I can Take the Despair - it's the Hope I Can't Stand

Dear friends.  The title of today's post is a memorable quote from a very funny film, Clockwise starring John Cleese.

It's the reason my post is late.  Yesterday I didn't get round to writing the post I had been planning.  I had been expecting that my application for voluntary redundancy would be accepted. I'd been optimistic that the exciting plans I've been making for retirement would start falling into place.