In a moment of slight insanity I made

apricot jam yesterday. Yes, I know it was Christmas Day. I also made bread...and put the topping on the cheesecake.
I had planned to make bread so that was fine. I had planned to put the topping on the cheesecake (fruit) so that was fine. But...the apricot jam?
Well, the Senior Cat had picked a bucket of apricots. As he is 91, almost 92 (and thinks he is about half that age at the very most) I had to admire the effort involved and do something about it.
It meant a last minute, unplanned trip to the supermarket to buy the sugar. It involved finding the jam jars. It involved cutting and weighing and all the other things.
I did it. We have apricot jam nestling alongside the marmalade. The Senior Cat is feeling very pleased with himself.
The rest of yesterday was taken up with family, food and a friend of Middle Cat, a young Vietnamese student who would have been on his own for Christmas Day. He looked a bit hesitant to start with but my nephews and their cousins, who are about his age, hauled him off to do energetic things and he wasn't given a chance not to be part of the group. When his hostess, sister-in-law to Middle Cat, was being given farewell hugs and kisses by the nephews he shyly lined up to shake hands and then shyly hugged her instead when she reached out to hug him.
"I had a wonderful time," he told her.
"Good. We didn't want you to be on your own," she told him.
And they would not. The Senior Cat and I know that. We have always been included too.
My nephews and their cousins have been brought up to accept people of all races and faiths and the mothers will hug all the children - because they see them as their children too.