OCCAM

The boys are clubbing together to save money this winter. We've all given up shaving thus saving money on razor blades (have you seen the price of those things recently?) and making the limited quantities of Somerset's Oil (the best shaving oil/cream/foam of all time). We won't be saving on after shave since nobody actually uses it after shaving. That King Gillette was some serious dude - almost give away the razors and make all your money on the disposable bits - how very different from an old-fashioned cut-throat! Maybe we'll get the boys a strop and an open razor apiece for Xmas. (What a good job they don't shave armpits and legs).

It will be interesting to see which of them gets the fullest, bushiest beard and who gets there fastest. Everyone is now at the itch/scratch reflex stage and the sound of nails on whiskers is becoming a commonplace around here. At least one of the competitors appears to be trying to grow his neck hair down into his T-shirt!

Speaking of T-shirts, they were all out this morning (the boys that is) in jeans and T-shirts - so warm was it. The valley was covered in a mist but it was warm, and occasionally the sun broke through. Later on in the afternoon however, the temperatures began to fall and a solid heavy rain rained freely down making puddles and lakes all around.

Tomorrow we're off to Vrisses where it always seem to be raining in winter and where we went yesterday only to find the post office closed because of a countrywide strike - we have post to sign for - and Georgi is off to Germany.