There's one really interesting thing about living on the edge of a Mountainous region, and that's the weather.  We gets lots of it. In fact, as I write this, our clear blue sunny sky is obscured temporarily by thick, continuous nimbo-stratus, being blown along by winds that sound capable of bending the odd skyscraper.  Having said that, this would clearly be an excellent time to buy shares in a Gopher wood mill.

The three months around December can be a depressing time - both emotionally and physiologically - which is one reason why our ancient forefathers started Christmas, or its predecessor, at any rate.  They assumed by having a bash on the longest night of the year it would give everyone something to look forward to; both as they headed towards the bash and as they headed away, and the nights became shorter and lighter. How the stone-age equivalent of Toys R Us fared, of course, is anyone's guess, but trade having been at the centre of human society since the species began we have to assume that Og and Mrs Og probably had to get something for the Oglings - probably a new chisel set, or a new rocking raptor.

Around this time, the media usually find someone to wheel out who protests that 'Christmas has become too commercialised' and 'We've forgotten the true meaning of Christmas' but for denizens of the Northern Hemisphere, the 'true' meaning of this time of the year has always been the same: eat well, try to stay dry and warm and think fondly of summer.  Well - try to think of a warm summer.  Not the ones we've been having.  But whatever you do, enjoy the moment.  Because you don't know what's round the corner.