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This week was a week of returns.  Lisl's cat Ivan returned. He came home in the middle of the night. His me-ow-ing woke Lisl up.  Lisl was happy and shocked.  Ivan had been away for more than 3 weeks.  He was still alive, but, just. He was very, very thin.  He was very, very hungry.  Now, Lisl is fine, too.

Susi, too, came back to Vienna.  She had been to Italy. She had gone to see friends.  She had a marvellous time.  But, sadly, Italian food is not as good as everyone says. 

Next week is a going away week.  I'm going down to Balaton in Hungary.  I like Balaton very much.  The water is great, the weather is always OK, and, there are lots of nice little restaurant.  There, too, are many possibilities for sport. Cycling, swimming, hiking, and drinking. Balaton's a nice place to visit.

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Last Thursday evening, we had friends over for dinner.  Susan and Martin and Gregor and his wife. Everyone came at eight on the dot. Susan and Martin brought us a bottle of  wine, and Gregor and his wife came with a bunch of beautiful flowers.

My wife cooked a very good meal.  Cold cream of mushroom soup, a Swedish salmon dish, Lamb Wellington, and to finish with, an English Jam pudding.  The meal was fantastic. No one spoke a word.

And, no one spoke a word after the meal!  This dinner was a disaster. A very bad mix of very nice people. No one could think of anything to say.  An uncomfortable silence. This was an evening that never took off.  And I tried as hard as I could.

The next day, everyone phoned.  They thanked us for a wonderful evening. It was not a very good evening.  It was desperately bad.  And, these things happen in life.

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Last week, my sister sent me a picture.  They are on holiday in England.  Their first English holiday for more than 26 years.  They have gone to the seaside.  

Whitby hasn't changed at all.  Sea, sand, and sometimes sun.  The restaurants are still serving the same meals.  Fish and chips and mushy peas.  A Yorkshire speciality. And, life on the beach hasn't changed, either.

Small children, sand castles, donkeys, ice cream vans, and Punch and Judy.  But, one thing has changed. My sister's children have all grown up.  This holiday is a very quiet holiday.  And, this, too, is a very good thing.