Take Your BEST SHOT

Just because her daughter had failed to notice, it didn’t mean she hadn’t got dreams of her own

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January. Considered the longest and dullest month of the year by many, although that’s a view I can never quite get my head around. For me, January is like the first page of a book, a story that is just beginning and waiting to take you with it.

With all the bustle of the festive season over, and the decorations safely packed away, my mind turns into a whirring machine of possibilities and goals.

In recent years, I have waited until I’ve had the house back to myself before acting on any of them. But today had brought with it the perfect inspiration. The overnight forecast had been rare in its accuracy and I now stood by the French doors, looking out on a blanket of white, glistening in the morning sun. Perfect.

‘Mum, why have you turned the heating off? It’s freezing down here!’ Danni’s voice broke both the silence and my thoughts. I turned to greet her, taking in her bare feet and arms, as she hugged herself against the cold.

‘Well, you could always try putting a few more clothes on. Those slippers and the dressing gown your Nan bought you, for a start.’

‘I’m saving them for when I go back to uni… those bills don’t pay themselves, you know.’

I raised my eyebrows and stifled a smile; her consideration on such matters clearly didn’t extend to the bills around here. I turned back to the garden, enjoying the warmth from the mug of coffee in my hands.