HANG in there folks – February is coming.

I hope that you are all surviving the weather and the impact of your resolutions, and are managing to find the joy in this harsh time of year.

Personally, I must admit that I am struggling, but I always have a tough time returning to England after having been immersed in my home environment for a number of weeks during such a family-orientated time of the year.

It was surprisingly easy to slip back into the well-worn groove of our home – a home in which I have not lived permanently for almost 20 years.

One thing I always miss is the sense of a bustling house, of relatives of different ages popping in to visit, and the general comforting chaos of voices of multiple generations gathered around a family dinner table.

Now we’re installed in Basingstoke again, it’s just me and himself staring at each other every night after a long day at work.

For whatever reason, the mundane tasks of the week – the cooking, packed lunch-making, washing, brushing, cat-feeding, bed-making and so on – have become more onerous. Particularly the toddler-placating.

And I just can’t put my finger on why I was happy to make a different dinner for five adults every night in my mum and dad’s house, but now it’s back to me and the Other Half, it’s so much more of a chore.

It’s not that I want to see my parents every night of the week – I just yearn for it to be more than three times a year.

Worryingly, the health of one parent was noticeably worse this festive period, as my father had really lost his joie de vivre.

The future is an uncertain place, and promises unsettling, troublesome things which I am trying hard to avoid dwelling on, given the lot dealt to many other uncomplaining souls. But the reality of what will need to be resolved in forthcoming years is inescapable.

Presently, I am taking solace in the warm embrace of friends, as ever, and our wonderful neighbours.

I am also trying to rejoice in the silly and the fun things (such as the resolution that a friend came up with – try all the weird fruit and vegetables you’ve never eaten before), and, of course, films and books.

I am also escaping from reality for the occasional hour at a time to watch some of my favourite TV shows, a few of which have thankfully returned for new series to sustain us through to spring.

And, as I write, I am a few days away from receiving my box-set of the third series of Sherlock. As you read, it’ll already have been re-watched multiple times!