It's the 9th

Today's gift - a notebook with coloured pages. I love stationery, though this is almost too nice to use. We now have six reindeer and three trees on the calendar.

Pursuing her policy of opening the wrong parcel, Daughter 2 unwrapped this one yesterday...

 ... but got back on track this evening with this one.

We frequently pass my parents' house because it's on a nearby, unavoidable road. Since it sold, it's had a lot of things done to the outside: it now has a black door (rather funereal-looking) instead of a white one and the garden's been substantially changed, but it looks smart, which is good. Tonight there was a Christmas tree with uncoloured lights in the window . Mum and Dad's always had coloured lights - she wasn't so keen on the plain ones. I'm happy that the house is being cared for but it was quite painful to see the tree and know that Mum isn't going to have any more Christmasses.

This is a picture of Sirius licking Cassie. In their relationship he's always the licker and she's always the lickee. Not sure why. In love, there is always one who kisses and one who simply proffers the cheek. Or maybe he just thinks she could do with a wash.