Thursday 30 December

Keeping a quiet day, as it is slightly foggy and definitely frosty. Last night, the mercury dipped to a chilly -9C, and as I type, we're still below zero. The fog is not helping, even though there was a sunny interlude around lunchtime. Tomorrow will be a busy day, as it's a family birthday elsewhere in the country, and of course New Year's Eve, which always gets rather late. It is customary in Holland to let off fireworks around midnight, and people will be spending €65m (about £60m) nationwide on bangers and what not. Some individuals spend well in excess of €1,000, all of which will go up in smoke in a matter of seconds. The main concern is of course safety. There will be a number of missing eyes, limbs and potentially even lives once dawn breaks on January 1st, 2011.