Faces of Strummer that fell from your wall
And nothing was left where they hung
So sweet and bitter, they're what we found
So drink them down and...
(Walk out to winter - Aztec Camera)

Someone on the Hefner list I'm on posted this this morning, I'd almost completely forgotten about that line (the poster had picked it up from an Aztec Camera list yesterday). I'm a little embarassed to admit that, given how many years Aztec Camera spent on my turntable. You can really see how far Joe Strummer's influence reached when almost every music-related list I'm on has had a thread about his passing over the past 24 hours.

I did get a visit from my friend yesterday, it was great to see her. She's attending grad school in Alberta so she's only home a couple of times a year. We had a big pot of tea and a great visit. I got my shortbread cookies done while she was here too. This morning I have to get my rugelach done. Last year was the first time I'd made it and it was pretty popular. This recipe is pretty easy and they turned out really well. Last year was the first time my Jewish father-in-law joined us for Christmas so I wanted to make something "Hanukkah-y" for him. I spoke with my mum last night and she sounded happy that I was doing all of this baking, not that she's not done a tonne too but I think that she likes my stuff because I always do different things (well different from her anyway - I try a lot of new stuff every year - or try to try anyway!).

So I'm back in the groove of it again, I've regained a little bit of seasonal cheer. If I can avoid reading the news today I should be able to hang on to it for another day or so, here's hoping anyway!