Tuesday things

FIRST THING, after breakfast, we're down to the supermarket to purchase some essentials that we're running low on.

We're not alone it seems; the shop is heaving!

It's as if, during a bank holiday, people have been entertaining the ravaging hungry hoards and are now desperate to lay in provisions for the next onslought.

We return home to a phone message - our friend, Mike, has been rushed into hospital with breathing problems. We were due to go and visit him and Helen tomorrow, now we have to await further developments.

I get my head down for an afternoon zizz, and later we're on the phone to scare up some workmen to try and get the last of the kitchen finished. They faithfully promise to come... sometime.

We turn our attention to dinner.

While My Good Lady attends to the salmon, I focus on the wok and the vegetables and noodles stir-frying away.

Unfortunately, the small oven has a habit of unexpectedly switching itself off, and now, at the end of its twenty minutes we find the fish is stone cold! On it goes again, this time with both of us keeping our eagle eyes on the timer.

It turns out okay in the end, in spite of our super duper new cooker!

Evening. We watch a recorded episode of Numb3rs, before giving Helen a call about news of Mike. We can only leave a message on her answering machine, though; clearly she must be with family or friends. We can only wait and hope and pray.

Despite the rather sombre mood that's settled on us, we open a bottle of Viognier, and to some cheery tunes by Doris Day, we manage to end the evening in a more positive frame of mind.