Hi there from Don and me.

Only 20 odd shopping days to Christmas! A good time to put on the kettle and enjoy a cup of tea while you look through the December Events (you did send us your info, didn't you?) and browse this month's Showcase features. And once again, Showcase has treats in store for you: a painting by Ronnie Brown; a poem ( in Gaelic and in English) by Aonghas MacNeacail; a song by John Malcolm; a photograph by Lindsay Addison; a hand-made clock by Kenneth Russell (whose wife, Moira, featured in last month's Showcase); and a magazine article by Elizabeth Everill (who also contributed a photograph last month). We thank all these contributors and we hope that their works will give you some pleasure in those cold days ahead.

If you're having trouble finding that elusive gift, why not have a look at our noticeboard and listings? Maybe the creative folk in the Clyde Valley can help you?

We take a holiday in January, so the next Showcase will be in February 2006. Thanks to those who have already sent us work. We still have room for more though.

Note:- We received some reports that the emailed October Newsletter arrived empty. If so it was our mistake. Sorry, but we don't know what we did. If we do it again, you can still read the newsletter on the website.

Best wishes for the season ahead.

Joanne and Don