Today is Boxing Day, or would be in New Zealand or Cyprus, but this holiday does not exist in France. Shops will be open as normal, and some people will even go to work. I am officially on holiday as of yesterday, although I did not even go to work at all this week - having unfortunately caught a horrible cold that laid me low on Monday and Tuesday, and is still lingering.

This meant that Christmas was very quiet, I spent it at home, stitching - I am half-way through Homespun Elegance's "Home is Where You Hang Your Needlework", which is capable of being done even by someone who has to blow her nose every three seconds, thus losing her place in the chart. I've also watched the DVD of "Cold Comfort Farm", very good indeed, I recommend it. And I'm in the middle of re-reading "Persuasion", WH Smith having had a sale of the classics in nice, small hardback editions. No Christmas dinner as such, I couldn't have cooked anything elaborate, all I had was herb sausages with mashed potato and peas! Still, at least it was hot and relatively healthy!

Today I am still in bed, but intend to get up soon and do a few essential things. I am still in the middle of the great tidy-up, which is going quite well, in that I no longer have about ten piles of papers etc towering about the place, I am down to one pile, with everything else being in the correct place, more or less. I should have shares in Muji, the number of their storage drawers that I have bought. Today I want to try and get some fresh air, though, and it will be off outside, to the drycleaners and to buy some food. Then back home and settle down to the stitching again, as the top temperature here today is forecast for 3 degrees.