What is it about American websites that won't allow me to enter my name as 'Dick'? With all the on-line pornography freely available they have to penalise me for my name. I had to resort to entering it as 'D!ck'. The thought did cross my mind that I should change my name to 'Nobby'!!

Christmas is almost upon us and the decorations are up in the French towns around us. The town of Plougasnou not far from us is running a tiny Christmas market. Part of this is a 'creche vivant' where the nativity scene in the stable is portrayed by real people and with live animals AND a baby born in the town during the year. A really nice idea! We will pop along, it's happening the weekend before Christmas in the square in front of the church. Twinning is hugely popular in France where a town is twinned with a similar one somewhere else in Europe, it tends to be Germany or the UK. Plougasnou is twinned with Helston in Cornwall and the twinning committee is running a stall at the Christmas market selling 'English' things that many French folk will not have tried. Hot, mulled wine, mince pies, Christmas puddings and even Christmas crackers will be on sale! The committee nipped over to jersey specially on a buying spree to get typically English things.

Just to join in the spirit, I have gone all Christmassy and my Sherlock Holmes ebooks are only $1 until 2nd January 2013. So, if you fancy an ebook for yourself or as a gift, use these discount codes at the checkout at www.smashwords.com

To buy a copy of 'Saline' with 33% off use the code SF84C

To buy a copy of 'Sherlock Holmes and The Star of Bithur' for $1 use the code TW39E

To buy a copy of 'Sherlock Holmes and The Birchwood Affair' for $1 use the code BL45Y

You can send these ebooks as gifts to friends, just look on my Smashwords page  https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/dickg29 

Look in the top right hand corner for the 'give as a gift' button.

Having a new kitten (the story of his arrival in the Gillman household I will post later!) is proving difficult. Jean-Claude (a play on Jean-Clawed!) likes to be warm and my laptop seems to be favourite! Typing with one hand while trying to keep a kitten off the keyboard IS difficult! I think he should have his own email address of Jean-Claude24 which could be Jean-Claude van Cat! Please excuse any typos...I blame Jean-Claude!

This is Jean-Claude or J-C taken on my daughter's iPhone on her visit here last weekend. He is cute!