I woke this morning to the voice of Alan Johnston on the radio. In my not quite awake state - okay then, sleep addled as usual - I couldn't work out what had happened and initially thought that the worst had happened. Wasn't it wonderful to actually hear good news? And humbling to listen to him speak so eloquently about his time held captive. I listened to him talk about the number of times he thought that the end had come for him. About how having a radio which allowed him to tune in to the BBC World Service and hear messages from people he knew and those he didn't know and to hear about the vigils that had been held for him, had made such a difference to him. I celebrated for his parents and friends who have been on a roller coaster of emotion for months and have had to deal with rumour and counter rumour. Hope in the midst of despair for a world gone mad. When I shared the news over breakfast with the two oldest children who are out in the workplace trying to put a dent in their student loans before increasing them come October, One and Only daughter stated that while she'd hoped that it would be all right for him, part of her expected the worst. Eldest son, English student - jealous much? you bettcha - quoted poetry with his Shreddies.

Sometimes
Sometimes things don't go, after all,
from bad to worse. Some years, muscadel
faces down frost; green thrives; the crops don't fail;
sometimes a man aims high and all goes well.

A people sometimes will step back from war;
elect an honest man;decide they care
enough, that they can't leave some stranger poor.
Some men become what they were born for.

Sometimes our best efforts do not go
amiss; sometimes we do as we meant to.
The sun will sometimes melt a field of sorrow
that seemed hard frozen: may it happen for you.

I know Sheenagh Pugh is bemused by the places her poem has been used and the Big Lad was equally bemused to enter the kitchen on the hoof to hear Large Son quoting poetry that early in the morning - we're normally lucky to have grunts, but somehow this morning for us, it summed up the mood.

And Mr Johnston we're glad that today it happened for you.