Vita put up the Christmas tree and decorated it � while I was out shopping for plastic boxes to pack my collection of old Pelican paperback books into.

I had a look in PC World. They had Cubase VST 4 for �60 and some new USB headphones and microphones which bypass the soundcard- what will they think of next? I see Argos are selling DAB radios � its hard to keep up isn�t it.

I loaded up two tracks of Gilbert�s guitar into BBC500 Trio and started adding some parts � French Horn, electric piano, banjo � it looks like it might be quite a long journey with the piece emerging rather different from its constituents.

I had a look at the Cubase files for Shortstories 6 and 7 to see whether I could do something about Gilbert�s suggestions on balance. I was annoyed to see that I had managed to mangle the file for number 6 � maybe I can do something by E-Qing the WAV of the mixdown. The details of 7 were there and I adjusted the mix a bit.

There was an e-mail about an important new AIDS/HIV survey of South Africa by the Nelson Mandela Foundation which I posted on www.kwase-kwaza.org . The main source of data before this was from ante-natal care and this was survey involved testing of 10,000 people directly to give a much more accurate picture

We went to see Rabbit Proof Fence - the cinema was pretty much full with people of all ages. I hadn't heard about the film before - but it is first rate - ever so slightly like Nicholas Roeg's fim Walkabout but with a stronger historical basis. No rabbits though.