Ul unilaterally decided it was my birthday. It was lovely (and highly unusual) to emerge from the shower to offerings of coffee, croissants and candles. Unfortunate he didn't consult anyone else before bringing it forward 10 days.

He's been running round trying to bricoler his bike and is full of stories of connecting electricity in a freezing garage, conversations on the technicalities of bike maintenance, and electric handwarmers for the bike. It sounds cold to me: each to his own. In his spare time he's apartment hunting. And looking for a bike for me. I fear we're not going to be ready to leave at the end of Jan. Very pleased I booked the tickets back in December using all my wiles to pin down a commitment 2 whole months in advance...

I discover PhotoBlip. Many a happy hour and the promise of monotonously regular entries.