wish all of you a merry Christmas!
Yours without wax, *)
the rainbow lorikeets and king parrots on the verandah, the possum and her joey in the possum penthouse, the many ducks and the white heron by and the turtles in the pond, the many pelicans in the lagoon, George the Goanna, the many water dragons in the shed, the echidna at the bottom of the property, the mice in the attic and, of course, Padma and yours truly
*) To the few of you who are not Latin scholars, please let me explain: each time you end a letter with "Yours sincerely", you're acknowledging an ancient form of quality control. Roman sculptors often concealed cracks in apparently flawless marble statues with melted beeewax. When the wax dried and crumbled, the angry purchaser sought compensation. Reputable sculptors guaranteed their work as sine sera, which means without wax. Hence "Yours sincerely". But, of course, you already knew that.
(Volker, vous allez voir Santa demain? Dis bonjour de ma part.)
