I went to church choir practice last night. The cough still erupts at the worst possible moments, but I can sing through almost my entire range if I take it gently. The Christmas music is accumulating in our official black choir folders, so the conductor was glad to see me back despite my convalescent state.

Today, I must shop. Ordinary groceries, for sure — I just ate the last avocado — but also the ingredients required for a small production run of fruitcake. The first Sunday of Advent is coming at us like the noon freight! Therefore, currants. Also raisins galore (two kinds), glacé cherries, chopped citron, chopped blanched almonds, and fresh oranges and lemons.

After more than a year and a half of keto and low-carb eating, I am quite out of the baking habit, and I parted with most of the required gear before the move. So I’ll buy just enough fruit, flour, sugar etc. to make three fruitcakes, one for each of The Brothers and one for me. I still have a 7-inch cheesecake pan that will do just fine for a fruitcake, and its loose bottom will make turn-out far easier than it ever was with loaf pans.

It’s cold and grey today, with a scrim of snow over roofs, vehicles and lawns. Most unappealing. I shall take a wallow-in bath to warm my bones.