A single flake of snow falling at my feet
A holiday with people and dancing feet
Tells Christmas comes with joy to meet

As the winter wind blows strong and cold
Down the steep valley and across the wold
Scarves come out and around our necks fold

Hush the wind roaring around the gable
In the nights that draw tight, colour of sable
Come inside food and wine is laid on the table

A year leaves at midnight with many chimes
Another year enters with cheers and rhymes
Think all night about the coming happy times

If I have a wish it is that you are always there
Warm and loving and full of tender care
A part of my world that is vibrant and aware

My dearest friend through all the years
You lived my dreams and saw my fears
Always for you a Christmas full of cheers

Oh well that was a little heavy and I thought about changing or deleting it but I’ll keep it as it was written. So something a little cheerier is this picture of a dog peering from a balcony in Tarragona (Spain). Cute or what?

19th Dec 2006

The inexorable advance of humankind toward our destined equality falters and yet despite all the odds still maintains impetus. We drive the world in our way by refusing to turn against one another and by questioning everything. This is the true spirit of the season for each one of us. When words to describe the witnessed pain of the world fail us, where shall we turn to convey our expressions of impotence? The whole world seems to be dissolving into a madness of hate fuelled pain tempered in brief with inconsequential material or physical delights. Pause, take a sigh, exhale and seek reason if you can. The world will do as it must and those with enough wisdom perceive guiding hands driving the madness behind the thrones. We must endure insanity and bear this desired malevolence. Speak out if you must but your rage may rebound and crash around you like a wave driven headlong to break on a shingled beach and policies of harm masquerading as cries of heretic will be the rounded pebbles striking you down into the foaming water. For they will silence you…for they all have a plan for the world that is either a bloody broth of money or religion stirred malevolently in a cauldron of pain. All we may do is love one another and bear this together till joy one day sets us free and peels away all the lies. We must all take one hate or prejudice carried within and set it free to float away forever with the passing year

Thursday 14th Dec 2006

Just driven home being buffeted by the strong winds and lashing rain. Quite warm overall though and no sign of any frost (or snow) anytime soon. All the work protecting plants from the frost hardly seems worth doing till January these days. The house is ready for Christmas with flashing lights and various decorations scattered about the place.

Tuesday 12th Dec 2006

Finally got all the stuff working again after what seems an age, but was in reality a couple of days. All those junk e-mails and e-bay bargains that I missed...not!! Still been creative at work and updated the mill database with a snowman dancing in the falling snow. I am not sure it will be appreciated but its Christmas. Weather is wild and wet at the minute and looks to continue that way for the next few days. Oh and another item for the list was all the lights fusing this morning...what next!!

Friday 08th Dec 2006

Well I was going to write an e-mail to everyone but the phone line is down so the internet connection is lost. Ah for the old fashioned way of scribing the words onto cellulose. I really should write more personal letters to people but it’s so easy to take the modern way. I would have watched Sky but that’s not working either so overall not having a good day at all. Still luckily yesterday while it was still on I downloaded a trial version of Microsoft Office 2007 professional and I have been having a good look. First impressions are that it’s very good. I shall definitely buy it when it comes out on general release. It’s a 60 day trial by the way...well worth a look. Just remember to save any new files in your existing formats if you don’t think you will be keeping the new version once the trial finishes or you will have lots of newly created files that can no longer be opened with your existing versions of software.

06th Dec 2006
The holiday is over and the sun now a memory fading into dismal days that heralds ever closer evenings till the change of days later in the month. Still the holiday while it lasted was very enjoyable. It was a quiet and relaxing week in the sun, with good food and lots of rest. Now I am back it does seem strange to encounter the cold and the rain but I shall think of the holiday if the weather gets me down. Enjoy the picture of the dunes at Maspalomas

I managed to get some reading done on holiday. A great book called "The Great War for Civilisation" by Robert Fisk. Quite a lengthy tome but full of amazing stories about his life as a reporter and also a detailed history of the Middle East. Given we are currently living through the strangest of times it seems right that we should understand the region a little more. My only regret is that perhaps we should have done that several years ago. One thing in these wars for ideas and land is the notions of sovereignty people are ready to fight and die for. Hard for us to understand as our nation sovereignty remains intact and has not been redrawn to suit outside powers seeking buffer zones or a military or ideological advantage. Here is the link to the Foyle’s website about the book…sooner or later it must all stop and perhaps we can all move together as one free of advantage and religious hatred.

http://www.foyles.co.uk/foyles/display.asp?isb=1841150088&TAG=&CID=