UNFREEZING

I went outside today. The sun was twinkling through the frosted branches, casting long, cold shadows. The air was invisible ice, ripping through my clothes and burrowing deep into my bones. It has gone very wintry indeed.

I had to go to the shop to get milk and bread. I decided the best time to go was while my fridge was defrosting, which it has actually been doing all night and most of the day. Yep, while the world twinkles white in winter's frozen fingers, my fridge is going through a sort of un-freezing all of its own.

In hindsight, it was probably unwise to leave it until the ice burst out of the freezer-box and made it impossible to shut the door.

I haven't spoken to anybody today, not even digitally. That's something. I drank a whole bottle of Shloer for no reason at all (don't worry, it's non-alcoholic) and went dizzy on a sugar-high. Then I ate some cheese to stop it going off while the fridge was out-of-action. I read a book, downloaded some keyboard patches and researched MIDI controllers on Amazon. I also watched some demos of the Nord Stage 2 EX, which made me wonder whether I ought to get one next year. Don't let me get nerdy about that.

The shop was depressingly back-to-normal. Betwixtmas has a peculiar effect on retailers - it's as though they get to the end of Boxing Day and then suddenly they all switch on the house-lights, ending the mood-lighting and magical atmosphere they've spent the last six weeks creating, with the hum of plasma bulbs and the stark shadow of reality. That's your lot, they seem to say. Grab your stuff and off you go. The cashier was kind enough to wish me a Happy New Year, which I of course, reciprocated, though it does feel rather early. Okay, maybe I did speak to someone today. I said, "And to you."

Stars shimmered above me as I made my way to the front door. The sky was as black as ink and as smooth as velvet, its tiny holes beaming cheerfully to the icy world beneath. I'd left the lights on and the radiators creaking, which was very pleasant to come home to. I smiled as I kicked off my shoes, slipped the milk out of the carrier bag and went to put it in the fridge.

The fridge door of course, was wide open with two sopping towels mopping up the meltwater. I sighed to myself and put the kettle on for a very milky cup of tea.