Hi Bluesinger... definitely an Abstainer lol. Which really resonated with me reading Ken's post on another website. As I write I am surrounded by the flotsam and jetsam of the festive season... half eaten Christmas cakes, chocolate biscuits, FUDGE!!! oh my - there's only my husband and I here (bar the sugar free dogs) and he is insulin diabetic - who'd have guessed !?!? I am in constant tension with the fact that he loads up the kitchen with bread, scones, potato farls (Remember those Verbena?? Potato flat scones to go with bacon) and his mother gave him the Fudge in case he took a hypo???????? Still, no one is forcing me to eat it but I have the "lets kill the "enemy" by eating it" kind of attitude to removing temptation. Verbena... I'm just about 21 miles from Queens. I hope your brother enjoyed his time here... and Waterford is just lovely. I live in a small fishing village down on the East coast so have access to beautiful fresh fish. Thank you along with the other lovely folk on this forum for the amazing welcome. Going to start my journal in a moment.