The note from The Empress of Catan yesterday made me laugh. I can imagine the scene at Deviation Road. Down here on Long Island our marathon Risk game was completed without a tantrum, although it did end in yet another inexplicable victory for Mary Jane. I am not sure I ever got to the end of a Risk game with Toby as he would usually storm off or bang the board over. No wonder I have been psychologically impaired from winning, a handicap exploited by people like Mary Jane. She is far better than Mad Dog, however. As a trained counsellor he will thrash me at pool and then helpfully analyze exactly why I am a loser. I blame Toby.

Kate spent some of her afternoon drawing delicious looking cookies and working with me on their ingredients, which naturally included chocolate but also headless mice. We were aided in this by Link, who is Kate's imaginary (possibly) friend. Later, refusing to eat pasta, Kate had a massive tantrum and built a barricade in her room out of dolls houses to glower behind. Link retired to his resting place on the refrigerator.

MJ and me had a busy morning, went back to the Greek diner where the waitress spilt OJ all over MJ.

Then we answered the prompting of the disturbing genie oil lamp that kept glowing ominously on MJ's dashboard by going to a garage. Then had a marathon session in the Stop and Shop supermarket, struggling for control of the trolley/cart and retired home to read some Emily Dickinson - who I am starting to like a lot, before embarking on the struggle for world domination with Jack.

Beginning to be able to walk quite freely again after capering injury.