Friday, March 16th .....

When we went to the last TGIF at the Windermere Cafe, Marilyn got talking to a woman who is a Librarian at Scotch-Oakburn College. She invited Marilyn to a Book Club which meets once a month not far from where we live and offered to drop in the current book choice for her to read. So, Marilyn received the book on Saturday morning which gave her 5 days to read it before the meeting.

The book was called Mozart and the Whale and Anne (the librarian) said it was quite hard going and she had struggled to finish it. It’s the true story of two people with Asperger’s Syndrome who meet and fall in love, which is extraordinary in itself. Marilyn enjoyed it, and said so at the meeting, and is now working through the next book.

I’ve been tidying up the last-minute details of our impending trip and I am looking at booking accommodation at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Beijing. My brother smugly said, ‘We stayed there,’ and proceeded to tell us a story about an episode which occurred when they were checking out. One of the staff came out and said to the assembled party, ‘There is a teaspoon missing. Does anyone have it in their luggage?’ Of course, no-one owned up but when Sandy and Janet got home, there it was among their toilet things. I think we’ll have to book under an assumed name in case they think we’re part of a family who help themselves to the silverware.

It reminds me of the time when my mother was travelling in Scotland and the landlady at a B&B (in Oban, I think) said that she didn’t like taking in Australians because they pinched the towels. Thankfully, Mum’s Scottish accent was broad enough to get her accepted.