Update from France ...

NICE, France — All the instructions here on Blogger are in Finnish. That's interesting.
I hate French keyboards; certain letters and symbols aren't where I'm used to them being.
Allow me to explain my absence: A few weeks ago, we had our internet connection terminated because our provider, Orange, did away with dial-up. We tried installing their broadband but found Orange so unhelpful that we told them to go screw themselves. We signed up with AOL instead, but I've had neither the time, energy nor patience to set it all up yet.
Soon after the debacle with Orange, I fell victim to a vicious cold. I hadn't been sick for years—excepting hangovers!—and began to think I had grown immune to infections. The high fever I came down with last Wednesday taught me otherwise.
Ah yes, and work—with the exception of this weekend, I am still doing lots of overtime. Still playing the part of a workaholic and actually liking it. Strange days ...
So, until I fly back to London tomorrow morning, I'm cooling my heels here on the Côte d'Azur, running, reading and lubricating myself with red wine. I sorely needed this getaway. Nice is as gorgeous as ever, especially at this time of year. The Christmas lights lining the date palms along the Promenade des Anglais are a sight to behold.
I hope to be back on-line soon. Just be patient with me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I wish to immerse myself in a hot bath to polish off a nine-mile run.
À tout à l'heure.