By the way, I must say I'm knocked out by your picture, Doreen - I'd pictured you as being much 'starchier' looking somehow - goes to show! I'm not going to post a picture because I'm one of the least photogenic people I know ... sigh.

Sorry I didn't respond earlier, I haven't been posting much the last couple of days. I've just been busy! Just marked a big stack of 1st-year English papers and am now starting a stint of marking college/university English entrance exams. 95% of them are ESL, and a very high percentage are very poorly written. Somehow, reading the resulting 'fractured' English for hours every day scrambles the brain. I'm usually a good typist, and I keep making mistakes this morning. Anyway . . .

Sorry you're feeling under the weather - apt phrase, eh? Is it still raining? We had a couple of days of rain here, and I thought "this is it - the monsoons have finally set in" - but yesterday we saw the sun and this morning there's not a cloud in the sky (yet). We've been so lucky this fall. It makes such a difference, because I've hardly felt SAD at all.

I know what you mean about the isolation thing kicking in. I'm already dreading Xmas/holiday/whatever invites. It's not that I don't love all these people and want to see them, it's just that I don't want to see them all within a 10-day period! But I feel guilty turning down invites because I know people want to see me and I don't want them to think I'm snubbing them. It's going out in the evenings that gets to me the most. Once it's dark (especially when it's also wet, which is usual for December), I just want to be home.

I'd like to see some of your artwork, is there any way you can post it?

Chin up, how are you doing today?
Rachel