birthday season

I am now back in Cambridge, having spent a couple of weeks at home over Easter. We also had three family birthdays (my sister Lizzy's, my brother-in-law Andy's and my mum's), having now embarked on the main family birthday season which runs from March to May (we have another birthday season between September and December, and put together these two periods cover most of the family). For my mum's birthday I obtained a nice card from my sister and then hid it in my room so my mum wouldn't find it. Unfortunately, neither could I when it came to her birthday. I finally found the card yesterday, in a library book which I've brought back to Cambridge. However, for my mum's birthday my sisters cooked a lovely meal, which was something vegetarian in three courses.

I've had some ants crawling round my kitchen (and up my arm). The other day I didn't screw the top on the orange squash tightly enough and counted about 40 dead ants floating in the bottle when I returned to it. (On my mum's birthday I put a slice of lemon in a jug of water which sank to the bottom and remained there until the water was nearly finished. I'm not sure of the science of that.)

I've also had a kind letter from the government to tell me I should start thinking about my pension. They project that, if I don't make any contribution, my weekly pension will be £84.25 at today's prices.

"A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age."
(Robert Frost)