Szyja Waisbrod, who died in Kupczynce, Poland, in 1942, and all victims of The Holocaust, and the mass genocides of Rwanda, Bosnia, Cambodia and Darfur.

Light a Candle in their memory.  Talk about it.  Stop it happening again.

• Two Brownies cleaning their teeth for their Brownie Skills badges, using oversized travel toothbrushes.
• A martini glass filled with Glenfiddich, topped off with an ice-pole.
• A merger between teams mid-Trivial Pursuit.
• The President of the rugby club attempting a 'scottish' ceilidh (yup, we did Circassian Circle, Boston Tea Party, Strip The Willow, Gay Gordons and American Square Dance. So authentic.).
• A sparrow thinking it was a humming bird, hovering to get some nuts out of a net.  And failing rather, falling into the hedge, and looking very surprised.
• Two of the more excitable American members of the rugby club ditto, with each other.
• A French-Canadian member of the rugby club eating haggis, with one of those Scottish Jock hats and sunglasses.
• The lads playing touch rugby with rather fetching panda-bear hats.
• The market trader informing the world that the Long Johns were coming OFF in the near future, because his balls were roasting.
• My Mummy eating liver at the Club, supping Champagne (but only a glass) and putting the entire world plus David Cameron and Boris Johnson's hair to rights.

Oh yeah.  I'm doing the race for life thingy again this year.  A friend asked if I'd do it with her, and it's really hard to say no!  Please sponsor me?

Do not feed the Guiders anything other than chocolate (Tawny Owl failed to offer us a drink, and I was too polite to ask, so Have just scarfed down a pint of squash).

Term = Planned.

Awesome.

Now, all I need is a book about endangered animals that's suitable for 6 year olds with no attention span.  Any suggestions?

xxx

Already done:

• Emails
• Thank you note to publishers for flowers (very pretty, but delivered while I was out and it took a while for me to get to collect them, what with Christmas)
• Buy present for Mum's birthday
• Buy letter rack
• Bag up socks, trousers, book and gliders to give to parents this evening
• Photographed paternal socks  

Things yet to do:

• Plan trip to 4 peaks (or, possibly, several different trips) in order to climb them Planning begun.
• Find unwanted pillowcases
• List Christmas Cards received so that I don't inadvertently miss anyone this year
• Wrap a different present for Mum's birthday
• Find out how to dry feathers, work out what to do with the duck down and pheasant down Seems that I'll need to wash them in case of mites.  Hmmm.  I shall leave them outside until it's a little warmer.
• Make duck pie with The Welshman (who was round yesterday plucking duck and pheasant in my kitchen). He's ill, so that's not going to happen tonight.  I must also put the pheasant in the freezer....
• Brownies Accounts
• Post Letters (n.b. find stamp)  Can't find stamps!  ARGH!
• Book tickets for trip to Buckingham Palace Garden for Mum
• Sharpen Brownie Pencils Most of them broke, I'll have to go shopping.
• Acquire Denise Knitting Needle Kit points in size 12mm, cast on scarf for former flatmate from long ago
• Finish cardigan for former colleague's baby First arm pretty much done.
• Continue with romper suit
• Make soup
• Sign books and bung in envelopes
• Make chilli con carne to freeze
• Skim read book in order to add to introduction someone else is writing.
  

Considering I wasn't up before noon, and then spent an hour soaking in a bath, I have achieved enough to warrant more coffee

2009's final kick involved two hard-to-read messages from absent friends, and the period pains that I described to my Mother as 'enthusiastic' and to my friends who were in the room by, essentially, looking whey-faced and taking as much codeine as I deemed safe.  It was painful.  Matters were helped by Dozydormouse producing a sort of gel-hotpack thingy, and also by being allowed to hog the comfy chair, but I really wanted to be all snuggled up in bed rather than inflicting myself on other people.  Matters were greatly improved after midnight and I was all snuggled up on an airmattress.  Somehow, I slept through everyone getting up, making breakfast, setting off the smoke detector and eating breakfast.  It's an exhausting business, this being full of cramps.

2010 eventually started several hours late, with a text message from someone that I haven't seen for well over two years (and whose number was no longer in my phone, and I'm not sure I ever want to see him ever again because he was a bit peculiar, even by my standards), and a text from The Welshman (which came through twice - he's since phoned to check I'm OK and sent a very pretty picture of the Christmas Lights in Bath.  For someone who apparently isn't "The One" and who doesn't think he's in love with me, he's very attentive) and then some porridge and proper coffee.

Then there was a very long bath, Dr Who (I cried.  Lotsly), and now Gavin and Stacey.  I'm turning the heel on my Father's second sock (and then he wants some DK weight socks to go in his wellies), tucked up on the sofa in my jammies, with knitted socks from the very first Sockapalooza I took part in on my feet, surrounded by books and magazines and I'm beginning to revive a bit.

I've also had some of my Mum's Christmas cake.  It is mostly dried apricot.

xxx