I renewed my United Way donation schedule yesterday. It's taken off my civil service pension at source so I don't even think about it, let alone have time to come up with spurious reasons to begrudge it.

One of my favourite winter garments is a boiled wool waistcoat (vest to Americans). It is now almost laughably big on me but I'm not giving it up unless and until I can find another one just like it but two sizes smaller. Today we are enjoying what passes for Indian Summer in these parts -- bright sun, forecast high of 20 degrees Celsius -- but next week will be a different story: solid rain setting in by Thursday, with frost at night and highs around 10 degrees Celsius. I'm not parting with any of my flannel shirts either, even if the cuffs come down to my knuckles.

Congratulations on paying off your heat pump, Stilly. Every debt sent packing is another deposit in the bank of FREEDOM!