7 Quick Takes

1. Big news for British Catholics this week - Pope Benedict XVI is to make a formal state visit to the UK in 2010. No details yet, as the news was leaked by a "government source" in advance of any official announcement from the Vatican.

2. Another news story caught my interest yesterday. A treasure hunter with a metal detector has uncovered the largest known hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold, dating from around 700AD, in a field in Staffordshire. The importance of the find is said to rank with the Sutton Hoo burial or the Lindisfarne Gospels. The total number of items is expected to top 1,500, and will take the British Museum more than a year to value. Imagine the shock of the local museum curator who was presented with a box full of unimaginably rare and valuable treasure ... followed by another box ... and another box ... and another ... and another ... and that was before the archaelogists went in and dug up the rest!

3. A "Bizarre ER" incident at Angel's school yesterday, when one of her friends swallowed a hairgrip. Except she didn't swallow it; she inhaled it. After a trip to Accident and Emergency for x-rays, it was found in her lung. The last Angel heard they were trying to decide how best to get it out. Moral: if you are a teenage girl, do not put hairgrips in your mouth, especially if there is any chance someone will make you laugh.

4. Tonight is our regular internationally themed dinner party with our neighbours, with a twist. After working our way round a number of countries we couldn't decide on the next, so ended up putting country names into a hat and drawing lots for each course. None of us know what the others picked, so it is going to be a very random meal. It will be interesting to see how it all comes together. Or not. I spent the morning making Turkish desserts. I'll report back on the rest later.

5. Cherub has developed a liking for boiled eggs so Tevye cooked one for her. Groping for a name for this how-done-is-your-egg indicator he went generic and asked if he should put the "dooberry" (as in "whatsit" or "thingummy") in with the egg. Cherub was indignant. "No! No! No!!!!! I don't like dooberries. I don't want dooberry with my egg!" Note to self: remember not to serve Cherub dooberries. Strawberries - yes, blackberries - yes, raspberries - yes ... dooberries - no.

6. Speaking of Cherub - yes, she is very much better thank you. The antibiotics have done their job, and apart from a residual cough is virtually back to normal.

7. If you are planning a holiday in the UK, or just fantasising about one, take a look at some of the properties available for rent here. Watermill anyone? Medieval hospital? Lighthouse? Castle?

You can find more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary