We arrived home, tired but happy, had a couple of days to visit kids and cats then headed for the snow-peaked mountains of Hovden.

The next week was spent in the company of the Sivertsen clan, surrounded by great people, food and drink and snow. Lots of snow.
We were, of course spoiled rotten and fed and watered to bursting point. It was all very relaxing and a nice change of pace from all our travels. Christmas was lovely, we did churchy stuff (the drive to get there and back was sketchy, but despite my lack of faith I really enjoyed the service and the place), walking round the Christmas tree, traditional dinner and of course lavish gift giving and receiving.

The rest of the Christmas break was spent relaxing, wearing silly jumpers and (in my case) taking the occasional trip out on the skis, while Katrine was happy with sofa duties. All good. It was, as always, great to be in the company of the extended Sivertsen clan (I have to say that on the off-chance that they read this), they are the nicest, sweetest, most loving family I have ever had the pleasure to be in the presence of and I always feel humbled and warmed by the love they show each other and the mostly undeserved warmth that they treat cumbersume invaders, like me with.

Fuelled by engineering know-how, determination (and, in my case, more alcohol), Katrine and I managed to complete our Lego T2 build and more than a few audio books before departing to spend New Years in a castle in Sweden. Woop!