After the wallabies, the kangaroo!

Not another dream, you'll be relieved to know! We were entertaining our niece from New York with her delightful two-month-old Juliet. For Halloween, Juliet had the sweetest kangaroo suit, complete with pouch and joey but actually found it too hot and got fretful.

She was otherwise very charming and smiley and we had lots of cuddles. She got bathed in the bidet and was very co-operative about it! Our two nephews came to meet their first cousin once removed and were very good with her.

They were less sensible about the cats and Lila managed to bite one and scratch the other. But they would not leave her alone - absolutely fascinated by her. Still, Freddie did tell me that "inside Lila's ear is like a bouncy castle."

Oh dear, one should never tell dreams or children's quaint remarks - I have broken two cardinal rules.

We dressed up a little bit for the boys' first Halloween party ourselves, wearing hats we bought one Hogmanay in Edinburgh - husband's even had lots of baubles attached to a battery, so that they could be made to flash on and off. But we didn't stay late, since it was the 40th anniversary of our first meeting, and went off for a curry à deux.

I've read the page proofs of City of Ships, nearly finished chapter 18 of the adult novel and continued to research the historical.But the November birthday + pre-Christmas entertaining is looming: two occasions this weekend, big family bash next etc. So there's a lot of cooking to be done.

I saw and greatly enjoyed the BBC1 Emma a bi to my surprise, since the casting wasn't promising. Some anachronistic language jarred but otherwise OK.

I'm still reading Eco's Island of the Day Before, which has its longeurs. But I read a really entertaining 20-page short story by Vitaliano Brancati for Italian class.

I saw the DVD of Under the Tuscan Sun. Beautiful to look at but, having decided to change the book drastically into a love story, the writer/director then lost the focus and had Frances Mayes ultimate partner not turn up till the very end!