Our family Christmases are always quite hectic, so it is nice to spend a few days to relax now and gather strength for whatever the new year brings. This year my Christmas celebrations began with a festive dinner and quiz at our local pub in early December. I was invited to speak at the December meeting of the Knaresborough WI, which was a lively affair with mince pies on offer; it was the last of the various talks I’ve given at groups across Yorkshire in 2022 – a great opportunity to meet readers, old and new. 

I note that my resolutions for 2022 were “to publish my 12th Mills Sanderson mystery, reduce my use of food packaging and attempt to walk all 35 walks on the Yorkshire Dales National Park App – in alphabetical order.” Well, two out of three ain’t bad: packaging has reduced and I just have one last walk to do by 16th January to complete the 35 in one year.  The good news is that the book will be published in the spring – I hope those of you who’ve been asking can wait a little longer. Meanwhile, I’d like to wish everyone a very happy new year!