Let them eat cream buns - yum yum.

DEAR SPOOK, still drawing upon Mel's portfolio (so to speak), but bit worried she may start charging me. It's just that the inside of a toilet bowl isn't terribly picturesque, even though I am quite good at cleaning them. I thought you might like to see that we have images of 'home' on our pristine kitchen wall. Richard's painting looks as though it is going to drip on to the wharf. Mary Forfar gave me these pictures as a memento.

I learnt a new word today - goovna. It was not directed at me, but at the person who didn't turn up for work when there were 19 changeovers and 8 services. So as I had hoped for, I did get brownie points for turning up. I am still 'darleenk'. I taught her the word equivalent to 'goovna' in Gaelic and it has a lot to do with that stuff you work with.

With my free thinking time, (which is what cleaning is good for) I became a Che Guevara type revolutinary, freeing the oppressed from slave labour. I did realise that I would probably need to lose the Landrover and walk to work in the pouring rain, as my comrade must do. Then I worried that I was really more of a Marie Antoinette type figure (who parks the Landrover in the furthest away place and then wonders if she should take an alternative route into the hotel so that no-one notices) and decided that the best thing I could do was just work hard and make my Leader happy. Which proved to be a good choice.

Amy and Grieg are coming for tea and then all 4 will go back to their house so that Granny Maggie can look after them all and put them out to school tomorrow. First day back and I imagine the real work will start for the children. I am going to sleepover along the road and go straight to my minimum wage post in the morning. Tommy Sheridon would have something to say about it, I'm sure.

Take a good look at the photo of the mast as it will be your first running race when you get back. 26th of December is Rogers race to the mast and back. It's always an adventurous race, whether it's being chased by horses, up to the knees in mud, waist in snow and getting lost at the end.

A Chinook flew down the canal just as I came home today, and veered toward me and over the croft, really low. I know they are part of a war mongering force, but I can't help getting excited when I see and hear one. And I always think of how helpful they were in getting rid of those nasty giants in the BFG.

xxx