Lemons, I'm sorry home hospice care isn't an option for her. I think it's often a good choice for people who have the right support. I'm glad the rudeness over reserved seats on the train isn't exclusively a US issue. It may have something to do with the fact that commuter trains, which people are more familiar with, don't have reserved seat.
The brief argument between the lad on the train and the conductor was amusing. The lad didn't understand why he couldn't just sit in one of the unused seats in business class. The conductor, with admirable patience, explained to him that a) he hadn't paid for a business class ticket, and b), those seats were unused now, but people getting on at the next stop or the one after had reserved them and would be in use later. I think this was a good life lesson for the lad. He certainly wasn't expecting the reaction he got from me.
Silkie, that all sounds fairly hopeful regarding your DS.
Well done on the tree, Math. They are in short supply here too. Our dear cats like to hide under the tree too, but thankfully there's no water to get into. When they were younger, they liked climbing the tree and looking out from the branches.
It's snowing here, for the first time this winter. The ground-level temperature is just above freezing, so nothing is sticking yet. I've unpacked from my trip and caught up on laundry. Remarkably, I've lost a bit of weight, which I wasn't expecting given all of the eating out I did. It's lovely to be home.