Hope you all had a good one. We did. Not a single photo related present here though.
Hopefully the best one will arrive tomorrow - my replacement K-5.

Now I am going to take my weary and over fed body to bed.

Eldest son and his wife have just left. Life can return to normal again.

The BBQed turkey worked extremely well, and was probably the tastiest one we've ever had.

I am exhausted, but have the grand-kids again tomorrow. No peace for the wicked.

My grandson has it in Dutch and loves it! It is a German book originally.

My eldest son just phoned from Germany where he is spending Christmas Eve with the in-laws. They only just made it there yesterday - on the radio they were hearing how the road behind them was being closed, and they were racing the snow to get to the in-laws. It was touch and go at the end but their 34 year old Swedish Tank got them there. Now they are snowed in, so may not make it to us tomorrow. It depends on German efficiency to clear the snow. But since today is the big day in Germany I can't see them doing an awful lot of clearing, but I could be wrong.

I have told them not to even attempt the trip tomorrow if they are at all doubtful. I'd rather they just cancelled, but they are determined to get here for BBQed turkey.

Here it is dry, cold and cloudy, with a really strong north easterly blowing. There is still lots of snow around and the minor roads are sheet ice, but no snow falling or expected. In the south and east they have heaps of the stuff, as do Belgium and Germany.

I don't mind the cold weather as long as the roads are safe. Now if we could get rid of the snow and still keep it cold for skating I'd be happy.

Happy Christmas everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful time.

You can check when Santa is on his way here .

If I'd had a camera, and not been so tied up in Christmas preparation I'd have headed off to the National Championship skating marathon today. Held on the frozen lakes and canals of Overijssel this year. Always good for some lovely shots, and in an area I know well.
At least they don't have to go to Finland for it this year .

Maybe if this keeps up we'll get an Elfstedentocht (11 towns tour). Maybe I could sleep on my son's boat up in Harlingen (one of the 11) if it does go ahead. Although knowing him he'll be hiring it out to make some extra money, and I can't say I'd blame him. Winters are hard when you have to earn enough in the summer to see you through.

Mine had marks similar to nipper's, and SRS have replaced it.
Haven't got mine yet - it's still knee deep in snow somewhere. There's always tomorrow though .

You can get an adapter for the NX10 so you can use your Pentax lenses on it .

I can't comment on that back pack but some things to consider when buying one is the empty weight of it and whether it is carry-on legal (I assume you you will flying with it at some stage).
The weight also factors in that as some airlines have a weight limit on carry-on as well as a size limit.

If it is heavy empty imagine how heavy it will be when full of gear.

Do not buy one without trying it first. You need to know the length is right for your body, that the straps are comfortable, the waist strap and chest straps sit right and do their job.

Any camera back pack by the major makers will be safe for your gear and lap top, but they may not be right for you and what you want it for.

Have a safe journey Tony and Jo, and a truly wonderful Christmas with the family.