OK I’ll admit – nay, I’ll proudly proclaim – that this shot isn’t one of my finest moments since I started my PAD some 1755 days ago now. Four years and ten months of daily postings means that by the law of averages, some are going to be worse than others and I’ll readily say this is a bit of a duffer photographically. we went out walking on the moor today and I didn't take my camera because it was mizzling. Then while we were out it brightened up and DM got some great ones so this is my punishment for not taking a camera!

I’ve got my usual Christmas blues – you know the ones – the ones that say “why the hell do I do this?” and “oh no, the end of another year and not only did I not stop the rot from last year, I made spectacularly big cock-ups of absolutely everything this year so on balance, it’s all gone way downhill”.

So, we are about to go into 2008 and I need to find it’s better than 2007 and hopefully, given that it’s the year of the rat in the Chinese horoscope and I am a rat, it’ll be better.

So, back to today’s crap shot – it’s smelly stuff (a present off Claz) on a dish that was also a present from Claz. Thanks Claz. It’s fab – she’s getting her life really sorted out now, having had a dreadful couple of years. She’s got divorced, moved house and has a new man in her life. I am so thrilled for her.

I think it’s probably best for me to think in the future tense for a bit, rather than dwell on the present…..

Last year, golden elephants!