On the back of disappointment about the availability and cost of Winter Olympics tickets I decided to go to Sheffield for a week in January in the hope of seeing Lewis Gibson and Lilah Frear surpassing their World Ice Dancing Bronze Medal by taking Gold in the European competition.

In the event I decided that while my recovery from bowel cancer surgery would be up to sitting in an ice-rink it was maybe not up to the concomitant midwinter travel and traipsing around.  So I sacrificed my ticket.  I did try to pass it on to a worthy recipient and then post it for sale on the ticketing website but there were no takers.

The whole event was live streamed on Youtube and much of it was available on BBC iPlayer so I watched most of it in the comfort of my own home.  Britain's chances looked good after the first section of the ice dancing event when Gibson and Frear lay second but a small error in the second section cost them a couple of points and relegation to third position. 

Better luck at the Olympics perhaps. 

Christmas and New Year were as you might expect quite quiet.  Ewan laid on an excellent turkey dinner on Christmas Day, even going so far as to include sprouts for my pleasure.  He can't stand them despite my well meaning but failed attempts to force feed them to him in his high chair.

New Year's Eve was a little livelier. Ross and Claire came round and we had snacks and drinks into the early hours followed, once again thanks to Ewan's catering prowess by a traditional New Year's Day steak pie.

Ewan went off to Austria last week to ski and left me to fend for myself.  I had no problems and extended my range outdoors from Tesco and Sainsbury's to a barber on Leith Walk, a stroll in Princes St Gardens and a couple of circular walks locally.

The pace is heating up this week.  See the next post.