a quick bit from Kate

Thanks to everyone who emailed me privately about the d*nt*st trauma. Am still a bit sore today but I feel much better than I did on Wednesday afternoon. And I got paid yesterday (yes!! at last!! ... the wheels of publishing grind v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y), so we went into town last night to pay in the cheque. And while we were there, I was on strict instructions from the children to buy their holiday diaries. (cruel mother that I am, I make them keep a diary, with pictures and postcards and tickets etc pasted in, of the summer hols. Keeps son doing a bit of handwriting each day so the first day of the new term in September isn't such a shock to the system), and daughter also wanted a big notebook. 'So I can keep all my stories together.' Stories, darling? 'Yes. I'm going to be a writer like you. I wrote this story about a princess today...' So yep, she got her notebook. I wish I still had the ones I wrote at her age, but we didn't have much storage space.

While I was in Smith's, look what I saw on the shelves...

And then DH had the bright idea of going out for dinner. 'Um, honey, I'm on soup and yoghurt at the moment. No way can I manage grilled chicken at Tootsie's.' (And he looked surprised! Men...) But eventually we decided on Frankie and Benny's, where I'd be able to get something soft and they could still have their grilled stuff. Tuscan bean soup (v nice), vegetable risotto (also v nice) and the waitress was really kind and did me a pud off the children's menu - bananas and custard. (This is my ultimate comfort food so I really appreciated it.)

Plan for today: better get on with this book because I am NOT working on my holiday and the book is due in soon. But it's going to rain all day, so I'm not going to be tempted elsewhere with the dog.