THAWING OUT

So moving to Wales involved long-to-be-remembered sagas of driving through Arctic conditions with two noisy cats singing their disapproval all the way (and a 4 a.m. arrival in the valley), the heroic furniture removal guys battling through blizzards, and the slow unpacking of boxes. For weeks, the house resembled the warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The cats, Nutmeg (aka Captain Bonkers) and Bonbon (aka Princess Bonbon, the most beautiful girl in the universe) have taken to the new house far better than hoped, with the exception of the Paddyzone, the part of the house they may not enter. There dwells the ferocious three-legged cat known as the Paddymonster, who was in the house before they got there, and intends to rend the intruders, given the tiniest chance.

This weekend, we had our first visitors come to stay -- our pals Chris & Penny Hill -- and we all hiked up the valley (Chris showing his mettle in an uphill sprint) and into the forestry land across the peaks. There's this substance called fresh air that's missing from city life -- I knew there were good reasons for moving here. All was fine for the visitors; then the rains came down as Chris and Penny drove away.

We're not entirely settled yet, but getting there. Lotsa family here, which is great.

Hope you have a great 2010, everyone!