Walking to work this morning, I saw a robin perching in a holly tree, with a beautiful frosty field in the background. It still startles me when I see all these traditional Christmas-cardy scenes in real life. I wonder how long it will take before having Christmas in winter feels natural?

Today was actually the first frosty morning we've had this winter. This month has been mild, but grey and soggy and rather dreary, completely unlike last November, which was cold, but beautifully sunny and frosty.

Today was also the day that I forgot to take a house key with me, so arrived home from work in the dark, and the cold, to find the house locked and empty. Steve was fetching Sophie from her after-school club (she goes to Journalism Club on a Wednesday afternoon), Ems was at her extra-credit after-school Classical Civilisation class, and Bobby was at work. Luckily Steve and Sophie were just a few minutes from home so I didn't have to wait too long. And luckily it wasn't raining.

This evening Bobby and I spent a bit of time picking out a couple of charities to donate to. Bobby's work has a really nice scheme whereby you can set up a monthly donation to charities of your choice, and they will match your contribution. We have been feeling a bit guilty because, since we left Florida, we haven't really been contributing anything to any charities at all. And with Christmas coming up, the time seems right to set this up. So, we think we will make a monthly donation to Amnesty International and to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.

On a related note, if anyone is looking for presents for people who have everything, Oxfam Unwrapped has some really good things - £18, for instance, can buy safe water for 25 people. Or at Christian Aid, £10 buys a disaster survival kit, £25 will buy you a bicycle for an HIV outreach worker in Malawi, and £75 will buy a midwifery kit for a volunteer midwife in Burkina Faso. A lot more worthwhile than yet another calendar, box of chocolates or bottle of aftershave.