2 weeks and counting ...

Whew, Em and I had the mother of all colds last week. We were flat out for the first 3 days, didn't even leave the house. By day 4 we were both bored rigid and so began to make tentative forays into the outside world. She managed a playdate and I walked to the shops and back, only 30 minutes of very gentle walking but I needed a cup of tea and a lie down when I got home. A week later we are still a bit snotty (eeuuww!) but feeling a LOT better.

And of course E's passport arrived back from the French consulate complete with visa. I guess we'll have to get used to a country where "I don't know, you'll have to wait" means "don't worry, it's all under control". Here in NZ a comment like "I don't know, you'll have to wait" generally means something like "we've lost it, and will deny ever receiving it."

In the meantime we are trying to eat up the remaining food in the pantry - enjoying dinners like baked beans, beetroot and frozen corn cobbettes. Tonight we couldn't face another pasta bake - we got takeaway roast. Besides, I've cleaned the oven and I don't want to have to do it again before we go ...

The other big news is that Em has started a blog of her own. It's called 'A life of sweet lollies'. It's hard for her to leave her friends and her school etc for nearly a year, and I think she plans to talk about her experiences and thoughts in the blog. Cool.

Last but not least I have to say that I just finished the latest Janet Evanovich novel - Twelve Sharp. Oh, it was a riot!! JE books are like a theme park ride for me, you jump in, you're off, laughing, screeching, never a dull moment and then suddenly it's over. I love those books - they're funny, fast and ALWAYS too short. I gulped this one down in just over a day, reading it every minute I could. Oh well, another year to wait for the next one ...