4January1996

My dear folks,

Good morning or good night, which ever suits you better. It’s going on for 0600 here. I am about to leave for the airport to return to Germany to complete the celebrations I began at Christmas. Jones & I both slept terribly for reasons that are not clear. We had guests to supper & retired about midnight. Whether it was the rich food or the coffee or simply the disruption in my life is not clear. Jones says she didn’t sleep a wink. I awoke every hour to listen to the news. After four hours of it, we thought we might as well get up. So there’s time for a quick hello.

I finished my third and last overnight shift at 0900 yesterday. It went well for which I was grateful, excepting that the dual presenters hate each other - although that’s their problem rather than mine. I slept for 3 hours and then drove my neighbour, Steffania, 90 minutes south of London to fetch her dog from quarantine. Dog (or bitch rather) named Jessica, was overjoyed with the richness of freedom. We gave her a walk before trying to persuade her to travel in the plastic container in which she’d flown from Italy. Jessica, understandably, refused steadfastly to have anything to do with it. So she travelled on Steffania’s lap instead.

I went into the house with the pair of them in the hope of seeing the reaction of Poopoo, the fat, resident cat. Poopoo, as it happened was outside & when she saw the invader she decided to stay there. How Mavis will react when he strolls through Poopoo’s catflap this morning en route to consume Poopoo’s breakfast - his daily routine - can only be left to the imagination.

Our guests were two former NBC colleagues of Barbara and their children aged 7 & 8. As my contribution, I took the latter two off to play computer games. Although neither had played these before, they had the knack within two minutes and were pitting their wits against the odds. Each, when waiting to a turn, kept calling the shots to the sibling at the keyboard who in turn begged the other not to. But such enthusiasm was unrestrainable. The parents remarked that they had to get a computer and I fear they do. The two children both go to a remarkable school in central London which includes every kind of training - including computers & trips to a school site in Switzerland - as part of the curriculum.

We are planning a brief ferry trip to France later this month and I have obtained my leave for Portugal at the end of February. What good news. We shall be poor but we shall be happy. Speaking of which, Conal’s girlfriend’s father asked via Germany whether I could get him a ticket for the lottery, standing this week at a record £40 million. I said yes but that I needed him to choose the numbers - for fairly obvious reasons.

I got a fax back from Cathy with a page of numbers and a request for a £20 investment in the lottery. He’s got to be a trusting guy! I’ve taken out a few tickets on my own behalf as well. If the pair of us fly into Calgary in a private jet one of these days you may draw your own conclusions.

I must fly !
Blessings,
T