So, finally I had translated into Spanish and published the first two books of my murder mystery series, what next? … a presentation.

Whenever I told anyone Spanish that I was a writer, the first thing they asked me was whether my books were available in Spanish. Every time I had to sadly shake my head and say that no, at the moment they were only available in English but that I hoped, sometime in the future, that they would be translated.

These last six months have been quite eventful. In September, I finally published book two 'O What a Tangled Web! '. Then it was onwards, or perhaps backwards depending how you look at it, getting the first two books translated into Spanish. The process was quite arduous and complicated, but well worth the effort, I hope.

January started, for us, with cava and ended with a woohoo!

A while ago, my husband John said that he had been thinking of extending our kitchen. One of the reasons for this is he has bought me so many beautiful kitchen aids such as a mixer, a bread machine, a smart oven/microwave and an air fryer that now, we don´t have any work surface left!

Last year, as we had not had a summer holiday due to my hip pain, we had our first holiday away for Christmas. On that occasion we took our car, by ferry to Majorca. This year we decided to go to one of the cities we have been wanting to visit, but not wishing to do so in the heat of the summer, Sevilla!

So, what does Christmas mean to you?

In my end of October blog, I told you about the Christmas Pudding recipe that I had tried to get from my grandmother. Well, this is my recipe, taken from many different cooks and chefs who have shared their knowledge online, with my own additions.

Last year we went away for Christmas for the first time, and as we quite enjoy travelling, we thought we would do so again this year.

When I first thought about writing on this subject, I was worried that I would not find enough to say. However, having thought about it I realise that we are constantly referring to things from the past. In fact, as children that is how we learn, recognising an item or a sound that we have learned. As adults it is different, a sight or sound can immediately transport us to a previous place or time.

During our lifetime we all have different roles to play, when we are at home, or at work and in social situations, and in these different circumstances there is an expression, I am sure you have heard before, that we wear a different hat for each.

It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when summer ends in Spain. Today, for instance was a beautiful day, with blue sky and sunshine, and a few days ago the temperature reached 30 degrees. However, we do have a winter, despite what some people think, and the longer you live in Spain the more acclimatised you become, and find that you change from shorts to jeans, t-shirts to jumpers, and start to wear a jacket about the same time as the Spanish do, whereas the tourists that come seeking winter sun still wear shorts.