9th September 2006

It was an uneventful week with the routine of schools, work and daily trips to the supermarket. I exaggerate greatly. For me it was a very uneventful week of work and occasional snatched hours of sleep, when not at work or stuck in traffic traveling to or from. Friday night came round very quickly and I made arrangements to meet the family in a restaurant. I thought I’d take some time and get to know them again, woo them a little by eating out. Meal was awful. I used to like Gaucho’s - friendly place, pleasant surrounding, kid friendly and the best beer battered prawns in the world. Well at least the best I’ve tasted. Well the only place I’ve tasted them really, but they are unfailingly good and come out like a plate full of babies’ arms. They do like to call them shrimp, but we’ll overlook the obvious Americanisation. Starters were good but I suppose that’s the essence of unfailingly good. Main course was the awful bit. I had a chicken and pasta dish which was quite obviously a frozen breaded chicken breast heated in a dolmio sauce. The Lady of Leisure had the baby back ribs or the third visit in a row. It would appear that the ribs have all come from the same animal as they have got progressively tougher over the interim. Kids didn’t complain though as they had Coke and never eat a bite anyway.

The evening was not a complete washout however as two friends, Nordy Lass and Big Man, took the masochistic decision to join us for dinner. Talk flowed and by the end of the night the men had arranged to sneak off for extra Red Stripes. (hooray Beer!) The Lady of Leisure duly granted permission and military maneuvers began to settle kids, drop off cars, appease wives and sneak a box of cigs out from the house Absolutely not for me of course. Nordy Lass does not allow the Big Man to smoke and I had a stash so I though they might as well be put to use. As it turned out the gesture turned out to be a test of resolve. Less 40 days and nights, more 20 golden lights but I passed with flying colours. These religious references are becoming more frequent, if more obscure. I’m going to have to Atheists Anonymous when I get back home.