MEETING DIETGIRL AND ZANNA

It's very windy today and the cats are refusing to go out. They don't like their fur being ruffled. If we firmly carry them out to the garden for a little run about, they circle round the house and are pouring themselves in through the cat flap before we get back inside. (They're supposed to sleep on that yellow blanket, not on the cushions.)

Although work continues unrelenting with loads of marking and preparation to do at home, and I feel SO out of touch with all your doubtless interesting lives, there have been two pieces of excitement in the Life household. One of these is that Daughter 2 has got the keys to the flat she's just bought - more of that another time - and the other is that the great, the wonderful, the talented and famous Shauna, aka Dietgirl, came to tea on Thursday. As did the also-very-nice Zanna.

Shauna, as many people know, is a shining star in the universe of Blog. She writes hilariously and touchingly and perceptively about her life and her travels in two blogs: What's New, Pussycat? (www.pussycat.shauny.org/) and The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl (www.dietgirl.org/).

(By the way, does anyone know why I can no longer cut and paste on to my blog? It's very annoying.)

She has many, many readers. She recently also wrote a fantastic book called "The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl" about how she became overweight and then slim and lots more besides. Hers was one of the first blogs I read, on the recommendation of Daughter 1. Shauna's writing combines humour and observation and information and wisdom - an old head on young shoulders if ever I met one - and now I have met her. It was such a pleasure. I knew what she'd be like - perfectly lovely - and she was.

This was thanks to Zanna. Confusingly, Zanna (http://zanyzanna.blogspot.com/) is a Scot living in Australia and Shauna is an Australian living in Scotland. Zanna is a keen traveller, currently visiting her family in the middle of a European tour, and she suggested we meet up. So we did. Daughter 1 came along too. I provided an unimpressive salady meal - I can cook but I didn't know what they liked, work has been so busy that my brain has given out and anyway I didn't want to be responsible for making Dietgirl gain weight...

Shauna brought some brownies along and we had them with our tea/coffee. They were delicious and of course, because they were made by Dietgirl, contained no calories.

It was also very good to meet Zanna. Though I knew she was originally Scottish, I'd always read her blog (in my head) in an Australian accent, but in fact even after 27 years in Australia she sounds more Scottish than I do.

Well, well, this bloggy thing does bring delights. And now I must do some ironing. No marking for me today! Tomorrow, now; that's another matter.