I am writing this perched on the side of a bath. This is a first for me. It's always good to do something new, isn't it? Athough it's not wildly comfortable, so this will be brief.

Context is all: we are in a beautiful Georgian farmhouse in the West Country. The bathroom in the roof conversion is the best chance for broadband signal. Yes, we got away through the snow and the ice, which was very beautiful.

As the song says, we live in a beautiful world. It's easy to forget that. I hope you don't and won't.

I'm not going to say much about the good news that the Senate has passed a US healthcare refrom bill (there is more horse-trading ahead as attempts to reconcile this with the House bill proceed), nor about the slightly silly story on 4 hour A&E waits

I'm just going to wish you all a very happy, relaxing and reasonably healthy Christmas. I hope 2010 will be good to you and yours. I'm signing off until the New Year unless anything wildly amazing, improbable or funny comes up - let's hope not, eh?

Take care and have a good New Year.