News from Home

Every Saturday morning, at about 9 am or thereabouts, I perform my weekly ritual of catching up with Mumsy + Dadster on their weekly activites. Basically the ongoings from Monday to Friday all compressed into an hour's worth of conversation (thank goodness for GoTalk + bless IK for footing the bill!).

Topics discussed are:

Core subjects - Cleo's antics, Winnie's good behaviour (she truly is well-behaved and good-natured), Mum's day-to-day minding of the cats, Mum's garden/plants/trees/grass, Mum's complaints about Dad's naggings, Dadster complaining about Mumsy's spending, siblings' updates (all have left the nest for greener pastures).

Optional subjects range from Mum's peer's gossips (so and so's dot's wedding), extended family's (i.e. parents in law) updates, water shortages, weather (too hot/no rainfall), cars, to recipes (since I am very much domestically-challenged).

Last weekend, conversation centred mainly around kitties, house reno and parents' impending trips:

• Winnie has started having 3 square meals - Breakfast, lunch and dinner! Winnie has decided she too needs lunch just like us humans. Soon she will demand a permanent spot at the dinner table!


• Cleo's confusion over new dining area - am I in the right house she wonders as she ponders near the familiar smells within the old section of the house. Too cute!


• House reno is finally complete; bigger dining area with a garden view and new doors fitted in. Mumsy's really pleased as it doesn't end here for her; this is infact, to my dad's horror, is the beginning of more dosh to spend - there's new garden lights to install, wooden blinds to filter the midday sun, landscaping works - haleconias/frangipanis to be planted at strategic areas to block out ghastly sight of neigbour's unkempt garden.


• Dad's trip to Bali next week to visit sibling number three.


• Mum's trip to Bali in March, to visit sibling number three as well.


• What Mumsy has to bring to London in April - lots and lots of ikan bilis, chili kering, milo please!


• Dadster complaining about mum's shopping for the London trip - new shoes and new suitcase (and these are only what I was told, mind you). Subsequent shopping in London! IK should be duly informed that this shopping 'trait' is hereditary after all.

As for me, I'm just truly happy to know that Winnie is well + healthy and am excited over the prospect of having Mumsy around for 3 weeks *cheers, whistles, claps*

I've planned some activities to keep Mum entertained. The obvious shopping trips to Bicester + factory outlets, Mamma Mia musical (booked for the 11th April), hopefully I'll be able to slot in a short trip to Venice, and nearby drives (courtesy of Toby) around south coast/midlands/south west areas of engerland, we'll see how things go.

All Mum probably wants to do is eat drink sleep and breathe Oxford Street!