Accentuate the negative

I'm working on getting back my skating legs. Today I had my third go on the ice this season. The first time was a couple of weeks ago, when I fell over twice - well, it had been six months. The last couple of times I've managed to stay upright, but I'm still taking things gingerly, and only slowly trying to remember the manouevres I'd started learning back in March.

It really does feel like skating season already. Tonight temperatures are dropping into the low 30sF, and there's even talk of snow later in the week. Too soon! I want a chance to enjoy the Fall first.

At the party yesterday I learnt that a friend of a friend who was recently in Britain says people there are very unhappy at the moment and that it's not a great place to be - can anyone reading this in the UK confirm or deny? Meanwhile here in the States someone is launching a movement to introduce Americans to negativity, with a book called Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America. So there we go, this place could soon really feel like a home from home.