I just have a few gifts to buy for friends here, and I finished buying them yesterday. It’s very weird to be thinking of Christmas and buying gifts when it’s 30 degree or more outside and the sun is splitting the trees. I quite like it, but it takes a bit of getting used to.

When I mentioned this to my tango teacher last week he laughed and said he had spent Christmas in Japan a few years ago and had the opposite experience. He kept thinking, “This isn’t Christmas, it’s cold. Christmas is hot and sunny!” I guess it’s whatever you grow up with.

I had a new Buenos Aires experience last night — I went to the movies! I’m not a big movie fan even in Toronto, and I’ve never been here before. But my friends Venetia and Raul go often and they invited me to go with them last night. We met at Raul’s place first and had “picada” — cold cuts, cheese, nibblies and wine, which is a good way to start any evening in my book.

Is this your idea of Hercule Poirot?

We saw the new version of “Murder on the Orient Express”, and I didn’t like it much. I found it quite boring really, although the scenery and the production were certainly beautiful. The cast was outstanding — Johnny Depp (one of my faves), Judy Dench (another), Michelle Pfeiffer and more, but somehow none of them had much of a chance to shine.

Kenneth Branagh was the director and also starred as Poirot, and honestly I just couldn’t get into his portrayal. Venetia suggested I was just spoiled by all those years of David Suchet, but it wasn’t just that. I just didn’t think he was true to Agatha Christie’s original — he was too “ordinary”, and Poirot certainly shouldn’t be ordinary! And he had no twinkle in his eye!

I’d love to hear what anybody else thought of it. I enjoyed the picada more than the movie!

I have another tango lesson this afternoon, always something to look forward to. I think I might be ready to venture back to the milonga soon, and I’ll report on how that goes when I pluck up courage!