Thank you so much this week to many of you who got in touch. It seems like dizziness after that flu has been quite widespread amongst you and a lot of us have been under the weather.
Some of you have found it to be something that comes on all of a sudden which sounds quite scary. I hope you are all feeling better very soon.
Ollie and his girlfriend Alex are back from their trip to Scotland now and they are full of tales of log fires and friendly hospitality.
They were on a bit of a budget so managed to get some good value places to stay but they did treat themselves to tea and scones at the Fife Arms in Braemar.
I’ve never been there myself but apparently, it’s “very luxurious”.
I will put it on my list of places to visit.
I had a nice email from your life reader Simon who runs Yellow Welly Tours up there.
He was telling me how wonderful their GP practice is in Braemar, especially Dr Donald.
It sounds like a pretty idyllic place to live.
Braemar and Ballater remind me of my childhood as we often went to stay up there for a holiday.
Nowhere as fancy as The Fife Arms but I agree that with a friendly welcome and a roaring fire, you can’t go far wrong.
Prince Harry
So, of course, this week Harry has dominated the news.
I don’t have a lot to say about this continuing saga which hasn’t already been said.
We seem to be going round in circles of, “he said”, “she said” and it’s all a bit sad.
I haven’t read Harry’s book yet so let me know what you think if you have.
Harry has had enough column inches without me adding to that.
I bet most of us are very thankful that we haven’t got a family member who has shared every family argument and intimate detail in a book.
I feel quite relieved that the Queen isn’t around to hear discussions on how Harry lost his virginity in a field behind a pub.
I have a feeling that Harry is of the opinion that getting everything out in the open with be a cathartic experience.
Perhaps not quite so cathartic though for the people he is talking about.
I still remember clearly though, the one time I chatted to Harry and no matter what we hear about him or from him, I find it hard to dislike him.
There is something sad and vulnerable about him and I just hope he finds whatever he is searching for.
Perfect 10
In much less scandalous news, my friend Carol Vorderman has launched a new podcast this week and although I’m perhaps a bit biased, I can honestly say, it really is such a great concept and so addictive.
The podcast is called Perfect 10 and is a daily quiz with 10 questions which takes 10 minutes.
I asked Carol how it came about and she told me this: “We have been working on this for a year to get it right and hopefully we have! Fingers crossed.
“I’ve been on quiz shows on the telly for 40 years and it seemed odd that one hadn’t come up on Podcasts which you could play quickly and it would make you smile. A bit like Sudoku. I hope you love it.”
Well, I do love it, Carol. I was so impressed by what fun it was. Gordon and I played it today while sitting in a traffic jam.
Like Wordle, I’m just going to make sure I don’t miss a day. Let me know if you tune in and what you think? By the way, I haven’t scored the perfect 10 yet but I’m going to keep trying.
Filming
I’ve had a great week filming at home for something which I will tell you about soon.
I love when the house is full of people. Right now I’m sitting in the kitchen writing this and we are all working on our laptops.
I think it’s lovely for me because it’s a bit like having the camaraderie of an office job which of course I never have.
It’s also because Ollie and Alex are still here as well and I realise how quiet the house has been when it’s just Gordon, me and the cats.
That empty nest is still a very real thing that we all have to get used to again after the Christmas break.
Have a good week,
Yvie x
