Dear Anakin,

I know I said I'd write again soon, and I'm sorry, you have every right to be annoyed that it's taken 2 weeks for me to write. I don't even have a good excuse this time; I do have lots to write about though! See? A silver lining! The cloud is that I can't remember any of it now.

I spoke to Bail a couple of days ago, he says there's nothing they need my help for, and there's nothing in the Senate at the moment that needs my presence or attention, so I've found myself with a lot of free time, but no guarantee of it, so I can't go home.

I really want to go home at the moment too! I got a letter from Mum last week telling me all about how pretty Theed looks in the snow, how much Ryoo and Pooja are enjoying playing in it, how there's now an army of snowmen taking up residence in the garden and how everyone (except the snowmen, much to Pooja's dismay) is going to Varykino soon to go sledging. We don't get good snow on Naboo every year, something to do with our orbit meaning we get really good deep long lasting snow for about 3 years then about 15 years when we have barely any snow. We haven't had any snow worth mentioning since I was a child.

I just want to go home and make snowmen, snow angels and, of course, snowballs, then have a good snowball fight. Evenings sat huddled around a roaring fire, thawing fingers and toes and dropping off to sleep after a long day playing in the snow. Steaming mugs of hot chocolate, heated spice cakes, roasted tekka nuts and losing card games. I always lost, I don't know why; I wasn't even that bad a player, neither were my family very good.

Home sounds so good right now; which is probably why Mum sent me that letter. I ought to try to get home for Festival Week; I've already missed my Birthday. Mum won't say anything but she's annoyed that I didn't go home, not that it's my fault, I can think of far better ways to spend my birthday than in an office, but she feels that I could have avoided it if I'd retired when my two terms as Queen were over. I'm beginning to agree with her actually.

Well, assuming this isn't the calm before the storm, or if it is then it will at least last a while longer then I'll write again soon. This time I really will!

Be safe.

Yours homesickly, Padmé