I left Philadelphia on a day so warm and sunny I felt foolish putting my coat on. I arrived in Manchester on a day so miserable and foggy that the planes were all being massively delayed in case they ran into each other on the runway.

The fog continued for most of the rest of the week, causing absolute chaos at the airports but, fortunately, not on the trains so I was able to get to Oxford and Wolverhampton for fun times with various friends.

On Saturday the jet lag hit. This was slightly disappointing as we were going down to Stratford to see Judi Dench and Simon Callow in the Merry Wives of Windsor. However, by the time we were in the theatre I was feeling a bit more awake and, in fact managed to keep my eyes open throughout (unlike certain other people sitting either side of me). I thought it was a fun production - they'd done it as a musical. I could live with the mock-Tudor set and costumes, though I thought the motorbike and scooter were unnecessary anachronisms. The singing and dancing were generally good - who knew Alistair McGowan could tango? I say he should be on Strictly Come Dancing next year. And the plot is perfect for Christmas - nothing dark, nothing sinister, lots of farce and fun.

On Sunday disaster struck. Well, okay, that may be a slight exaggeration. I got out of bed and trod on a wasp. In December! It's global warming gone mad, that's what it is. Anyway, I spent the rest of the day unable to wear shoes or socks and barely able to walk with my whole foot swollen.

By Christmas Day, the foot was worse and the cold that had been threatening for about a week finally hit. So much so that by about 4 o'clock I was sent to bed with a hot drink by my mother.

A long lie-in on Tuesday, some much-needed antihistamine cream, and by the afternoon I was feeling quite a lot better. And then had the mad idea of making a patchwork top for a quilt that I could bring back to the US and finish by hand. Hmm. 10pm not the best time to start these things.

On Wednesday, Dawn drove down from Liverpool (though it might actually have been quicker to walk) and we went out for dinner (tea). I had proper fish and chips - the memory of which will keep me going for months.

And now I'm back in Glenside. Still sunny. Still no sign of the proper winters everyone claims they have here. Before you know it, it'll be 2007 and I'll be coming home for the summer.