When the taxi dropped me off at my house on 14th December,

I was very happy to see,that my house-sitter did me proud in my absence and had kept the front spick and span,the flower pots watered,just as he had been instructed to do.He took care of the mail,fed the garden residents. Yes,I had a house-sitter,45 nights away without someone keeping an eye on everything would have been irresponsible.I always leave security lights on in my absence,even now the lamps were timed,candles that are battery powered switched on, have learnt every trick under the sun to keep the crooks at bay.Still.Robert is reliable and I was able to leave the boiler on to keep the rooms warm.He was happy to have a lovely break at my home,I was happy to be away and have peace of mind. The mail was piled up in the hallway,I stopped counting the letters when it came to 50.I had just over 2 days to deal with them,pay all bills,check the house as only I can,mainly the roof that no water drainage is blocked with fallen leaves,prepare more food for the inhabitants of the garden,do shopping,cook,unpack,do the laundry,iron.And pack again for the 17 December 12 nights cruise to Canary Islands.And I have done it all.I am writing this seated in the Library of the magnificent Queen Victoria,beautiful,luxurious, warm,cosy,splendidly decked out in the most elegant Christmassy attire, in every corner a shining tree,the banisters dressed to the nines. I dine in the Britannia Club restaurant,knowing the ship would be fully booked for Christmas and wanting to be sure a small table would be there for me only, had decided to stay in a higher class cabin.Is it worth it? I really do not yet know other than I do have a table to myself.And I love every single moment of it,of the five star unadulterated luxury and am not ashamed to admit it. Columbus? Never again !