Happy Birthday to Vytas.

Storm Dennis has certainly been wild and windy causing an area of South Wales to be given a Red Weather Warning. Here we had a wet morning and then a bright and sunny afternoon. However the clouds blowing briskly along look ominously dark and full of rain.

Today is Vytas' birthday and hopefully he's tucking into those truffles and sharing them with Sally. They hope to move into their new house next month, a real achievement as it's so hard nowadays for youngsters to get on the housing ladder. They're moving 12 miles away from their current home to an historic town surrounded by countryside. Thanks to the wonders of the internet we've seen pictures of the rooms etc. and been able to walk around the area and very nice it all looks too.

More travels this year including a trip to Pompeii and Naples.

Still going off to battle Parliamentarians. Vytas (centre, blue jacket and grey breeches) seems to be grinning broadly while keeping the cavalry at bay.

And in keeping with his love of physical activities doing some pull-ups before jumping off a bridge during a white water rafting holiday in Nepal.

Here we've had a quiet day. I couldn't think of anything very useful to do so I indulged in kitchen planning. I tried working out all the measurements but kitchen cupboards come in such a variety of sizes. I ended up looking at a photo of the old kitchen and just counting whole or half units then sketching in what I would like. That's more or less sorted but then I started flicking through a couple of catalogues. Some of the prices are eye watering. A basic supermarket microwave costs £40-£60 but built in ones in the B&Q catalogue are £150 - £400! The ovens that have a door that slides back into the oven are £700 - £1,000 while the same pyrolytic (whatever that is) ovens with normal doors are £300 - £450. Lots of things to think about. I'm not that bothered about cooking, just want a kitchen where everything can be put away and still be easily accessible.