Thanks for coming to visit last week. You'll be glad to know that the bathroom floor is still clean and that a thin layer of dust has yet to reappear along the skirting board in the hallway. It may be chilly outside but my geraniums continue to bud and bloom spectacularly on the balcony, and the Christmas cacti are following suit indoors. I've now received a stunning total of four Christmas cards, two from the family, one from San Francisco, and one from that bloke I went to university with who now lives up in Norwich. I really should buy some Christmas presents at some point, if only any of us knew what we wanted.
While you were here you commented that BowChurch looked rather lost sitting in the middle of the road after dark, and wouldn't it be nice if they illuminated it at night so it stood out a bit and looked pretty? You'll be delighted to hear that this week local residents appear to have done exactly that, with a set of powerful spotlights now lighting up the outside of the church. It's rather pretty actually, and it looks like it's permanent and not just for Christmas. Next time you're down, I suspect you'll be impressed.
My microwave oven died at the weekend, and it was strange trying to remember how to cook everything without one. I must admit that jacket potatoes taste considerably better out of the oven rather than the microwave, but I'd forgotten just how slowly they cook so I nearly went out for a bag of chips instead. On Tuesday I could wait no longer and went out and bought myself a new microwave from Argos up the road in Stratford. It wasn't easy lugging a huge heavy box home on the bus, but thank goodness it's a door-to-door service. Within half an hour I had the new cooker plugged in and immediately spent two minutes heating up a mug of soup. With the microwave now most definitely switched off, I disappeared back to my computer for a warming drink...
A couple of minutes later there was a sudden loud fizzing noise from the kitchen, like the sound of a miniature firework display. I rushed back down the hallway just in time to hear a small pop and to see grey smoke billowing from the top of the brand new microwave. I managed to unplug the smouldering furnace, stop the smoke alarm from rousing the neighbours and reset my main fuse. I've not been having the best of luck with electrical stuff lately have I? Still, your apple pie warmed up a treat in the conventional oven. On Wednesday I went back and bought a replacement microwave (different make and model) which involved lugging the new deathtrap back to Stratford on rush-hour public transport and waiting around in every different queue Argos had to offer. I'm not convinced I'm going to find the special one-touch-lamb-joint-defrost button particularly useful, but at least the new microwave hasn't burnt the house down yet.
I hope you're both well, and that your kitchen appliances aren't trying to kill you. See you again in under a fortnight.
Dear Mum and Dad,
