Snow in time for Christmas. Yay!
Presents bought in time for Christmas. Yippee!
Cards sent in time for Christmas. Hurrah!
Handmade presents...begun before Christmas! Could be worse!

The remaining members of the fragile holy family: baby Jesus, Mary and her rich new boyfriend King - I don't know which one he is. The rest have all toppled at some point from edges of tables and 'safe' high places. 'Let's put the fragile things in a high place to keep them safe' - 'Beachy Head?' - 'Er, OK.'

Theo's been crafty. I handed him a craft book last night. The rest's all him. Books! Can't beat 'em.

The Thanksgiving Tree, or Tree of Gratitude. Soule Mama inspired this. I'm so unused to feeling grateful that I had to make an A-Z list! I do hope this will become more spontaneous with practice.

Sinterklaas brought some toy trains and two MP3 players. He should've just brought 3 MP3 players. Why did he - and Mrs Sinterklaas - think that being 4 makes you not want to listen to music right in your ears? Let's hope he sends a note on the matter to Father Christmas.

We are reading:

Blue Kangaroo books and Dr Seuss Green Eggs and Ham
Joey Pigza Loses Control
The Lone Pine Club
Bill Bryson At home (brilliant!)

Belgium has a government again. With an openly gay and rather flamboyant francophone Prime Minister.

Sacha thinks Sinterklaas probably doesn't exist.

Ivor said: I'm dancing at the 'Roodoudersfeest' (festival of red parents) and then at the 'Blauoudersfeest'(festival of blue parents). Sweet. He actually danced at the 'Grootoudersfeest' (Grandparents festival)

Some improvements to the kitchen wall.

And some ideas:

- a cut-out tree (or leftover branch) on which to stick notes...thoughts...hopes...ideas...memories

- a cut-out Christmas tree on which to stick hopes for Christmas: things to do, gifts etc

- homemade cards featuring The Story of the Christmas Tree as drawn by us (including rescue and replanting...)

Bicycool

There are three blue skies. Mine, yours and Blue Kangaroo's. Now sing (Away in a) Manger. (Ivor).

I nibble Theo's ear. He says: I can feel it here in my leg!

New (used) bike from Matthieu. There are hills in Belgium, you just need a bike to feel them. Ivor says 'bicycool'. I reminded Sacha that he used to say 'Most ladies' car' for Mercedes.

Sacha says there are no snakes in Ireland because after the last ice age they never made it back over the sea from the rest of Europe.

Theo found three seeds on the ground from his last-year's sunflowers that gave us (and the birds) so much pleasure. He planted them in the new potager and carefully watered them in. He said: I'm glad you made me switch off the computer.

I cut lengths of rose prunings and stuck them in the ground all around the potager too. That rose has the most intense, heady smell of anything I know. Ivor says 'stinky nettles'.

Matthieu is building deeply satisfying raised beds which we will fill with all sorts of stuff as soon as we are able: compost, soil, fruit bushes, herbs, flowers, vegetables. We have old car tyres kindly given by a local garage in which we will grow the potatoes currently chitting on the windowsill.

The sun shone all day.