I am having a dinner party!

I didn’t realise I was until I’d set the table. I never set the table, so this had to be something different. Eleanor and her new husband are arriving in an hour and a bit. I had it all planned out from the moment I woke up. Quick breakfast, shower, clothes, get the dough for cinnamon rolls started and head to the grocery store to get the chilli ingredients. They thwarted me, no pinto beans! I decided to call Weasel to check if I ought to change the menu or just use other beans. My phone was out of credit [I know, I'm the last person on earth with a pay-as-you-go mobile but I only use £20 a year so a contract would be stupid]. Normally, I can just call and top up with my card. Unfortunately, our credit card was changed to another provider recently and I had to call and get the new card tied to my account.

Important note: I’d been shopping and listening to music on my ear hooks so my hearing aids were on my loop system.

I call to attach the card and I cannot hear the man to save my life. He has to repeat everything eight times and I feel awful. I thought it was just my bog standard deafness. It didn’t occur to me that I was on a very quiet setting. I finally took my hearing aid out to finish the call. I only realised my mistake on my way home.

I finally top up and call Weasel. She and I agree to go ahead with more mixed beans and call it good. They’d rearranged the store to accommodate some new Christmas products and I couldn’t find the canned beans anymore. I saw the sign ‘pulses’ and my brain told me that was lentils and I should move on. Sometimes my brain is very slow. We finally figured it out, got our beans and some other necessaries and headed home.

The chilli has been simmering and building flavour for several hours now and the cinnamon rolls are ready to go in the oven. The icing is made and my hair is done.

I wrote the above on Monday evening, it is now Tuesday evening. Everything went off without a hitch and we all enjoyed ourselves. The food turned out perfectly. We played Trivial Pursuit afterwards and Weasel won [of course]. I totally want to have more dinner parties now. It was incredible.

I got to sleep around 1 or 2 and woke up at 12:40pm. I have been busy [for me] this last week and it has finally taken its toll. Fergus and I decided to spend today resting. We plan to do it some more tomorrow, until about 7. Then Weasel, Doodle, Mal, Stoat and I are going to go take in the fireworks and bonfire for Guy Fawkes Night. I’m very excited.

Friday I’ll rest and call my parents and Doodle is coming over. Saturday we’ll see Stoat & Mal for the day. Sunday I’ll start getting the necessary paperwork together for the US and trying on outfits so I know what to pack. Monday I’ll probably start packing and getting my recipes in order. Tuesday I have a lung function test. Wednesday I’ll book our seats on the plane, print boarding passes and finalise packing. Thursday we travel to the US and I’ll see my sister that night for the first time in nearly three years.

This is always a tricky time, I’m very excited and anticipation is running high, but it will pass so quickly and the holiday will be over before I even know.

In other news, I have a strange, hard, painful bump on my wrist.

Thinking about the US election makes me nauseous so I’m not. I will sleep tonight and when I wake up tomorrow I will know. Then I will either cry and be more grateful than usual that I no longer live in the US or experience giddy joy.

Oh and I should say that Horatio’s friends couldn’t come to dinner in the end on Saturday. The whole weekend went so wonderfully, it was the perfect way to say goodbye before I leave for three weeks. We’re already scheduled for our next visit – 11th December. I get to go to his work Christmas party, a Black & White Ball and I’m soooo excited! I bought some gorgeous tights last weekend to wear, they have a ribbon all up the back and I’ll get to wear my garter belt!

Weasel introduced me to Steam and I’ve been playing Peggle, World of Goo and I’ve just downloaded a demo of another one. I adore World of Goo and recommend it to anyone who enjoys logic puzzles and really good music.