Thursday 9 January

An overcast day with some showers in the afternoon, meaning that we didn't go for a walk. No point getting wet when it's not necessary. In the evening, I attended choir practice in the local church. Strictly speaking, it's not a choir, but for the sake of simplicity I'll refer to it like that.

Quite a discussion going on at present about the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, in February. Putin's Russia is not quite as liberal as we would like, and he could be referred to as homophobic. So, there are several heads of state and government who will not attend, but the Dutch prime minister, king and queen will be there. Cue a huge kerfaffle, but then, let's face it. The Netherlands is only small fry on the international stage, and there has already been a huge row between Holland and Russia in 2013. I think Mr Rutte (the PM) will have reasoned that it's better not to risk another snub at a time that Mr Putin seems to be in a mood to be placated.