If you were wondering...

There's an amusing anecdote about Christmas wishlists. A new British diplomat to Washington was warned about ethics violations and tempting gifts from powers foreign and domestic. He had been told that it was ok to accept gifts, if pressed, but that he should decline anything large and expensive, and ask instead for gifts of token value if refusal would offend.

Shortly after taking up office, he was called by a local newspaper and asked what he would like for Christmas. Mindful of diplomat's guidebook warnings, he said "If I must name something, perhaps just a small bowl of crystallised fruit."

A few days later, his request was listed in the Washington Post alongside those of other members of the diplomatic community who had stated that their Christmas wishes were: world peace, and end to hunger, a cure for cancer...


Ever mindful of this...I will make my Christmas list now. I emphatically do not want a small bowl of crystallised fruit, but that and peace in our time, an end to hunger, etc would be ok if you can't think of anything else to get me. Of course you can always make a contribution to my online Salvation Army kettle.

My christmas list:

• Noise reducing headphones - just so I don't have to listen to the leak from other people's headphones on my daily commute.
• A rain gauge: I don't know why I want one, but I do.
• Some new cowboy boots - I've had to resole mine and it's time to do it again. I need a pair like these, but something like this might come in handy. But since I always wear trousers over my boots - imagine people's surprise when I cross my legs in a meeting, the trouser leg rides up a little - and the tooling on these boots appears.
• A new oven.
• I sort of fancy a new digital camera, but I can't want it enough since I can't actually be bothered to do the homework enough to figure out which one.

Interested parties, may wish to bookmark this page - as I will provide further updates.