I’m bored, we don’t break up from work until Monday lunch time but no one here is putting much effort into doing anything today.

It has been suggested that I could concentrate on my feedback to Hic Draconis, which then made me think that I haven’t actually done feedback to Sulya yet either – at this rate I’ll end up with coal in my stocking come Christmas morning and not goodies. Yes, I do send feed back - fair enough only to three sites, but I do make the effort as I appreciate more than ever the amount of work that goes into writing fiction.

Speaking of goodies I appear to have only two pieces of Cobweb’s Christmas fudge left, and it’s not even Christmas until next Tuesday - I’ve been on a sugar high the last couple of days. I was thinking of saving the last two pieces for eldest, who loves fudge - but if he doesn’t visit tonight he could end up having to eat a peppermint cream instead.

I was watching the kids go to school this morning and it reminded me of when we used to take board games in on the last day – it was one big play day. Either that or you could make Christmas cards or decorations –adding obscene amounts of glitter. If you were lucky you could just make out the drawing underneath all the red, blue, silver, and gold. Going home was like a scene from Hansel and Gretel, a trail of glitter that lasted for days afterwards. A bit like the pine needles from the Christmas tree, which could still be found in the carpet the following March.

We used to have a Christmas party too – not like these days where they bring in fish and chips from the chippy – a real party. With sandwiches, jellies, ice cream, and iced cakes – crisps and sweets – and very weak orange squash. After everyone had eaten, Father Christmas arrived with a gift for all – usually a selection box. And then back to the classroom to collect all the paintings and finished exercises books plus your P.E. kit; usually containing just the one black slip-on plimsoll – no one ever located the other one. Thinking about it now, it makes you wonder if the teachers were a bit of the kinky side and look them home with them – plimsoll’s can pack one hell of a wallop after all.

What’s been happening then? Well the central heating stopped working earlier this week – no heating or hot water – but only for a day, thank the Gods. The house was freezing – I went to bed dressed in pyjamas, socks and an old cardigan. We didn’t have central heating when I was a child – the frost used to be on the inside of our windows. Most families had a coal fire downstairs with a back boiler that heated the hot water - if it got too hot, you'd hear a whistling sound, then you'd have to run some of the water off. Getting dry & dressed when you got out of the bath took only seconds to complete. It makes you wonder about sex back then too; everyone went to bed dressed for the north pole. Sexual foreplay must have been trying to fight your may through layer upon layer of clothing back then.

Right, I suppose I better show willing and start that feedback then…