My Family and Other Animals

1st March

Long break from diary as state of bank account dictates that I take on permanent job when it is offered to me and also sell as many as of my old clothes as possible on eBay.

Most of second half of February therefore taken up greeting and serving coffee to very rich people who already own or wish to buy luxury car and packing parcels of sold clothes for HTB to post, which he generously does.

Get very excited when young man from job agency I signed up with brings in bag with gift for me for attaining permanent position. Am less excited when I open bag to discover a Flake chocolate bar, a cup of coffee and a pen of such dubious quality that young man could have saved us both a great deal of time by walking up to me and throwing ink on my suit.

Recent weekend visit from HTB's children successful and miracle of miracles I don't catch anything. Play strange game in car which involves naming a place, animal (but really living creature as birds and insects accepted as answers), and person's name with each letter of the alphabet and argue over who said Elephant first and I don't think of Eagle until I wake at 3am that night with it in my head. Game leads to further strange incident in local charity shop when HTB's son C asks me in strident tones and apropos of nothing if a Dick is a kind of an animal. Entire shop immediately pretends to be busy while straining ears in my direction and I forgo instinctive response which would be to say It Depends To Whom It Belongs Darling and reply weakly Not Really Darling No before edging away and hissing at HTB to wrangle his children.