… it just blows you down and leaves you in an undignified haze.

This blew me down this afternoon.

She was a member of our extented family in England, a cousin by marriage, a kind person who invited us into her lovely home in the countryside on more than one Boxing Day, fed us delicious claret and passion fruit merengues.

Her darling daughter – now hanging on in hospital – is my daughter’s age.

They hit it off the last time we visited their place on Boxing Day 07.

It’s hard to know what to say or do.