"Bookgroup"

We really do need to consider changing the name of our first Friday in every month meetup.

Last night we discussed the book (Terry Pratchett, Unseen Academicals) only long enough to agree that NO-ONE (apart from me, who read it aeons ago) had read it - yet. So it's kind of being carried forward, woe betide anyone who thinks they can get away with jumping straight to Vanilla Beans & Brodo or whatever the next book is called.

So what did we talk about if not the book? Let me try to remember...

- Nancy and Jenny had a great excuse for being late, they got lost, which surprised me as they've both lived in the city long enough to know their way around and we've been using the Black Cat as our venue for ages (mainly because of the extensive wine list and the delicious French cheese platters that are available, and it's no smoking before 10/1030) Then they confessed, they'd been on their way through a park and came across 3 dancers (male) playing football in just their Calvins. We had to agree that we'd have been a bit dazed and confused after that also (apart from Kamesh, who isn't that way inclined)

- Football, the Ghana - Brazil match was on at the back of the bar, mainly for the benefit of the staff, 2 of whom are Ghanian (hmmm, that doesn't look right, I know how it sounds though) we didn't actually watch, but were aware of the action by the noise of the crowd.

- Cricket, we're trying to arrange a day for us expats to get together & 'play' cricket, this is the brilliant idea of Jenny (Australian) & Kamesh (Indian), the one is hideously competitive no matter the subject and the other is (allegedly) quite good. The rest of us are going along with the idea because it sounds like fun. Actually, that's not true, it doesn't sound like fun to me, but hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

- The heat, 32 degrees for 3 days running is not normal, Kamesh said even he can't deal with it having lived too long away from the heat of India.

- Rebecca received an emergency phonecall from her husband who we'd merrily left in charge of her 3 kids and 1 of mine (who refuses to stay home alone with her elder brother "because he's too bossy") The 2 eldest (mine being one) had taken Sam's cigarettes and broken them all up and thrown them in the bin. Their motive was well meant, Jas had 2 years schooling in the UK where it's drummed in at an early age that SMOKING IS BAD & CIGARETTES KILL & Jack is concerned about his father's life expectancy...the result was 2 packets of fags purchased and dropped off by Emma on her (early) way home with baby (3 months old & tetchy in the heat).

- More football, as in "where are you going to watch the Germany vs. Argentina match on Saturday" (this from Jenny, who, despite the Aussies being sent home early for playing so badly, is still trying to watch as many of the games as possible) I joked that I was considering going shopping as the shopping centres would not only be nice and cool and air conditioned but also empty & Rebecca laughed that she was thinking of going to one of the open air swimming pools for the same reason (the lack of people, not the air conditioning) in this weather the open pools are not for the serious swimmer, they are (so I've heard, having managed to avoid that particular hell on earth so far) so full of people it's standing room only, both in the water and around the sides. How can that be fun? Anyway we came up with a cunning plan, barbeque at my house, with the proviso that Rebecca's husband does the charring of the food - it's man's work, I don't know how to bbq and nor do I plan to find out thank you very much.

Quiet evening really, quite how we managed to drink so many bottles of white wine I don't know, I blame the heat...now where's the corkscrew?