Oh yeah!

It has gone below freezing at last! A real winter may be ahead of us
(as opposed to the usual low lying cloud and drizzle!) I sure hope it stays like this it's freezing but exhilirating. The sky is actually blue! (Living here you can sometimes forget that)

For the Dutch there is an added bonus to all this though.

Just a few days below nul is enough to set their hearts fluttering with the chance that the Elf Steden Tocht might happen this year.

The what?

Well, for the uninitiated - no this is not some obsucure pagan ritual where the locals trapse to the woods to play with the magic pixies and hidden people, but a once in a blue moon ice skating race. Wow! An ice skating race!

Details at:

http://www.elfstedentocht.nl/en/english.htm

Last time it occured a brussel sprout farmer won it.

Yes, it is that exciting!

(Actually it is - last time (5 years ago!) I sat rivetted to the TV screen for something like 10 hours mesmerised by the thing - this country does strange things tae yae!)

I'm off for some brussel sprouts......