Though there are things I am not thankful for (eg Trump, wars,the climate problem, etc), I am thankful for many more things.

I am thankful to have reached my 81st Thanksgiving, though I no longer celebrate the day.

I am thankful that my mother brought me and my sisters to England sixty-six years ago so that the authoritarian nightmare in America only affects me (physically) via the family members I have remaining there and whatever the orange one does regarding his relationship with Britain and Europe. Mentally, it affects me much more strongly and I must try not to doom-scroll daily if I want to stay reasonably sane.

I am thankful for my home and the things that I have. (I have too many things which I think is a result of not having lots of things when I was younger. Veronica, too, is very acquisitive and she agrees that it must date back to the days when we did our Christmas present buying in the town’s charity shops – mainly books for all of us, about which we were thankful at the time, I hasten to add!)

I am thankful for Veronica, Chloe, Julian and friends and relatives (including Julian’s siblings and their partners and children, past and present; Veronica’s husband, Chloe’s partner, my sisters and brothers and their partners; and all the friends and neighbours we have made over my lifetime.

I’m thankful that all of us got through the covid pandemic with nothing worse than coughs and feeling really tired.

I’m thankful for my sweet doggie who is, at this moment, making me type with one hand while I cuddle her tummy with the other and for our previous dog, Rosie, who was so sweet, most of the time.

I am thankful that I live in a beautiful seaside town which is full of great restaurants, and lovely sandy beaches.

I am also thankful for having decided to give up driving – it’s mad out there sometimes!

I’m thankful for the NHS which has helped me live a life free of knee pain, which was excruciating 15 years ago, for my carpal tunnel operations, my hearing aids, the cataract operation on my right eye and the second, which will be in January.

There are probably loads of things I’ve left out!

One thing I would be thankful for is a piece of pumpkin pie! I haven’t had any for many years! Since I no longer cook from scratch, it’s not something I am going to do. I once had a tin of ‘pumpkin pie filling’ but never used it as the instructions were so daunting!