We took down our Christmas tree yesterday. I felt quite sad about it - I always feel a bit bad about wasting such a beautiful tree. I think we will try and get it mulched so at least it can carry on doing some good. But it has allowed me to move a plant so that my new pin board can go up in the kitchen and I can at last begin to be a bit more organised!

We have to take our Maryland State driving licenses soon. This isn't as straight forward as you'd think. We have to either complete a 3-hour drug and alcohol seminar or do the facts and some short tests online (which we are doing. much easier.), and then a written test related to this. Then we have to do a highway code test, a sight test and then finally the driving bit. All quite annoying. I think Tom will appreciate getting his license so that he doesn't get rejected from bars when id'd(!)  as they don't take UK driving licenses as proof of age.

Other things to remember as odd:

- priorities at crossroads are given to the person who arrived there first, not necessarily the person to the right/left. this took some getting used to!

- walking 1o minutes to the local shops isn't normal

- the doctor's surgery being like going into a hospital consultants' gathering: pediatricians, gynaecologists, family practice, geriatrics, mammograms, sleep specialists, rheumatologists etc etc all in one building and available to see when you want to! Very odd...