I woke after an hour or so’s sleep with a tickly cough.  And after a while, I had to get up and fetch a drink of water.  That was the end of sleep, until nearly 7 o’clock, when I dropped off for a bit. Pah.  Still, this is infrequent now and used to be a regular pattern – without the cough – so I shan’t complain.

What can I say, darlings? – all is well at the Zeddary because I’m far ahead of my usual bumbling Christmas self.  I’ve wrapped all the presents! – that is, I’ve realised a couple of little gaps, once I compared everyone’s gifts by quality and quantity as well as pizzazz, but that will be remedied in the morning.  I will ice the cake tomorrow and make ice cream as an addition/alternative to Christmas pud.  Delia’s cinnamon ice cream and Katie Stewart/Caroline Youngs’ strawberry (possibly the easiest ice cream in the world, I might even tell you some time).  The cinnamon uses egg yolks, so I’ll have to make meringues too (or else clarify a shedload of consommé, which ain’t happening).

I was just about to mix the Spaghetti Carbonara when my phone rang.  It was our good friend Aberdeen Angus, who now lives in New Zealand – another person I don’t know well at all, but have always hit it off with (Hah! – to the grammatically precise, you put it better!), mostly by phone or email – we know him as a L’toft china collector.

Russell has met some baby tortoises and is rather keen on the idea.  He took Edweena to their owner and she checked her over and said she’s barely hibernating, it’s not cold enough.  She’ll be fine for another month, but will be underweight if left to sleep until the spring – I agree with that, she hibernated too early.  But baby tortoises mustn’t hibernate or they will probably die, so keeping three of them warm won’t cost more than one.  *Sigh*

Al and Dilly checked out eBay for pianola rolls and there are lots, cheap as chips.  And Rog says that they come up at auction too.  I will see what we have, I only remember the top twenty or so that we played often, and do a bit of research.  It’s going to be splendid.