Sleepless nights and hungry guests

I feel shopwrecked and grainy eyed this morning. This was due to a) four hours sleep last night and b) having to brave Asda early this morning. Not an experience I care to repeat.

The lack of sleep was caused by a sudden whir of activity on the article selling front which made my brain spin so I couldn’t sleep. Luckily Himself was busy composing jazz in his head so he wasn’t sleeping either. What a pair…. So we walked Moll early and got to Asda for 8.30am.

The reason for this horrendous shopping expedition is that tomorrow we are having seven people round for a meal; an occasion that takes place about once a year in this house. I am banned from the kitchen 'because you never cook enough, Pop.’

Lucky me. Then I realised that we don't have enough chairs, cutlery or plates, so I'm going to have to borrow the necessary.

Out of the seven people, five are female. Luckily the two men are Julian, who’s gay and enjoys women’s company so he won’t mind a plethora of women, and Himself who isn’t gay but doesn’t mind either. (At least, I haven't heard from Julian who was last heard of in Spain. If he can't make it, Himself will be the Token Man, a position he will no doubt relish.)

At some point tomorrow Himself will groan and say, ‘Why have we spent so much time and money when we don’t like entertaining?’ Then we all have enough to drink, the guests usually stay for ages, and we have another successful evening. We hope.

I can hear crashings and bangings from the kitchen which means the chef has started creating. I shall stay well out of the way, comforted by the sweet scent of basil drifting down the hall.