Cold.

It's been a bitterly cold day. Later on as I was coming back from town a brief shower turned to ice as it hit the windscreen.

My job for the morning was to wrap parcels and make them ready for posting. I enjoy wrapping presents but it was made tricky by the lack of work surface in my study. I could either use the 8 inches in front of my keyboard or take everything downstairs. Not wanting to be trotting up and down the stairs to fetch everything needed I plumped for staying in my study and getting cross when things fell off the computer desk. After that came the challenge of packing the presents securely into boxes of the required size with sufficient packaging to hopefully prevent damage. Having finished the job I took a step backwards and realised I had left a small present out of one of the parcels. At least I saw it in time and not when I got back from the Post Office. I ended up with three parcels to post so I drove across town to the Post Office at Sticklepath. While I was waiting in the queue I caught sight of the size guide and began panicking that one parcel was going to be too deep but in the end it was okay. Parcels safely on their way in good time for Christmas I carried on to Lidl's and BJ's. While parked at Lidl's I walked across the bridge to the High Street to return the holly leaf cutter Peter had got for me at a local cook shop. Unfortunately he brought home one that stamped out three holly leaves joined together while I had wanted a single leaf. Despite the fact that he only bought it yesterday morning they wouldn't refund me because I didn't have the receipt. So now Peter will have to take the cutter back as he still has the receipt. 

In the Square stalls were beginning to set up for the second night of a Christmas market.  Tempting as the thought of hot bratwurst or more craft stalls is I doubt if we will walk down there tomorrow.