Christmas Proper

Yesterday it was 30 degrees here and Matthew couldn't sleep because he was too hot. Today the wind has shifted from the north west to the south west; it's blowing a gale and absolutely pouring with rain! Neil has lit a fire and is out for the evening so the only thing for it is for me to put on my cheesy Christmas music and wrap presents. Everybody else is probably very ticked off with the weather but I love it! It makes me feel much less homesick and it's just the kind of weather there ought to be at Christmas!
Matthew is also getting into the spirit of Christmas and is obsessed with our tree. He's a little like the squirrel in Ice Age who is in pursuit of the acorn; he looks at where the tree is, appears to think out his route and then rolls - back to front, front to back, left to right, right to left (a skill perfected over the weekend) - and pushes himself however he needs to in order to reach those very pretty beads that hang nicely from the lower branches! Then, very cruelly, Mummy or Daddy swoop down and scoop him up - denied! I have a great little movie of it and if I ever figure out how to post it you can have a look but, for now, here are a couple of photos of his brief moments of triumph!