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Good morning, Elle!
Your friend will appreciate your company at hospital, I'm sure.
Weather here is pretty poor today.
Was heavy rain earlier and it is quite cold.
Forerunner of Barbara?
Not Chrismassy at all, so far!

Hello Rusty,

Sorry for the delay in replying to you - I have been quite busy with work being done in garden - trees maintenance and general clear out! Plus a cold that you must have sent on to me!

The programme sounds very interesting and yes, I am sorry not to be able to watch it! Please tell me all about it if you have the time.

My village had its Christmas Market last Sunday and it went very well, with all sorts of things being sold, and a lot of goodies to be sampled (Goose liver, pancakes, black-pudding cooked in the street and which smelt gorgeous, wine and champaign etc) one could have had a full meal there!

At midday I joined a crowd of my elderly farmers mates and their wives for lunch in our favourite cafe - the landlord's wife is a very fine cook and we had a delicious meal and enjoyed a very festive ambiance. Great day out.

How are you? Getting ready for Christmas? Mine will be a quiet one at home with the cats....! My British friends are coming down for New Year, so that is good!

Hello, Pigale.
Nice to hear from you!
You do seem to have been very busy with Christmas preparations and lunching with your friends.
I trust the garden work went well?
I like a Christmas market, too!
My Christmas has been planned for me.
The young ones rule the roost now, and that pleases me!
But it will be fairly quiet, I hope.
I am looking forward to this TV programme.
It sounds good!
I have set the machine to record it.
And yes, I shall let you know about all about it.

Good afternoon, Rusty!
Home again!
My friend's hospital visit went well. A good start to Christmas for her!
We had a good lunch to celebrate!
It has been damp here all day, too, but I don't think we are expected to catch the storm.
I hope Barbara misses you!
Apparently , the odds - on favourite for Christmas snow in the UK is Aberdeen, with London the least likely!
Have you done your crossword?
I am just going to sit down and have a look.......

Good evening, Elle!
Well done with your hospital duties!
I have looked at Paddy Power's odds for a white Christmas.
3-1 for Dundee and Glasgow. 8-1 for London.
No mention of Aberdeen with Paddy!
But they go 1-200 for Winnipeg!
Yes, I have completed the crossword, earlier.
Two words that are new to me.
I should hear from the clan in Donegal when Barbara comes ashore.
Nothing so far, although they have gale and lightning warnings posted from Met Eireann.
We will have to be patient!

Hi, Rusty!
I don't remember now where I read about Aberdeen's expected snowfall!
I see that our Mr Jingle gets a mention in the Times 15 x 15!
I must tell him if I meet him scurrying across the floor!
I found today's puzzle quite difficult, and haven't finished it (yet).
Three not done at all, and two additional ones to parse.
How about 4d?
I've got "Tom Thumb".
"To thumb "( hitch hike) around "M" (motorway) but cannot see the definition?
and 14D: I have "billabong" for "Australian pool"
Maybe "Lab" for "party, but cannot go any further?
Now, I have learned something new today!
I had never heard of the Moriori tribe, who preceded the Maoris in New Zealand.
I have been reading up about them.
Apparently the main reason the race petered out is because the tribe was so peaceful!

Helo, Elle,
Today's puzzle was used in the Championship.
Tom Thumb was called General Tom Thumb.
General is the definition.
14; billabong.
Party is Lab,
B for bachelor
One going on a bit is I long.
Very vague, I am thinking.
I have heard of that tribe!
I was reading earlier about the Sullivan brothers, five of them, who all joined the US Navy during the war.
They asked if they could serve together and were posted to USS Juneau. The Juneau was sunk at Guadalcanal.
The five brothers died. Three when the ship was hit, one died on a life raft, and one taken by sharks.
There is a pic of their mother reading the letter from the War Department telling her all her sons were lost.
Dreadful!

Hi, Rusty!
Oh well, I didn't do too badly if that puzzle was used in a Championship!
I don't know of General Tom Thumb?
The only Tom Thumb of whom I have heard is the little (thumb- sized) guy in children's fairy tales.
(also Thumbelina?)
That is a terrible tale about the five Sullivan brothers. Their poor mother.
How did you come to be reading about them?
I am getting into panic mode when I think that there are only three more days to Christmas!
I am sure I shall have forgotten something!

Hi elle
Butting in, General Tom Thumb was a dwarf circus sideshow; he took his name after the Tom Thumb you know, of course.

I think I've come across the Moriori tribe in David Mitchell's book "Cloud Atlas".

Hello, Elle!
Look under "general" in Bradford's and you'll find it.
Charles Stratton was a dwarf who took the name "General Tom Thumb".
Yes, you are doing away fine at the cryptics!
I just happened across the Sullivans.
Hollywood "may" have made a picture about them.
There have been at least two US Navy ships named after them.
The USS Sullivans.
Not long now until Christmas!
I am going to the butcher tomorrow to see will I get a steak pie!
Exciting stuff!