I am anxiously waiting for the first snowfall of the season to reach here. A big snow storm has swept across the North Sea from Iceland and is bearing down on Norway and Sweden as I type. The temperature has dropped dramatically and the sky is looking threatening. Sure signs that snow is on the way.

I wonder how that will affect the Santa Olympics which begin on Friday. But I guess it's already been snowing for at least the last month in Gällivare.

From the title of the post, you'd correctly guess that I'm thinking about Christmas. No, it's not too early to think about it, because living thousands of kilometers from family and friends I have to think about the cut off date for international postage. In Sweden, they are slowly getting around to putting out Christmas things in the shop, but for the most part the real goodies won't be around for a couple of weeks yet.

Still, I need to get cards written and packets posted, so I have been making up a list of people to whom I'll be sending cards. It's not easy at all. I've always been really conscientious about keeping in touch, but am finding increasingly that it's a bit of a one way street. I vowed after last year to cut down on my list as several people never respond, either to the cards or letters I wrote during the year. I choose cards carefully - ones with a Swedish scene that I believe they will like as well as taking the time to write a Christmas letter. International postage is very expensive and if people can't even be bothered to acknowledge me once a year, what's the point? Sometimes it feels like just because I left Australia, that some people literally think I dropped off the face of the earth and they don't need any communication with me any longer.

But I do have a group of lovely friends both here in Sweden and in other parts of the world that are great at keeping in touch, so I'll be expending my time and energy on those friendships.

As the cold weather closes in, I'm thinking that I'll have to get back into knitting. How great is this? I could use it on my bad hair days. Kate could possibly dispense with those weird Manhattan hairdressers if she had one of these.

Of course, mine would have to be in orange or maybe purple. Or I could do the patriotic Aussie green and gold look. Much more stylish than a hair wig, don't you think? I could even use it instead of my hat in the cold weather - start a new trend (probably all the way to the loony bin quipped my ever reliable Swede).

And because I'm a nice, sharing person, I'll give you the link to the pattern.

And in keeping with the snowy theme, I have to direct you to the charming Frosty Welcome site. Do you remember making up messages from magnetic letters on fridge doors? This is the electronic version and is a perfect timewaster for a a chilly Wednesday afternoon.