Thurs 15^th Dec 2011

Snow arrived to waken us up this morning…not a huge amount but just enough to coat everything with a clean, white covering. Then the grey, old dirty town looks almost fresh again. This is the fun part of the winter until we have a really heavy fall and travelling around becomes tedious. Unless of course I get out for a walk during the holidays or the weekend with a little dog ploughing his way through the deep snow. Not sure of the forecast for Christmas. Increasingly the weather guys seem to be hedging their bets all the time and wont commit to a long forecast.

Not long now to Christmas thankfully. Can’t wait to not be at work for a little while and this will be the last one here and as I move closer to the New Year I am becoming more impatient that the whole work thing is over. I wonder where I shall be this time next year. Hopefully I shall be sat inside scoffing hot buttered crumpets watching the snow falling thick and fast and thinking, “What shall I do today?” Yes like that’s going to happen. We’ll see. Perhaps I’ll have found a new job but Christine Lagarde (head of the IMF) seems to be a bit of a prophet of doom on that score at the minute.

Friday 16^th Dec 2011

The shortest day on the 21^st brings the greatest hope to us that spring will soon arrive. It may seem so far away; but hush now special one, for soon it shall arrive. Christmas will soon be here and then shall come winter storms; but no ferocious intent can stop the world from emerging into a New Year. Already the signs are showing, (although it only seems like the trees were stripped of their leaves recently.) Hyacinths are budding in the dark places ready to be brought inside in January and through the cold, wet earth come the daffodils. 

I have often wondered why the New Year doesn’t start in April for it seems to be that is truly when everything changes. It never makes sense to start the New Year in the middle of winter.