So after a rocky end to the week, we were delighted to welcome Rita and Roger on New Year's Eve. They drove over in time for lunch and we walked the dogs in the afternoon. In the evening, we made sure Booty was well dosed up on her Valium and sure enough at midnight there was a fusillade of fireworks.

On New Year's Day, I had booked tickets for all four of us to go on a guided walk over at the RSPB Newport Wetlands centre. This is just over from one of our favourite walks, along the sea wall at St. Brides, and is somewhere we've been meaning to visit for ages. I was amazed at how many people turned up - probably about 40 of us. The guides split us into two groups then took us through the reserve up to the coastal/tidal area and then back through the reed beds down to the visitor centre. We were out for nearly two hours and then as part of the ticket price, we had a complimentary hot drink in the cafe. We thoroughly enjoyed it and are now looking forward to visiting again.

By the afternoon, we were all shattered, and most of us had a nap! Another nice meal on Saturday night and on Sunday, Paula joined us for lunch - Andrew did braised pheasant in cider, and it was delicious, followed by an apple and mincemeat crumble. It was lovely to see Paula and I think she was glad to have some company and be out of the house for a bit. After a relaxing afternoon chatting, Rita and Roger headed home around tea time and we had a very quiet evening.

Since then, I've been working on a consultation document for WAG, on proposed changes to the licensing arrangements for dog breeding establishments. It has been a bit of a War and Peace, the first draft is about 3500 words and eight pages long! It's now with some other people for comments and suggestions, before it gets polished and finally submitted.

Yesterday, we popped down to Swansea to see fave aunty Hilary which was lovely. Good to have a chat and catch up with all the news and particularly enjoyed her famous home made mince pies. We exchanged presents and caught up with all the news. After we came home, we finally had our Christmas dinner! It was delicious and we really enjoyed it, with lovely crispy roast potatoes, parsnips, sprouts, cranberry sauce, home made stuffing and lovely turkey. Also enjoyed a really good white Burgundy with it.

Today, after a dog walk this morning, Andrew and I popped into town this afternoon. We visited Clarks and Andrew was delighted to get a new pair of shoes (black brogues) for work and a nice pair of brown leather casual shoes in the sale - only £38 for both pairs! I had a L'Occitane notification of their sale, which entitled me to a further discount, so we went along there and I stocked up, including a birthday present for a friend. We'd told Paula we were going there, and she asked me to get her some shampoo. So, after leaving town, we called in at Paula's on the way home, to drop off her shampoo and catch up with a cuppa. Jim was delighted to see Andrew and they had a lotof fun playing together while Paula and I had a look at what I'd bought in the sale. Then home, sent out the first draft of the consultation to various parties for comments and now we'll soon be enjoying a gin and later some dinner.