Only one day to go... and then what?

Maybe the heavens will open and an old man with a long white beard will appear and deliver a poignant message to the world before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Or the oceans may peel back in Godly fashion, revealing a beautiful new world under the sea, ready for human habitation.

Maybe giant claps of thunder will resound across the globe, followed by 300 mile-an-hour winds and hailstones the size of cricket balls.

It all sounds far-fetched, but people seem to be expecting something out of the ordinary at the stroke of midnight tomorrow.

There's been so much hype, so much speculation, that the dawning of January 1, 2000, can't possibly be something as mundane as just another day. Could it? Yet that is what it is. Another day - the beginning of another year, which for the majority of us will be virtually the same as the one before that and the one before that.

Of course I can't say for certain that something out-of-this-world, some miraculous event, will not happen. And if someone up there is planning to sprinkle a few Millennium Miracles in our direction, I won't say no.

I'm don't expect much, I'm not asking for a Lottery win or a Ferrari to replace my battered Metro. I'm not asking for a meteorite to land on the house next door to remove forever our neighbour problems - although compulsory eviction would be great.

No, the miracles I'm hoping will materialise are simple, but would make an enormous difference to my life. They are as follows:

1. That my husband develops the art of conversation...

2. That my 20-month-old daughter realises nights are for sleeping and not jumping around, shouting and bawling...

3. That the occupants of my house put things away in their right place after using them and not leave them on the floor or sofa...

4. That one trip to the supermarket be sufficient to get us through the week rather than the usual half dozen...

5. That we get a washing machine ("With two kids, it's a miracle you manage," my mother keeps saying.).

I know that, in reality, the above wants are in our hands and we don't need divine intervention to make them happen (unless the Almighty has a special arrangement with Comet, and can get us a good deal on a twin-tub).

In all honesty I'm not expecting miracles - and I don't think anyone else is. But you never know.

Maybe that's why there's talk of riots and public disorder. The disappointment will be too much, when the event we've talked about for months turns out to be just another cold, grey, boring old winter's day.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.