back in town

Yep, here were are.  Unbelievably, I did do a couple of loads of laundry after we got home.  We were both too wound up to go straight to bed, so I put the time to good use.

It was my birthday today.  SO has promised to take me on a shopping trip when I feel better (since finishing the last round of antibiotics, the symptoms have returned. Sigh.) so I’ll make sure to take him up on that.  I got calls and messages from various friends, and a stiff, formal text from my mother, referring to me as “Petrona”.  I only ever get called my full name when I’m in trouble, so clearly she’s still annoyed at me.  Oh well, if she doesn’t want to talk to the person who she spawned 32 years ago, that’s her business.  I’ve realised that it doesn’t matter what I do with my mum; we’re never going to have the relationship we could have had, if she had stayed on antidepressants.  It’s sad, but when she was on them, she was more relaxed, and didn’t carry on like a three year old throwing a tantrum.  Since she came off them, our relationship has been more difficult.  But what can you do?! Not a lot.  So I just have to accept it.

SO and I went to his dad and stepmum’s for a BBQ dinner tonight.  They gave me some birthday presents, a card, and some money, and we gave them a shirt (for SO’s dad) and a pashmina (for his stepmum) which we picked up in Singapore.  Luckily they both loved them! I love buying presents people really like.  It makes me feel all warm inside.

Tomorrow night we’re going to G and V’s house.  As a result, I spent this afternoon making coffee meringue things.  I’d never made them before, but Mum has made them for years, so I know they taste divine.  They were fiddly though, I’ve never used a piping bag before, and I hope I won’t use one again for a long time.  The professionals make it look easy, but jeez, the kitchen ended up with uncooked meringue from one end to the other.  I even managed to get some in my hair.  However, they appear to have worked, even though I didn’t manage to dissolve the raw sugar properly, so that’s a relief.  Now all we need to do is pick up a bottle of champagne, and we’re set for an evening of great food, wonderful friends, and alcohol.  Woohoo!