poliphilo

Tuesday is when our cleaner comes.

Have I mentioned her before? I don't think I have. I don't like saying we have one because it's an admission that we're affluent and old.

She's called Carolina and she's Brazilian. Her English is minimal and our Portuguese is non-existent, but we make ourselves understood. She's lovely.

We tend to go out and let her breeze about. Yesterday we went to Tesco to buy a birthday card for Ivy. She'll be 13. I got one featuring a cartoon version of the Gallagher brothers, Liam striking a pose, Noel holding the string of a balloon. I find it a little odd that a modern teenager should love Oasis, but she does. Her father will be taking her to see them when they play Manchester.

I'm reading a contemporary novel about Anglo-Chinese people, part of which is set at the time of the handover of Hong Kong. It has its virtues but overall it's not very good. The heroine is a Mary Sue, the men are portrayed witth little understanding of what makes them tick, the mood is glum, the writing is unsure of itself and sometimes overcooked. But, then, I tell myself, most novels are not very good. Just look how few of them achieve classic status.....