This was the first weekend we’ve stayed home to do nothing for a very long time – and the weather was perfect for it. No guests to entertain, no exhibitions that were closing that we had to dash out to see, no friends to catch up with, no place in particular we had to be. It was nice. We stayed home and Michelle caught up on some work – producing millions more slides (she is in fact just a slide presentation producing factory – you always wanted to know what she really did for a living didn’t you?), and I did my devoir, for the first time ever. A dissertation on whether I was for or against the new law regarding DNA testing on new immigrants, a summary of a news article – the new non-smoking law coming in January 1st, studying for a beginners chapter 3 control test, and 3 pages of my beginners grammar exercise book. Not bad for a lazy student huh!

Every time we peered out the window just to check, the rain, the wind, and the temperature gauge in the flower pot ensured we stayed in our PJs and socks and shuffled around the house drinking tea and eating chocolate biscuits.

In addition to all of that, we managed a movie on Canal Plus Saturday night which is free the whole month of December (watch out NY’s eve Michelle is likely to want to stay in and watch back to back shows of Taratata), and tonight a movie out at the cinema (yes gasp! we went outside! for 98 minutes!) and then drinks at our neighbours, and a quick thai meal courtesy of the world’s best neighbour Michel at our favorite thai restaurant, 2 minutes walk from the apartment.

It was the perfect weekend. Not only because I’ve come down with a flu, and my newly x-rayed heel shows a new bone growing (heel spur) causing me to hobble most everywhere, but because we needed to just hang out. Write christmas cards, watch telly, get some stuff done. It’s been an amazing year, and it’s almost over, and we need some time to take stock before the festivities begin.

Bring on the silly season…. we’re rested and ready and raring to go!