We drove from North to South in a shocking snow storm and luckily made it back before the main roads became unpassable (and just in time for the French & Saunders special. and how brilliant was that Vera Drake sketch? bloody brilliant!). Christmas was great oop North. Nice gifts, too much food and the Boxing Day Lions Club swim at Newbiggin By The Sea (fit tattoo'd geordie lads virtually naked and swimming in this for charity). I bought my Mum and Dad a city break to Amsterdam for Christmas so expect stories of drug abuse and prostitutes-behind-glass hilarity in a few weeks. They bought us matching portable DVD players so last night we went to bed with a movie each instead of a book. I watched Pink Flamingo's and Darren viewed Disney's Fantasia 2000 (poles apart, one sickly sweet and the other just plain sick).