Twelfth Night

Otherwise known as Epiphany. The twelfth day of Christmas. And the day that here in the UK is traditionally the day the Christmas decs get taken down and stored away until next year. You can take them down earlier - a lot of people do these days. Some pack them all away on New Year's Day (note the addition of the apostrophe and the word day there, please. It's a possessive not a plural *g*). There's nothing wrong with clearing them away early but it's considered terribly bad luck to leave them up any longer than today. The room doesn't half look empty without the tree in it. (It's a bloody big tree we have).

Getting the tree packed away and everything taken down went quite well. I remained uninjured (which is a minor miracle in itself). The tree was safely back in the loft without damage. And I only broke one tree ornament. Oh - and a light bulb. I didn't look where I was swinging the ladder that I'd used to get into the loft. But that was all. Pretty good I thought.

It's flamin' cold here, too. Ok, by the standards of half of Europe and great chunks of the USA it's not that bad - but I'm a wimp when it comes to being cold. And it's minus 5c. I want it to be summer please. Now would be nice.

Did pretty well with pressies too. Well, except for the gloves. An elderly lady of my acquaintance likes to knit. Earlier this year she gave me a scarf because she knows I feel the cold. Unfortunately she's a very enthusiastic knitter and she doesn't always stop in time. I'm 1m 72 tall (that's around 5ft 8) the scarf is brown and three metres long. Three metres!! (Ten feet or so). Am I supposed to wear it round my neck or mummify the dead bodies of my enemies in it?? So for Christmas she knitted some gloves to go with it. They're lilac. Bright lilac. Because of course a three-metre-long scarf is just desperate to have a pair of lilac gloves as a companion. Do I look like the sort of person that mummifies themselves in brown wool and tops it off with lilac gloves?? I thanked her very politely though and told her how lovely they were. I'll wear them every time I go to visit her. But if you think for one minute I'll even contemplate wearing them at any other time... hah!!

Final thing. I've heard again from my emailer of stereotype fame. He or she (still don't know) pointed out that there had been a question mark. I no longer had the email when I posted (having deleted it at once) so couldn't check. And since (presumably) it was a correctly written single one (not like the annoying habit I've had since first learning to write of doubling up question or exclamation marks) I was not observant enough and missed it. I apologise for that. I stand by every other thing I said though.

Ze

BtVS

• Shadows by Chris Cook (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• Chemistry by TazRaven (Willow/Tara Fiction Archive).
  
  
• Part 19 of All Our Masks by Jacks (Through the Looking Glass).
  
  
• Chapter 27 of Bonded by Jinxgirl (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 4 of The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year? by Frass (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  
• Chapter 12 of No Future without You by lizardmm (BuffynFaith.Net).
  
  Criminal Minds
  
• Part 6 of Call Me by lostnfoundcause (Women in Kevlar).
  
  
• Parts 1 & 2 of Empty Allegiance by Carly Carter (Women in Kevlar).
  
  CSI
  
• Chapter 27 of Following the Clues by Rebelrsr (Her website).
  
  Voyager
  
• Bad Wisdom by Captain Katie (Captain Katie's Logs).