A few weeks ago, I told my small body of regular readers that I would be taking an indefinite break from blogging. At the time, I had too many challenges in my life and I needed to devote more of my time and effort to tackling them. In some cases, the challenges were also eroding my desire to write.

This week, I am happy to report that some of those challenges have been resolved and I am ready to return to blogging, hence the three short cooking posts I published yesterday.

However, I am still struggling with two chronic problems.

The first is my left hip, which is afflicted with severe osteo-arthritis. Late last year, I went from finding it frustrating and, occasionally, very painful, to feeling miserable, with constant low-level pain, reduced functionality and tiredness, punctuated daily by several moments of sharp pain. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. In just 26 sleeps I will be in an operating theatre having my hip replaced, followed by a period of rehab. (Bet you’re hoping I don’t share too much of that experience!?)

The other chronic problem is less amenable to a permanent solution. For more than 40 years I have suffered from depression. A prescription medicine and occasional psychotherapy help me to enjoy life most of the time, but I remain more vulnerable than most people to experiencing the blues. Happily, one of the main triggers for me going downhill has been resolved in the last couple of weeks, and that has helped to rekindle my enthusiasm for writing.

So, between now and going under the knife, I will try to publish some further posts about our travels in France last year. Beginning with our visit to Musee Picasso in Paris.