Having my say

What a strange time of year this is. It's supposed to be a sparkling, pristine, clean slate of a time when we can start anew. In reality though, we're in transition between the old and the new even though the new started last Saturday night at midnight. There is no clear defining time and we're left with the remnants of the festivities to deal with.

Tonight I took down the cards, tree and decorations because I never know whether they should be gone by the 6th January or on the 6th January. There is still a heap of edible goodies to munch through and some presents to find storage space for. I suppose I should dispose of the cracker novelties that are still littering the table including a perfectly good whoopee cushion, a tiny pack of playing cards on a keyring and a triangular nine-piece butterfly jigsaw. I think I'll keep the miniature screwdriver set as it will come in handy when I need to tinker with connecting leads round the back of my computer processor. I won't miss the infuriating metal puzzle that I've never managed to do yet.

The shops seem to be in the same state. Many of them are still selling Christmas cards and wrapping whilst slowly replacing the old stock with the new. We'll know where we are soon though when the Easter eggs go on sale.