It’s a new year, and here is Oliver putting on a show, despite his broken arm, on New Year’s Eve. Shark meets squid, with the inevitable result. Convivial evening which left me entering 2008 with the usual otherworldly feeling. Oliver was most put out that we had had a party without him: the poppers all over the floor were a bit of a giveaway, together with people crawling into the kitchen about 10am. Or later, in some cases.

In the afternoon we visited Wollaton Hall, a 16th century Tudor building set in a deer park. The weather was misty but not too cold. It would be more accurate to say we visited the park, but the building made a lot of itself, and we did circumnavigate it. Lots of people wandering around, and quite a few deer too. Oliver got a close-up when a small group crossed the path in front of him (he was way ahead of the bunch with Daddy).

On the way back D & J took us past the Hemlock Stone, an impressive outcrop on Stapleford Hill seemingly unrelated to its surroundings. Many myths and legends about its name, but I like the Danish one: apparently many Danes settled in the Nottinghamshire area in the 9th century, and the old Danish word hemmelig means a cover or overhanging.

David and Vicky and family left late on New Year’s Day , and the rest of us were planning to go for a walk on January 2, as well as drop in at Ambience Art and then get some food from M & S. But before we started out Julia got a call to say her eye operation could be scheduled that day, and we persuaded her to go for it. So we missed out on the walk and Dave dropped us at Ambience Art while he took Julia to the hospital. Amazing place (AA, not the hospital). Some wonderful art work, clothes, jewellery and other things, plus a pleasant cafe, which we patronised when Dave returned. Dot and I bought a necklace and ear-rings (she’ll probably wear them more than I will) and a tall wooden vase, with some artificial flowers. Impressive stuff. M & S was quite good too.

We had a good journey home, and Julia’s operation went well, although she was last in and had a painful injection at the end. Snow came to Nottinghamshire the following day, but omitted Norfolk. The M & S food was intended to feed a visitor from South Africa – my cousin once removed, Beverley (Howard’s daughter), who was scheduled to arrive the next day – or so I thought. However, I contacted her halfway through yesterday after a couple of visits to the station and discovered she was at her brother-in-law’s at Bexleyheath. She is now due to come here on Saturday, with her daughter and brother-in-law, and I have added to the food in the fridge.

Tonight we are going to Heather and Sam’s for a meal, and we are being picked up at 6.30pm. This is so that we can both have a drink and get a taxi back. I have a feeling there was something else…

Oh, yes. My eleven years and three months as an EDP columnist have come to an end. I had a phone call from the deputy editor this morning when I was in the bath, and he said they were “making some changes”. This did not come as a big surprise, since I had suggested to the editor that I should be paid a little more than the derisory amount I have been paid the last five years. I have written a “farewell” page, but it may not go in. Either way, it will go on my website (back2sq1.co.uk). I have tried to include all the characters I made up over the years, but probably forgot some.

I now feel a strange mixture of disappointment and relief, as Quentin Tarantino might say. It will be odd not having an outlet for my outrageous opinions and esoteric humour, but maybe I will get down to writing something more substantial. Dot has taken it badly…