Sunday

Let the balloon go. But the question is: where did it go? Since M's birthday, we have been watching the helium balloons slowly deflate - particularly agonising if you've ever done helium voices and want to again but are too scared to because of the health warnings about that particular activity - d'oh. Last night, M went to let down one of the ''60" balloons (there are two) but found she couldn't because they are self-sealing - possibly a safety measure to prevent helium voices. By the time she read that, she had already taken the string off, and after some persuasion she agreed to let the balloon go. We didn't expect it to float to the ceiling - it had been bobbing about at the same level with the string on but now, being that much lighter, up it went. Tonight, it's nowhere to be seen. So where did it go?

It was a busy but good day. It started, as most Sundays do, with the Skype call to Tr, then the Markets where we were joined by N and her friend J - but also by M, R,A and L - so it made for a very big and full table. J, who had come down especially as she had heard so much about it, and very much wanted to meet Mouse didn't seem disappointed.

Alas, I didn't make it to Dracula's garage sale - there may have been a bargain or two on props and costumes from what must be the Coast's oldest and best-known theatre restaurant. But I did make it to The Big House for today's draw - $20,000 was up for grabs in the Miss Kitty promotion. I'm sure the people who won would have been pleased with their efforts. While we didn't win, I had a good time watching roulette with M and Mouse.(I learnt yesterday that Mouse is called "Mouse" because way back when she used to love cheese - and you know how people say someone is so such-and-such that it's their middle name - well, Mouse loved cheese so much more that it became her first name!)

There are some lovely orange flowers on the bohemia tree but I can't tell if they belong to it or not. I missed the photo this morning of a bird with its beak up to its wings in one of them. By the time I had the camera, the bird was gone.

I remembered to take the photographs from M's birthday board to return to their rightful owners today. I didn't take scans of them as M says she has copies - just as long as she does because we may need them!

We are going to try a new strategy with Beazley and his cookies in the morning - rather than just giving him a few when I get up, I'll give him a proper breakfast amount - I do already but in three or four lots; hopefully if he gets them all at once, that will satisfy him.

Beazley and Pearl are watching television with S tonight - and both are sitting, sharing very nicely indeed, on the couch across for S. I'm only surprised they're not trying to sit with her.