Ma's Beano

Mother recently decided that it had been a while since she saw the Black Forest, and within days she was in her car on her way to south Germany. She didn't want to stay further south than Kochem, but did manage a day trip to Trier.

A major reason (to us) for visiting Germany is bringing back FOOD. Packet salad dressing, just add water and oil (I'm not ashamed! It's delicious!), my favourite chocolates (when Jeremy asked me where he should put them, I had to say 'out of my reach') and a gigantic kasseler - a cut of pork not much done outside south Germany, currently nestling in Ma's freezer. I have an awful suspicion she will be cooking her own birthday meal this year.

Casino Royale

Because of a diary mix-up - SO not my fault - I saw this movie tomight, while Jeremy has to wait until Wednesday - ooh the power! I could wreck his evening with a few well-chosen words! But I won't. Suffice it to wonder how on earth they found not one, but TWO such odd-looking women to act opposite him. Another blogger (Wyndham) said that 'the famous Bond quips fall from his lips with all the charm of a dead pigeon off a roofrack.' Certainly true of the love scene bits, but I thought the vodka-martini line was perfectly done.

And the shoot-em-ups were tremendous - I didn't know which way they would turn out. An unusual feeling for a Bond movie.

Jeremy instead was doomed to yet another squabbly PCC meeting, while on Wednesday I go to an evening of stand-up comedy with some girlfriends. Them's the breaks, neh?

Sid's asleep again

Jeremy and I have had a couple of evenings out, and all in one week! We are dizzy from the social whirl, but Sid is completely whacked. Thing is, Ma has sat for us on both occasions. Kit of course manages his bedtime himself, Jeremy puts Beri into bed before we go, but Sid is a law unto herself. We have given Ma detailed instructions on what passes for a bedtime routine but Sid just ignores the whole issue. Both nights we have come home to find the little miss asleep on the sofa, because the only way Ma has been able to get her to go to sleep has been to lie back on the sofa and feign sleep herself. Apparently it takes 20 - 30 minutes of Ma's total immobility to convince Sid to give up and crash herself! And of course this is all happening extremely late in the evening. The next day it's a (welcome) return of the afternoon nap, but what this is doing to Ma's willingness to babysit is something I haven't discussed with her yet.

Stefania's visit to us ended on Friday. This whole family now has a standing invitation to visit Milan - no family should be without one! The exam she had to hurry back for is tomorrow, so I am holding thumbs. (And typing at the same time - how jolly talented!)

Freecycle

I'm also about to become a moderator for our local Freecycle group. If you don't already know about this, take a look - such a simple idea, and so easy to be part of.

We saw some lovely fireworks tonight. Our village has an annual display, to which we reckon about 2,000 people turn up. In previous years, Jeremy and I took it in turns to be the one to take Beri home - poor baby hated them, even with ear defenders on. This year he really enjoyed them, but by then end of the show he was so cold he screamed all the way home. Ho hum. Maybe next year we take a sleeping bag and a hot water bottle for him.

In the mean time, here is Sid's school picture. Doesn't the furry seat she is sitting on look like a pair of wings!

One door closes, another opens . . .

Libraries actually. not doors. Our village library is due to be closed by the council at the end of this month, to our appalled consternation, so a gang of us villagers have come up with a business plan for a community library to be run by us. We have had lots of indications of support, and next Wednesday is crunch day, when we need people to commit to giving money / joining a staffing rota / being on the committee. Preferably all three. I mean to be voted onto the committee - wish me luck.

Meanwhile, ironically, the shelving for our library has been delivered, and before it is actually installed Jeremy and I are oiling it. (When we first saw this house there were two small rooms we knew would, on being knocked together, make a lovely grown-up hideaway.) Finally its starting to take shape, but both J and I are uncomfortably sticky from the teak oil and very headachy from the fumes. It will be beautiful, of course, and I am so looking forward to unpacking all our books some of which I won't have seen for years.

I promised Jeremy that we absolutely would not have more books than we have space for, but looking at the quantity of shelving, it occurs to me that maybe, just maybe, we may not have enough books to fill them! What a delightful thought!