Every time I leave my office I step over the red plush d20 Tal gave to Liam for Christmas last night. Liam knew what to do with it right away, too.

The evening was lovely. The roast beef was absolutely to die for, although the Yorkshire pudding was a bit more dense than I was expecting (it still tasted perfect), and I will never again use whatever type of potatoes I used last night to roast, because they took two hours in the oven and then another seven minutes in the microwave to cook them through. I’m always amazed at how easy big dinners like this are now, as compared to when I started cooking them fifteen years ago. Then it was all about the timing and the oh no and the angst. Now things just work.

There was wine, and little pastries for dessert, and a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere. It was a good evening, the kind I really needed. And I slept very well afterwards, which was a nice change.