The day dawned this morning to see more snow. DM was surprisingly keen to leap out of bed to help to clear the snow off the drive. I think it could have had something to do with the snow-blowing machine that he’s been hoping to get his hands on since we arrived.

It was the day of the next leg of our travels – from Poughkeepsie to Philly and the welcoming arms of Patti and her family. We are now in her sitting room, laptops on knees (as they were designed for), typing up our ‘stuff’ and relaxing.

DM has installed a wireless network for her that means we can sit side-by-side and both access our internet stuff at the same time. How cool is that?

It’s occurred to me that we’ve now seen Santa Cruz surf, the Napa Valley’s miles of vines, New York’s crazy bustle and the frozen north of Poughkeepsie. I am still trying to refrain from pinching myself as I remember yesterday’s encounters with eagles (seven of them over the Hudson), deer in the back yard, turkeys and American robins in the trees, not to mention an encounter with a skunk!

You know what though - deep in my heart, I'd have happily missed all of these things for waking up to a thump on my chest as Rosie lands, shoving her snout in my face with a mix of snorting and slurping just to make sure I'm really paying my full attention to her, while David is at the bedroom door yelling 'incoming'....Archie on the other hand, sidles in, hoping no-one will notice him and curls up by the window waiting for a bit of fuss. How I miss my two babies.

I tried for a better shot this evening but tiredness and lack of willpower meant it was crap so I reverted to this, which shows clearly the level of cold, with snow-covered ice stretching out for a good part of the width of the river. It’s not the most technically accomplished pic ever but you’d not expect that from a snapshot taken through the train window.

The Hudson makes the Thames look like a trickle by comparison – no wonder Americans come to London and proclaim everything is bigger in the USA.

Tomorrow is my ‘big day’ and I must say it that in all the years I've stood on platforms and spoken to big audiences, itfeels very weird to realise that for the first time in my life the only person I’ll let down if I’m crap is me…. It's usually the company that I work for that would be let down (though fortunately it has never happened yet) but on this occasion I'm not bearing that weight, just the weight of my own self-esteem and of exposing my own inadequacies to the world. In some senses that feels like a bigger burden - no company to hide behind, just me!

Last year we were surprised by the responses to my friend's plight and delighted that this forum helped him. The year before, we were doing training for clients.