranger, is a man trying to protect a friend from a murder charge and still stay the right side of the law. Drawn into the search for a missing nine-year-old boy, his problems compound as he battles racism and prejudice in a small Texas town. This is a stunning read, and is another of those books I read thinking all the while, ‘Man, I wish I could write like this!’
“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is . . . the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
– Mark Twain