General update

I think I am going to just stop mentioning my extended absences. You know I am a slacker, I know I am a slacker, what's the point?

In the time of my absence, I have had strep throat (thank you, Daan my darling, but I could have gone all year without that little gift) which turned into my annual (apparently) sinus infection. I knew you are supposed to be surprised by how much you turn out to be turning into you own mother, but that particular wrinkle I admit I had not expected. I expected to hear myself say "Don't make me come over there", for example. I did not expect to move a couple thousand miles away only to discover that I was horribly allergic to something in my new locale. I am, after all, not allergic to anything. Er, was not allergic...

I don't know what it is; I suspect I may be allergic to dry air since the damn thing kicks in as soon as the heat goes on.

Nel has been having back pain for some time, which she tried to bull her way through for about a week but which finally won out, so she is sort of out of the game just now. It is bad enough that she spent an entire day indoors, which is I believe a first in my experience of living with Nel.

Paul bought a new computer game, which accounts for part of my absence recently, those of you whose spouses are occasionally seized with the need to sit for hours and hours before a computer screen killing digital monsters of various kinds need no further explanation.

And we have had Douwe's birthday of course. Pictures to follow. Some kind person gave him two Yu-Gi-Oh videos, so he is now running around with his two Yu Gi Oh cards (which come in the videos) playing pretend Duel Mosters with a pretend opponent. Sometimes with Daan, who defiantly slaps down any squarish object to mount his apparently blistering counterattacks.