Welcome to 2009
1st January 2009. At a minute past midnight on New Year's Eve, Jools Holland has just done his hootenanny thing and the TV coverage switched to Big Ben to chime in another year.

Fireworks detonated from the beach, somewhere at the back of the village and out on the headland; our son, Tristan and his family were staying with us and we popped open the champagne and went out onto the balcony to capture that defining moment as the old year slips away and the new one arrives. John and Tris lit Chinese lanterns, one of which caught the breeze and flew inland, while the others set fire to themselves and blew into the trees of next- doors garden! The instructions read light the little paraffin container with a match, not set fire to the paper with the blowtorch I keep in the kitchen for caramelising creme brulees, but, hey, what do I know, I'm only a woman and we know our place when it comes to men and fires, bbq's, fireworks, basting a spit roast mammoth haunch outside the cave.

The whizzing and exploding... around the village woke our grandchildren, Theo and Darcy and two bed-warmed, little sleepyheads, woken by the commotion, staggered snoozily outside to join us . If you're truly blessed it's possible to share occasional moments of tangible love; cuddling snuggling little ones, drinking champagne with my darling husband and son while rockets lit up the sea with shocking pink brilliance, does it for me!

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