This has been an interesting week, weatherwise.

We started with warmish, overcast weather, and rain, and we ended up with brisk, bright, clear days! However, the forecast is that by midweek, we are going to have rain, snow, etc., and maybe temperatures of -4° C (24.8° F) during the day, and down to -15° C (5° F) at night. However, that was what was forecast on Thursday night. In the local paper (Evening Press) it said 4° C (30.2° F) and 15° C (59° F), but did they just forget the minus sign? Who knows. Everyone is saying the farmers have been telling people to get prepared, that we will have some very cold days. There is supposed to be 2 to 3 inches of snow. Friends are ordering extra coal for their fires, and most everyone says the farmers are seldom wrong. I was talking to someone in the Northern Wall about the weather (always a topic of conversation in Britain) who said that York usually has 3-4 days of snow in December/January. Well, there was snow on December 21 and again on New Year's Eve, and this coming one would certainly fulfill what he said. So, I just have to wait and see.

This week was pretty quiet, until Friday, which was payday! So our department went out for dinner. We had planned to do this around Christmastime, but invariably there were conflicts, and we decided to postpone it until payday in January. We'd planned to go for a drink at the Northern Wall pub after work and then on the Fellinis for dinner, as they didn't open until 6:00pm. Well, as the time came, we were all having a good time at the pub, and we decided to forego the meal and just have a "liquid" meal instead! So we stayed on at the pub, and we laughed, talked, sang, did a bit of dancing, etc. Rather late, we decided to wander down to Yates', stopping for a kebab and chips along the way at one of the moveable stands. We got to Yates' and were there for a bit. About midnight, Lil Sutton, Tracey Riby and I decided to head home. We got a taxi, and Lil was staying with me. She'd planned to be at Simone's by 8pm, but when she went to phone Simone to let her know that she'd be late, her mobile was dead! I told her she could use mine, but she didn't have Simone's number.....it was listed in her mobile!! So I told her she could christen my "metal action sofa bed". We sat up and talked until about 1am, and then I got the sofabed made out, and I went off to bed.

Saturday morning, I was NOT feeling my best, nor was Lil. I made coffee, and she was on her way to her car. I went out for some fresh air, and I felt better for it, but when I returned, I took to my bed for a longer sleep! That evening I met Peter Gibson and Gareth Dadd at City Screens to see "Lost In Translation". We all agreed that the movie was 'lost in translation' to us, as we did NOT enjoy it. Gareth said it was so boring he couldn't get to sleep! After the movie, we walked to The Willow for Chinese, and then they dropped me at my flat, and I went to bed and to read.

Up this mornng, and I set off to several tile shops and bathroom shops. Bruce wants to redo the bathroom here, and I have been gathering information, brochures, talking to the people, etc. It's beginning to look like I have everything in order; so hopefully, we will be able to get it done pretty soon.

That's been about it here in lovely York. Work is good, friends are good and life in general is good for me. Hope all is going well for you.

All the best to each of you.

Love,