Tomorrow night I'm playing my soprano cornet in a Christmas three band plus massed-band concert. Alas, due to a quirk of fate, I've been nominated to play one of the pieces dressed as a fairy. I have borrowed a pink fairy frock, massive pink wig, pink & black striped tights and a wand. I'm not looking forward to playing, or anything else for that matter, dressed like that.

[Phil] I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures.

[Raak] Strange as it may seem, I'm not.

[Phil] Quirks of Fate are not to be entertained/trusted or subscribed to. Could you have said "No"?

[Chalky] I did. Several times, but to no avail. Worse things happen at sea, though (not that I can think of one off-hand).

Titanic? Our local Amateur Operatics Society has just completed its run of 'Titanic - The Opera'. For a Christmas show it was hardly the most uplifting of themes, but they sand it awfully well.

...and their singing wasn't to bad either.

(Phil) Regardless of your apparel please try and play it straight.

[Rosie] No-one will hear me much, thankfully, as I'm mostly echoing the front row cornets - so giggling will not be an issue.

Finished!

[pen] Don't rub it in. I haven't even started, nor have Mlle Nights and I had The Christmas And New Year's And Nights' Birthday conversation...

At what point is it appropriate to drop someone from one's Christmas card list, on the grounds of there being no longer a sufficient connection to justify its acknowledgement? For example, one's brother's first wife, from whom he has been divorced long enough to marry again and bring up two more children?