Eleventh Day of Christmas...

.. but we decided to take down the tree and other decorations anyway. They'd been up three weeks, after all, and I thought it was about time.

I'm pleased to say it took us all of forty minutes. Tim, being the tallest, took down all the Christmas cards. I collected up all the candles and tinsel and so on (having already washed and even ironed the two Christmas tablecloths) and un-decorated the tree. Then Richard did the very difficult job of putting the lights back in their box, while I took the tree apart. Then he piled all the boxes in a high cupboard in the study.

I thought it would take at least an hour.

We do still have the magnificent poinsettia we were given a few weeks before Christmas, but I shall just consider that as a house plant from now on. I know from last year's experience that it will probably live all year, this being Cyprus.

Tomorrow is Twelfth Night, and the Feast of the Epiphany, if anyone's interested. It doesn't often fall on a Sunday.