Herro! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! (if you've managed to tear yourself away from the beach... b****es) Well done on your uni acceptance dude! I didn't attend the cabot event, i thought i was in birmingham but i got my dates mixed up... thank god. i feel ill when i think of cabot. i bought myself two baby rats today to cheer myself up, they've got huge ears and they're called jake and elwood after the blues brothers! obsessed much haha! what a film to be remembered by. stay safe guys, keep partying hard and i fooking miss you both lots and lots.xxx

Hi Sarah and Zoe A very Happy Christmas to you both, and thank you for your wonderful naratives. We feel we are sharing the trip with you -without having all the problems of "belly belly", and having to swim with pyranas and creepy crawlies. We hope your trip continues to be interesting and memorable. Love Frank and Ros

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL! Hope you get some nice food. Looking forward to gorging on as much food as possible while it's still free. Have a great day xxx

HAPPY CHRISTMAS, SARAH AND ZOE! Hope you enjoy decapitating the jelly babies and getting drunk on the winegums on the 25th; we'll be thinking of you as we stuff ourselves on venison and trimmings tomorrow.

Hey Sarah and Zoe, First of all well done to you both on your awards, Dad has been telling me about it all. Congrats! Now for the main message: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hope you both have a great time - I wonder if you'll find Turkey where you are? Maybe Turkey Giblets.... that photo was well ming..... Anyway take it easy and have a good time celebrating (if you are). Oli & Lou, Bruce & Cat and I am sure everyone else back here too!

Well done, both daughters!! You guys, Amber, Youcef, Dave and Mark cleared up most of the CTC Awards between you... Amber was kept very busy trotting up and down the platform this evening - and looked very glamorous, I might add. I said "hi" to Mr Wilson for you, and he asked me to forward your link again, as his didn't work. I told him to wait until he had a good long time to read all your news. Miss Ryan has resigned and is off to Australia in a fortnight's time. No other obvious scandal going on, so I'll sign out and wish you much fun. Is your other Mum topping up her tan satisfactorily?

Hi All, Well i''m a bit dissapointed, I thought they would be looking dishevelled and smelling by now and begining to appreciate what is done for them at home......but I have to report I've never seen the pair looking so fit and healthy! Don't want to tell the stories, I'll leave that to them. Happy Christmas over there, Simon & Kay.

Now this sounds more like the gap-year travellers' antics I had in mind when you said you were off to SE Asia - drunken orgies, escapades with snakes, stranded on remote byways, encounters with nonexistent jellyfish. Now you have given me something to worry about!!! Seriously, great to hear from you again, and congrats to Zoe about Leeds - nice and close to Liverpool. School's out now (except CTC, of course) so I "did" Christmas for 2 hours in Waterstones this morning, and now I'm staying put for the remainder of the holidays. £100 going to the Cambodian Landmine Museum (with the added bonus that I avoided most of the inevitable candles/chocs/smellies this year) Thanks, guys! Have a brilliant time with the Harding Oldies and catch you later...

Come on you guys, lets have some more news, it is getting cold and miserable here in the bowels of the northern hemisphere! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZOE. You will always remember where you were on this one. By the way Sarah how you will get my Christmas prezzie of oriental liquorice allsorts back to me? love to you both Frank and Ros

What do you mean, you are taking time out to relax? The world is waiting for the next instalment of your journal...this is worse than Harry Potter! I have dead rats rotting under the floorboards of my classroom, so you can imagine how depressed I am with the smell. Give me something to look forward to, please!!! How's the hangover, Zoe? Love, Mum (C)

ZOWEE HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY EVER! 19 woooo yeahh woooo. My present in in the post. Its invisible so it might take you a while to find it. Anyways lots of love, xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hey zoe! Happy 19th Bday!!!! Have a rad day!!! From shev xxxxx