Up to my eyeballs in Valentine magazines and the Christmas mags seem a long time ago now - so the festive spirit has drained away. We've got Seth Lakeman and Daniel Donnelly and a chat to a few of the people behind the Beautiful Days festival to lift our spirits on Thursday.

But it just doesn't feel xmasy at the moment and the bad light and cold weather is wearing the old batteries down. All this not helped by having to scatter the old man's ashes up on the cliffs last weekend - my sister and step mum's relationship has dissolved to nothing. But the moment was a fine one - just the kind of weather he loved.

His mum seemed a bit more perky too which was nice - she is 98 you know!

It's our twentieth anniversary next year - and our first date was U2 at Wembley stadium so we're thinking of going back for the Diana thing - looks fairly different and can hone my review skills for the summer. We're still deciding which festivals to do - but with the speculation of The Cure and Nick Cave at Beautiful Days next year - we're definitely back for that one. Will see if the festie organisers illicit anything but they keep it close to their chests.

Razorlight are playing the giant barn that is Westpoint soon, but we both decided to give it a miss - and now Z is throwing a strop cos she wanted to go! Will have to concider whether to go to that then.

Three quarters of the Xmas pressies are bought and the winter schedule finalised - more bombing around the country this year! And we were going for a quiet one.

The bad news is one of the gouramis is poorly - his swim bladder is stuffed - no idea what the cause is - we've been nursing him for the last 24 hours but it's not lookin' good. Looks like we'll have to go to Bow Aquatics and buy a few new community fish - I'm fancying the corydora juliis and some glowlight danios K wants more gouramis!!! Will let you know who wins that one.

Thought I'd watch Girls Aloud getting the willies tonight.

Xmas decorations up tomorrow and hopefully the festive spirit will enter with it.

Oh and it's our works do xmas party on Friday. Oh god!

Cheers