I wouldn't envy you that weather at all Zillah, but there are worse places in the world to live. The wind does blow in off the North Sea something chronic there though, and numbs everything it can! I went at the end of August one year and we had to buy extra clothing and we were still frozen. I imagine it's a good place to wear skiing clothes!

we got our artificial tree yesterday, as well as DS' shoes. It took us three towns to get the dratted shoes mind you. I think we achieved quite a bit to be fair yesterday, including enough wrapping paper to gift-wrap the Titanic, never mind sinking it! Since DH was there too I managed to pick up a few more bits for the kids too, which is good because I'm all out of time now, because my SIL is arriving this coming Friday. I still want to get them some Lego and some Magnetix, but I'll have to do it online if I'm to have a chance. I need to lay out what I've got and see what there is. I've never been one for massive presents, so I can get a lot of gifts out of the same amount most people seem to spend on one item these days. Oh heck - stockings!!! Haven't really got anything much, so that's a crisis waiting to happen. Particularly with me busy two afternoons this week because of bloody carol concerts - it's hard to sneak off for a couple of hours in the school day when you've already got commitments like that. Bugrit.

The biggest problem with decorations is the time it takes to clear up the mess first so you can see where you're putting things. I bought a new curtain pole and curtains for the dining room - ours fell off the wall back in August - but I can't see them going up anytime soon, unless we get help. It's funny but Christmas dinner seems to be the least of my worries really. I ordered my beef yesterday too - 2.5kg of rolled rib, which I'm hoping will be tastier than the alternative of topside. It's a good butcher too, so all I need to do is turn my oven to it's lowest setting and I have a chance of not incinerating it! I need to figure out timings of course, but I'm not about to do it now. I still need a few more veg, but I'm not especially concerned. I'll think of something and my kids like most veg well enough except mushrooms and peas.

time I got some beauty sleep... preferably before midnight. The wind is howling a gale out here tonight so all the stupid vents keep rattling. A bit like me I s'pose... rattling on here instead of going to sleep. I miss you guys I guess, and my old, less fraught lifestyle where I could come and babble several times a day if I wanted.

Kerri.