Great Big Blog Party 37 Winner

I have visitors today - my friend Duck and her husband are home (briefly) from Dubai where she used to live and is having a short hiatus (that sounds painful) in Lincolnshire before leaving for pastures - well, streets at least - new in Spain.

So we're getting together, snatching our usual one day a year (if we're lucky) to catch up on the hugs and the talk and the news that we've missed in the past 12 months. Sadly, Duck comes home just as another friend Liz (Kate waves to Liz) is planning her move to Dubai or I could have introduced them. And two friends out there would have been even more incentive to visit. But they just missed each other by a month or so.

But today I will be busy - so I'm dashing in to post a quick winner announcement and hopefully have time for today's guest blog before I start making the coffee and trying to remember all I have to tell Duck.

So today's winner is for Jan Jones' contest.

Jan was roping her cats to help her choose the winner and . . .well, I'll let Jan tell the story . . .

Merlin was unavailable for crunchie duty this evening, so Archer had a sniff around and picked Donna as the winner. I was about to clear up the pieces of paper when Merlin came racing through the cat flap just as if a really scary quarter-his-size hedgehog had appeared from behind the wheelbarrow, and he immediately ate Ally's crunchie to calm himself down.So, I'd better announce two winners of Stage by Stage: Donna and Ally. And no, the hedgehog doesn't get to choose one as well!

So Donna and Ally - you know the drill.
And special thanks to Jan for adding an extra copy of Stage By Stage to the prize collection - the winners are in for a real treat.

(And Jan - please write another book so I can enjoy it too!!)

Oh yes - and a special addition from Sid - seeing as we posted a pic of Merlin on Jan's actual blog, but missed Archer - today I'm remedying the matter by including a photo of another handsome red and white feline who lives with Jan