The Approach to Christmas
We’ve been getting a variety of personal matters out of the way, to the degree such things are even possible, and keeping busy therefore during the run-up to Christmas, when we’ll be hosting M.’s brother’s family (or anyway the parents and youngest members thereof) for Xmas eve. Given that we’ve been so occupied, there’s been a welcome reduction in the ‘what am I getting for Chrissie’ barrage usually endured from about the time the decorations go up in stores to first thing in the morning 25 December. Now that the day is so close, I can probably anticipate recognition of the uselessness of such inquiries. Right.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, the AWB got their present early: their bribes to Saddam Hussein were not bribes and therefore tax-deductible (which isn’t stopping the lawsuits in the States or the U.S. Federal government delisting AWB); the NSW Labor party continues to be wracked by scandals large and small and leading the Premier to delist one after another of his party’s sitting members. Will anyone be left to vote? Thank goodness we’re headed for the Christmas break. Also, it seems that England’s performance in the Ashes (that’s a major cricketing event between us, one we’ve been winning a lot lately, but lost last year in England, and won back this year in 3 straight tests out of 5) have produced a win of sorts, with the highly regarded spin-bowler, Shane Warne, now set to retire at the end of the series, and Glenn McGrath (ooh, ah, Glenn McGrath) due to announce his resignation from Test cricket thereafter. Happy Christmas, England. We got back the little urn, but you’ve worn out some of our top players. Or something like that.