Maybe some of you noticed I hadn't been around the last 2-3 days. It was because I'd gone to see some relatives up the coast to give them their Christmas presents (it's only around 4-5 hours by car). So we stayed a few nights, and it was really fun, like our TV at the moment. We got a really bad storm which blew the roof off one of the sheds as well as the spa pool cover and a few of the outdoor chairs. I think the problem with going up there isn't that the weather's not so good. The problem is that once we get there we don't have all that much to do except chat with our cousins (assuming they're around) and inhaling second-hand smoke. The trip back also wasn't very good. My dad drives a Saab, which is built for cold Swedish weather, not hot Australian weather, so whenever it gets hot the tubes for the air conditioner clog up and the water from the dehumidifier ends up on our feet. The usual first reaction to this occuring is to turn off the air conditioner, but by then our feet are already wet and either we roast in the 32ºC heat (90ºF) or we wind the windows down and get an equally hot breeze. On a much nicer note, we're going to see the New Year's Eve fireworks (the 9:00 ones, not the midnight ones) from a boat out in the harbour, so there'll be a great view of them. The fireworks in Sydney are always spectacular, because the Government promised a good show in exchange for banning them for sale, and they've been putting up one of their usual light pictures on the Harbour Bridge, so I might put up some pictures I can find of the bridge with a huge heart-shaped light all over it. It's wonderful every year, provided they aren't cancelled, which has happened quite often recently because of fire dangers and heavy wind. Anyway, have a safe and happy New Year everyone, and I hope you have fun on the night!

Well, I'm probably going to have a rather bad end to the year TV-wise. December and January are what's known here as the "Sargasso Sea Season". Because in Australia these two months are the summer holidays as well as Christmas and Australia Day (26 Jan), there are no TV ratings, and so we're going to get dumped with Christmas specials, repeats and enough sport to send you around the bend. They take off all their high-rating shows until February as well. It isn't all bad though. Although the free-to-air networks are going to ignore us, the pay TV networks keep going. CN is going to be getting Zatch Bell I think, and there's probably more on the way on The Comedy Channel, while FOX8 is going to do it's usual "Why not make half our programming into The Simpsons" like last year. At least I could find better things to do. Like earn some money. Anyway, if I don't post again for ages, a nice cool, chilly Christmas to all you guys north of the equator, I'll just be boiling away, melting, looking for something to watch.