Green Cake

This is the cake I made for McSis's birthday- chocolate, supposedly with green peppermint icing ('tastes like toothpaste' says her youngest son) but I couldn't find the peppermint essence so I used vanilla instead. It looked good with green and white candles; so many, it must be said at the the risk of exposing the fact that McSis is (like me) unfeasibly old, that I had to hold the cake at arms length as I paraded it into the room in case I singed myself.
Brother Tobias was there with his charming family; he is the funniest blogger on earth but has been taking a six month sabbatical due to the acquisition of a new dog. It was a cheery do, with assorted teenagers popping out to the yard for a fag and their dazed-looking parents thinking about the future with empty nests, no piles of unwashed socks and unlimited access to the bathroom.
Tomorrow I'm off to the quacks to see if I have glandular fever. I have been utterly knackered ever since I had 'flu, even when I'm not doing anything knackering, and it's horrible cancelling gigs for that reason especially since it is the gigs that keep me on an even keel. It's just about a year since I moved here and I love this house and I am happy in a lot of ways but the anniversary of moving itself is not happy at all, because selling up and moving was so awful: the old house had become like a prison and and it seemed to be thwarting any attempt to get out, move on, and start afresh. It's still unbearable going to the storage place where my albums and boxes of papers are (ILEA Childrens' Musical lyrics and scores, anyone?). Playing live is life-affirming and is a perfect antidote the the gloomy thoughts associated with all this.
The date is soon to pass, and I will celebrate that with candles and crisps (salt and vinegar of course).
Martin is very busy with gigs all up and down the country; he passed through London on Friday and we managed to see each other and play a few chords in passing; I found that I am able to accompany his ragtime pickin'. Learning how to play the Chefs songs has tidied up my style. I am going to Dublin to play a few songs at The Daintees' show in Whelans on November 12th so I'm revving the rusty voice up as we speak.