No tengo dinero

The stagiaire got a bit sick the other night. It was two hours after I made mussels for the first time, but she, very "perfect house-guest"-y said it was a migraine. I had taken her to our book-club, and I think it was a little over-whelming, ie the way they all speak at once very, very LOUDLY and sometimes even use rude words. She said it was like Sex in The City without the shoes.

I've had a look at a couple of houses, but so far have been disappointed either by size or location. I'm not keen on the sitting-room in the basement idea, nor about having two bedrooms right next to the kitchen. I saw one today which was on the 11th tee of the golf-course. It was close enough to be a sort of two-stroke hazard, and only lacked one of those windmills going round over the entrance to the garage doors.

My Spanish is still enjoyable (in that I still go and don't yet make excuses for coffee instead). The other lady on the course said she likes it as it makes her live very much in the present, which is a good feeling, except at some stage I suppose we will also have to study the future, subjunctive and the past-imperfect.

Dunkirk spirit

Last Thursday the headmistress got a rather panicky call from a headmaster in Paris saying that they had a group of 43 school-children stuck in Minneapolis on their way back to Paris from Chicago, and could something be done? Luckily, Minnesotans are pretty decent (especially if there is any free publicity), and the Hyatt were able to offer them rooms and meals, and even the zoo coming up trumps with some free tickets. The local district is providing lunches for them (even picnics for when they go out). These kids are only about 10 years old, and were meant to be away for a week - how must their parents be feeling?

The local news came round today (for which I did not prepare, so was not able to be yummy, more slummy, when I went in to help in the canteen, so had to hide behind the tinned peaches), and CNN may pop round tomorrow. I may have my hair done.

In sickness and...

Yes, thanks the Medical Establishment - T's been sick since she had her last (yippee) MMR vaccine last week. A measle-type rash all over her, headache, stiff neck. Hmm, perhaps the nay-sayers have a point after all? So, with varying amounts of grace, on both sides, we have made towns out of card-board, then cities, then, hell, why not an entire world? Painted nails, made a fairy garden, repotted all my planted herbs (we've been given notice to move house by the land-lord and I'll be buggered if he gets to keep my parsley) and watch, yes, an awful lot of TV. Cheetos have been high on the menu, and strangely not too much broccoli, but it seems she is pulling through.

Suddenly everywhere is beginning to get really green. When we did an Ester-Egg hunt last week in the garden, we managed to get several plastic eggs full of very cheap candy (which, and I just don't know how seemed to disappear each time T averted her gaze) along with a tic each. Luckily they are the large ones (and hence not Lyme's disease-y) but it is still a surprise when you flick one off your scalp. Lots of mosquitoes around too - the price you pay for an early spring. At least I've managed to get daffodils this year (is it churlish to also dig those up?).