Did you pray for Britney Spears? I'm afraid I did not. I can almost understand the angst of someone who perhaps did not intend to be famous (some are born famous, others have famousness thrust upon them) but I can't understand someone who has gone all out to flirt, seduce, and court fame and fortune and then becomes unhinged when it arrives at the door with a bouquet and a ring. Sorry. I think I'll save my prayers for others who really have rough lives.

Miguel came home from Yellowknife today and brought me a brand-new laptop. Yippee! It's beautiful, kind of a grey colour. It's a Compaq. And that's all I know. If you were expecting to hear specifications, I'm not your gal.

So the careening and crashing laptop I've been using (I'm not complaining, it lasted longer than I expected considering that it was second hand to begin with) can be consigned to the pile of non-working computer components. Which is growing. It's something we do. Rachel also got a laptop, as each kid got a computer for their 12th birthday and as she's not into the online gaming like her brother and sister, she wanted a laptop too.

Today we went ice fishing. Well, actually, some of our group did fish but most of us sat around the holes in a lazy manner and drank coffee. We were out by our cabin, so I went in, filled and lit the naphtha stove, and made tea. I'm looking forward to when we can go out there to stay, this summer.

There was a moment while we were travelling out there, and everything was white and silent, when I had the feeling of being a tiny living dot on a huge landscape. Very cool. There's something about this land that makes me feel ancient and somehow timeless, when I'm out in the middle of it...