Adios, Christmas tree

Unadorned pine trees growing in their natural environment are beautiful. Decorated, illuminated Christmas trees in a house are beautiful. But a stripped naked, dried out tree on January 6th is plain depressing. We took it upon ourselves to pack away all the Christmas ornaments by lunchtime today, but at 3 p.m we are still at it. Not because we have that many; it is just that we detest the task as it truly symbolises the end of Christmas. It is dreary weather, three more months of winter await, our teenager with chronic sulkitis got back yesterday from a week away and the mood here is quite downcast.

Lucky, then, that jolly Uncle T arrives tomorrow for his first visit to us in Bovinia. He is bravely flying into Innsbruck - up till now, all our visitors have come from Munich. Either way, the train connection takes a while, so he will have ample opportunity to lap up his new surroundings and exchange his air of urban chic for rustic charm.

Must go, I just heard the sound of a bauble shattering into smithereens on the marble floor.