(no subject)
General stuff and things.
I spent the weekend being EFFICIENT with a capital EFF, which means that I harassed poor Mup more than is really warranted, but at least things GOT DONE. Our house looks slightly less like tramps live there, and I painted some more of the baseboards, and gloss things in the kitchen. I also made some soap (yum, scented with sandalwood, musk, nutmeg and coriander, it smells amAAzing) which is now curing in the kitchen. It should probably cure in the airing cupboard, but smells so nice I can't help myself.
On sunday we played a large number of games of Mah Jong with Mup's new set, which was surprisingly pleasing. We're learning the simplest rules (the Hong Kong rules?), but his set has no arabic numerals on, so I feel all virtuous and smug about learning to read the characters on our set, and saying things like "Fat" when I put down the Green Dragon tile. Learning tidbits of language like this please me a ridiculous amount. I'm always embarrassed to only have two languages properly, especially that I haven't used my French in such a long time that it's not as fluent as it was. At the conference I went to in March, a Swiss gent was very patronising about my accent, which upset me, because I felt like he was telling me not to bother. The fact that he spoke 9 languages and could discuss marine mammals in all of them doesn't mean he should squash my very respectable attempts.
Ok, I seem to have wandered there. Mup's cousin's younger son(Timmy) arrived at our doorstep totally unexpectedly, and unexplained, while we were playing. He's 8, and as silent as a very silent mouse. He didn't say anything beyond hello, and yes please, for the first hour or so. We could see the cogs turning in his brain, and then he joined in the game, and beat us both SOUNDLY. After that he spoke a very little more, and seemed happier. He went home at 5, with no explanation either. He's a good kid, but I wish I knew what was going on. Did he need some space away from home? I know he doesn't quite fit in at home, cos he's more bookish and geeky than the other 2 kids, but I have no idea what this is about. It seems to be our role in the neighbourhood to provide away from home space for kids.
On monday we had a mini-hen party for one of our colleagues who had secretly planned her wedding. Luckily she gave us enough time, so I decorated a cake, and we split a bottle of fizz. She got married this morning, and has flown off to Tenerife for a week. I do think that pink fizz and cake with glitter and roses on are a good start to the week.
Re-blued too, my hair is now properly midnight blue, which generated random shouts from people driving down the road (response in my head: "no, my pubes are rainbow coloured, you wanker!").
Ok, this could get even more boring, so I'd best do some work.
I spent the weekend being EFFICIENT with a capital EFF, which means that I harassed poor Mup more than is really warranted, but at least things GOT DONE. Our house looks slightly less like tramps live there, and I painted some more of the baseboards, and gloss things in the kitchen. I also made some soap (yum, scented with sandalwood, musk, nutmeg and coriander, it smells amAAzing) which is now curing in the kitchen. It should probably cure in the airing cupboard, but smells so nice I can't help myself.
On sunday we played a large number of games of Mah Jong with Mup's new set, which was surprisingly pleasing. We're learning the simplest rules (the Hong Kong rules?), but his set has no arabic numerals on, so I feel all virtuous and smug about learning to read the characters on our set, and saying things like "Fat" when I put down the Green Dragon tile. Learning tidbits of language like this please me a ridiculous amount. I'm always embarrassed to only have two languages properly, especially that I haven't used my French in such a long time that it's not as fluent as it was. At the conference I went to in March, a Swiss gent was very patronising about my accent, which upset me, because I felt like he was telling me not to bother. The fact that he spoke 9 languages and could discuss marine mammals in all of them doesn't mean he should squash my very respectable attempts.
Ok, I seem to have wandered there. Mup's cousin's younger son(Timmy) arrived at our doorstep totally unexpectedly, and unexplained, while we were playing. He's 8, and as silent as a very silent mouse. He didn't say anything beyond hello, and yes please, for the first hour or so. We could see the cogs turning in his brain, and then he joined in the game, and beat us both SOUNDLY. After that he spoke a very little more, and seemed happier. He went home at 5, with no explanation either. He's a good kid, but I wish I knew what was going on. Did he need some space away from home? I know he doesn't quite fit in at home, cos he's more bookish and geeky than the other 2 kids, but I have no idea what this is about. It seems to be our role in the neighbourhood to provide away from home space for kids.
On monday we had a mini-hen party for one of our colleagues who had secretly planned her wedding. Luckily she gave us enough time, so I decorated a cake, and we split a bottle of fizz. She got married this morning, and has flown off to Tenerife for a week. I do think that pink fizz and cake with glitter and roses on are a good start to the week.
Re-blued too, my hair is now properly midnight blue, which generated random shouts from people driving down the road (response in my head: "no, my pubes are rainbow coloured, you wanker!").
Ok, this could get even more boring, so I'd best do some work.