alexist

My mother just warned me that she's taking Abby to the vet this week and she might not come home :-( She's got cancerous sores, she's not eating much, and her breathing doesn't sound good.

She said she actually debated telling me but I said I would be more upset if she didn't. I'm just sad I won't be able to say goodbye. Even in the unlikely event she does come home, I don't think she'll make it till the next time I visit :-(

Like I've said before, this isn't unexpected; she's 13 and a half, and she's not been doing well for a while. But still, I'm very attached to her (just ask Neil...)

We're hosting a family gathering in a couple of weeks. 10 adults, 2 children. We're going out for lunch, but I'm making dessert. Now, this shouldn't be a problem, right? After all I am a trove of dessert recipes. Problem is, most of them serve 8! (Some might be stretched to "8-10", but that's cutting it close.) I'm prepared to serve something different to the kids (they're 4 and 5, and probably wouldn't like more grown-up desserts--but I imagine some home-made ice cream and brownies or biscuits would go down a treat. Can't do that for 12, as I can only make a litre of ice cream at a time) but I still need to find something for 10 that doesn't require last minute prep. Plus, I still only have 1 bowl for my Kenwood, so some of my recipes (e.g. tiramisu) aren't practical to do.

I suppose I could make 2 different things... I don't want to do any cakes that involve real decorating, because I'll make a hash of it. (I can manage a decent looking cake if I've got the tools [I discovered that icing a cake neatly is best done on a turntable], but I don't and I'm not going to start buying them.) I could do cheesecake as one, as that's fine being baked the day before. I'll have to think, as if one is cheesecake, the other should probably be something not too rich. Which means no chocolate. (I do have a lovely chocolate roll filled with light whipped ganache. Terrific recipe especially as the cake has no flour and can also be made dairy-free very easily, though then you have to change the filling as it's basically a chocolate whipped cream.)

Bus strike has been called off :) My old friend/foe the 263 will be taking me to Barnet Hospital and I can save £20.

We braved Brent Cross (along with a sizeable portion of North London). We made tentative decisions on nursery furniture (we'll have to get the junk out of the 2nd bedroom first!) I've just checked, and the Maxi-Cosi EasyFix Base can be used with either a 3-point belt or IsoFix--perfect. (Ah, finally found the compatibilty list! Skoda introduced IsoFix in January 2000, but the compatibility checker says all is fine and it can be used with a 3 point belt in the rear seat in ours.) So that's sorted. Neil and I agree that it will be easier to click the seat in and out of the base than to deal with the belts every time.

I saw a really cute Classic Pooh mobile in Mothercare ;) Neil admitted it was cute (and he liked that it was Classic Pooh, not Disney). But I'm trying to focus on essentials first! (But I do have the John Lewis nursery catalogue which is useful...)

I also got a new phone; ended up with a K750i, Orange PAYG. Neil's debating whether to order a replacement SIM for my old number. I told him it's up to him since he wants to change the contract but he has to make up his mind so I know whether to give people a new number or not!