Now I've found a real love, you'll never fool me again.

Today's been nice. If a bit busy. All kicked off by pancakes, which Sherlock somehow managed to have chocolate on. I'm fairly sure there's some sort of minimum-sleep-quantity that one should have before being allowed to care for children.

Still, won't kill him.

My Christmas shift had highs and lows...

Lows: finding out I'd have to work New Years too.
Having to talk to a family who'd been woken up Christmas morning to be told their son was dead.

Highs: One of my officers being proposed to, via an elaborate ruse involving a cell, a custody sergeant and her boyfriend (also an officer, but who should have been off-duty and far away with his family). She said yes. The radio was a-buzz for the rest of the day with congratulatory messages.

John coming to visit me at the Yard. He said he was tempted to take the long way back home, the roads were so quiet, and biking was so nice! I didn't ask if he did or not...I suspect he might have, if just to keep away from the card games which were becoming very high-stakes!

And this story.

Anyway, here's a (small part) of our Christmas tree, becuase...well, because you have to see it to believe any tree could support the sheer amount of tinsel.

And...I've clearly done something odd in cropping it, because now it's sitting in a white expanse. Anyway, sorry re cropping, Mycroft was standing by it, and Sherlock was sitting under it, with tinsel wrapped around his head so...you get heavy cropping. It's lost some of the tinsel now, or I'd take another. The dogs took a liking to some of it. Basically, you can't actually tell there's a tree there, apart from a tiny bit sticking out of the top, and the odd branch-end.

Sherlock and Mycroft, now Sherlock has finished baking another Yule Log and biscuits, are actually co-operating on working on one of Sherlock's presents. We got him this:

It's a make-it-yourself tele/microscope, and you have to build it into whatever format you want. Mycroft is being Sherlock's assistant, after a long debate about which configeration was best to show their Mum. This mainly involves Sherlock bossing Mycroft about, it seems. Mycroft takes it like a pro. The word 'idiot' has been banned. Mycroft just called Sherlock blancmange-brain though, so I don't think we can ban enough words to make it particularly civil. Still, Sherlock needs Mycroft's help and expertise, so hopefully it'll all go okay.

If anyone here doesn't like Piers Morgan (I'd be worried if anyone did), there's a nice video here of him facing an over from Brett Lee in the tea break of the cricket last night. I mean, got to respect that he actually did it. A lot of professional cricketers told him not to, because he might die. But still amusing. And having said no one should like him, I do respect his campaign for more gun control in the US, now he's living over there, at least he's trying to do something decent, even if it's unlikely he'll succeed.

Who here is certain that John will look amazingly gorgeous in my new Christmas jumper? I'm going to make him try it on in a bit... I'm certain Mrs H won't mind.

John and the boys (or possibly Saint Nick, I can't remember) bought me the DVD of 'Police Squad' as one of my presents. Makes me laugh like a lunatic. I wish my office was like that...maybe I should start diving around, setting myself on fire...

Anyway, I'm being summoned for something to do with icing...I must go.

Edited to add Sherlock's baking because he said I HAD TO.

A Yule log that's 'better than yours'

Enough cookies to feed the 5000.