It has become November and I am getting used to minus 20 degrees C and icy roads. There is enough snow to ski now and hopefully it will be warm enough this weekend to go out.  This year I have invested in a huge winter jacket – the thickets down jacket I could find. James helped me choose it as I initially wanted to get the fancy thin sports jacket I see people wearing, but he reminded me that 1. I am not actually that sporty and 2. I have to pee outside, and sit in a cold car, and get wood: all things that the fancy sports jacket won’t help me do. He was right. I am very happy with my big blue down.

I am still spending most of my time at the university. All the graduate students in my department have accepted that their social life now exists of hanging out with each other at the office or the pub and traditions of getting coffee, beers or water (from the filtered water station, which is the only water that taste good on campus) have emerged.

This photo was taken tonight as we have a band practicing at the house and one of the members got a new puppy. I have been on puppy duty while they are playing and let me just say, it is quite a lot of work. She is chewing on everything she can get to and after she peed in my bed I thought it was time James took a turn…

So now I have time to blog. When I get a dog it will be an old and calm and trained one. Although the puppy cuteness is heartbreaking. We'll see...