Pacifying Pilot

Ann is difficult to buy presents for. She doesn't like chocolates, or expensive jewelry, and likes to pick her own clothes. Especially with the inconsistent sizing between shops, she prefers to try on garments rather than trusting to others or the internet, then having to return them. She isn't even certain about flowers – cut flowers are like having "dead things" in the house and are better in the field – but she is gracious enough when given them, and displays them nicely in a cut-glass vase.

Yesterday was a busy day. It was Edwin's birthday, with Lucy, Matthew, MA and their families coming to see him all afternoon. Ann had a hospital  appointment in the morning for further X-rays to her hands, so we had to tidy up early. I hoovered and took out the old dead flowers, while she started to prepare the food. At the hospital, I waited in the restaurant over a cup of coffee. Back at the car, Ann said, "what's that blood on your face?" I looked in the car mirror to see two huge glowing red globs on my face, and a deep yellow stain across my cheek and in half my beard. I rubbed them off, but the stain wouldn't move - it was as though I'd dyed my beard bright yellow. We finally worked out that they had come off the flowers when I threw them out - they must have brushed my face and stained it.

Pacifying Pilot, the wild guinea pig.

The party went well, though I was still tired, and sat in my chair most of the afternoon. Lucy and Andy have a new baby, now one year old and toddling, so we shut the dogs in the bedroom so they wouldn't knock him over. Little Theo still has his dummy, and likes to play "hunt the dummy", leaving it in as many unexpected places as he can find. Today he decided to share it with the guinea pig! Pilot was not amused when he realized it wasn't food, throwing us a most accusing look, but Theo thought it very funny.