& another thing

There’s something irresistible about ampersanded words: bacon & eggs, fish & chips (yum), Cowboys & Aliens (tickets please!), Tom & Jerry (Sprog 2 is an addict) … and now, my latest thrill, Garden & Gun magazine. Yes, really. The minute I heard it existed, I had to get a copy. A friend in the US – where, of course, it comes from – kindly tracked one down and it finally landed in my mailbox yesterday afternoon. I was a little caught up playing Spongebob Squarepants Operation and making rissoles last night, so I haven’t had a chance to do anything more than scan the contents list. And it doesn’t disappoint. It’s crammed with gems like “Our Kind of Place: A small-town gun shop”; “Julip, the lovable mutt who never stopped hunting for trouble”, and “John T. Edge’s barbecue epiphany”. But what makes the concept really cool is that it’s actually a swish product, stylishly designed and augmented with glamorous shopping, great recipes and thoughtful writing. Looking forward to it. Though I won’t get to it today either. Today is Husband Day. Husband has Wednesdays off, a hangover from when he was a stay-at-home dad for a while (famous phrase from that halcyon period: “Why don’t you just hang my balls on the letterbox so everyone knows I don’t have any?”) We’re not sure how long we can survive on a single, four-day-a-week income, but we’re going to give it a shot. Because it means we actually get five hours together every week WITHOUT THE KIDS. Strolls on the beach, leisurely cafe lunches, movies, and all that other stuff we never usually get to do as a couple (nudge, wink). Today I’m thinking we’ll try a little Spanish tapas place I’ve read about (sky’s a bit too grey for beach strolling). After school, I’m packing Husband and the Sprogs off to swimming lessons, while I swan off to the pub with a few friends. Perfect day. TONIGHT’S MENU: Leftover rissoles & oven fries (lucky Husband & Sprogs!), charcuterie platter at pub (Me! I hate all that waiter-hanging-around-pressuring-you-to-order stuff, so I prefer to pre-peruse my menus)