Back in the saddle

Where to begin? A friend, having recently resumed blog-writing after an absence of many months, suggested that it is easier to begin in medias res than to risk the distraction of a lengthy and complicated catch-up entry. I am tempted to follow her advice, except that I couldn't write without reference to all the things, good, bad and wonderful, that have happened in the interim. It has been an eventful four months.

I shall catch you up, faithful readers, but I will do so by taking the advice of that other cyber-authority, Manolo the Shoeblogger, and writing lots of posts. With pictures.