It's nearly Christmas! →[More:]I'm beginning to get excited, like a little kid, over my first ever family Christmas. I've just got a few more gifts to wrap, Diane's daughter, Leah, arrived today from upstate NY (she lives on an army base, her husband went back to Iraq yesterday). There is no snow but lots of rain.

I was sick yesterday, but it was a 24-hour thing, I hope, I'm better today.

We went to a really cool wind chime store today, they had some lovely things. Trouble is, I like the really huge chimes, and (a) they are too big to bring home and (b) I have nowhere to put them anyway. But I love the sounds they make.

I've started making the trifle, with jelly (jello, as USAians call it), sponge fingers and raspberries. I couldn't get proper custard, so it'll have French Vanilla pudding on top, and whipped cream on top of that. If nobody else likes it, I'll be happy.

I am in dial-up hell. I miss my 8meg broadband! It is 24kbps here :-(((