Sunday-Monday March 22nd

Hey think I should somehow send this to the woofies when I get the chance- it' s being rather a huricane here at the moment. Still not decided on the Croatia deal, guess we'll live somehow- in the meantime my teeth have actually started to throb as if in their last dying moment, not a moment too soon- so what happens happens. Nea is being the 2 and a half that she is, absolutely TERRIBLE, different from Leo in her own way- just NO NO NO the whole day and some really ancient ghost sounding squeals and throwing on the floor- ah, all the old stuff, how pleasurable, just near to a long trip, how delightful. STill have to go out and get a couple of birthday parties we've been invited to, plus some odd ones out ones, easter baskets for school too and small kids here, still have to think about getting the cold weather stuff out. There are so many things to do in fact, that I don't even know what the F I am doing writing a stupid report at this time; still seeing that I probably won't be able to in the next 2 weeks it's OK. Pics are from; Irvine (Orange county) yesterday, very nice weather and egg hunt, masses to talk and laugh about about the whole episode but I'll have to let the pics speak for themselves, anyway, Nea was bad tempered, showing her knickers, there was a great little zoo and cookie paintings, easter egg hunts and trains, it was worth the drive- after which Mako said he really wanted to do Okonomiyaki- I had never done it at home on the hotplate before but was surprised at how much fun and how good it was- had masses of seafood and pork, cabbage and noddles in them, the kids also walloped them down and rather cheap. With lots of booze to accompany. Sorry I held you on the phone the other day when you had to go for the fish; still so glad that you OBVIOUSLY got al the you wanted and more. so how did you do the octopus?L I always do the so standard one- you know the garlic, eggs, parsley, bit of shoyu and salt peppster, olive oil and some little things here and there- never feel like doing anything else, that one's so good. Oh, generally put a bit of lovely seasoning stuff that I discovered, a "scallop essence" - kind of like dashi, really gives a good feel all round in the palate. Anyway, oh, and the last ones are at the Skirball today (museum, the one with the Noah's ark) - they had an archeological dig thinminog going on, very entertaining indeed- if Leo had been just a bit bigger (like eight) it would have been even better, since "Ancient Israel, which was so and so, and so and so, and then there was sthe King's highway and that's why they built wells outside the walls dradradra, all very good for a 10 year old but....fell on dead ears really- I loved it) but they enjoyed getting the artifacts and thinking about why the city was built this way or that. All in all, very good.
Still, if one's already seen the Ark then 20 dollars for the three of us is a bit pricey (mako was out at work again)
Anyway. really HAVE to go. SOOOOOOOOo happy to have heard you and would coomment for oodles more but really hhave to wash nea's hair- it7s caked with sand and really bad. I shudder at the upcoming job. Sigh.

So much love and love, XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOS (oh I forgot this was a blog, not a letter)