Last blog before leaving home en route to Florida. The Murrays are already there. This is a picture they took in Cincinnati, in the aftermath of an ice storm, but apparently the roads were good all through the States. We had pictured them being snowed in, but happily reports of 12ft drifts were exaggerated – at least where they were.

Dot is now cleaning the house, and we’re pretty much packed. I have a few odd things to do; then we shall be off to Caddington. At present the weather is dull but dry, and well above freezing. Happily my tax disc, which I had been worrying about, arrived in the post yesterday.