mr mcmuffin is asleep

Mr McMuffin has been sleeping since about 9.30pm. He has had a hard day, having to physically be in work for the first time in 7 days, such a hard life. I suspect he's dreaming of the cooking that lies ahead. Yes, we've done it again, invited someone over for the weekend, so we don't get a day to ourselves. I have to say I really like entertaining, as I am very lazy about going out, but this does mean that we won't have had the house to ourselves for about 5 weekends. It really spoils my Saturday when I can't lie on the settee in my dressing gown with a pot of coffee, reading a book, and listening to the Biography Channel. I also like to watch Best of Cribs for the sheer nastiness of some of those houses, money really doesn't buy taste.

This weekend we have Mr McMuffin minor, and his new boyfriend visiting. He is very good company and I hope the boyfriend is too. The last one was quite nice, and he had actually grown up in Surfer's Paradise and assured me that it was a real place. But, he was a bit humourless in comparison to the McMuffins, so I never thought it would work out. Mr McMuffin minor has a lovely friend that I want him to marry, but they say that they don't fancy each, other which is such a shame as they get on so well.

Last weekend we had a visitor from Haarlem (or that Dutchy mini country as she describes it). It is so shameful to hear her fluency in English, which is her third language. She has a fourth, and plans to take another MA in Paris so she can sharpen up her French. Anyway, she was a perfect guest and even brought me a box of my favourite chocolates from the concession at Schipol.

I love Leonidas Chocolates. I know they're not the best in the world, but they are to me. When I was a child, my Dad had to travel a bit, and always seemed to have to go to NATO meetings on my birthday and miss it. He always came back with boxes of these chocolates, and chocolate waffles. It never made up for him missing the day, but it did help. As we all grew up and left home, he used to get us all our own boxes and carry pounds of these things back with him, just to see our eyes light up with greed. He is a good man, and they are good chocolates.

Our Dutch friend is really interested in languages, and her willingness to perfect her pronunciation is admirable. She is excellent at the Welsh 'll' sound (same as the ndbele 'hl' sound if that helps!) and can pretty much do any sound. She told me about the word that non Dutch cannot say, and that they used to prevent Germans infiltrating the resistance in WWII; Scheveringen. It has driven me mad all week. I managed to say it perfectly on 2 occasions, then it was gone, completely. If I hadn't done it at all I would have given up (I really can't do the African clicking thing, much to the amusement of my colleagues) but having got so close, I couldn't stop. As they say in the Netherlands 'Gottverdomme' (sp).