Friday 4th February

I had cooking this morning, but it's an early start so I left Karyn at home in bed. I know I say it every week, but I love sorting rice. At ten Karyn called to say that she wanted to join us, so I got a bike home quickly and picked her up. The kids still haven't bought their health insurance yet, so we're not letting them in to eat. Cooking for 15 is much quicker than cooking for 50. Yvette was there today to help us, and I really enjoyed spending some more time with her.

(Photo: Karyn Makins)

Then we went into town for the 'best places to eat' tour. I took her to La Fine Bouche for a glass of fresh passion fruit juice, 35p, then to La Sierra, one of Jen's favourite haunts. I knew we were getting the bus home during rush hour, so we each bought a bar of dairy milk to make the journey more bearable. We also popped into Mille Collines to make a reservation for my parents. They're coming in a month, but it's a popular hotel so it's good to get the booking over and done with.

That night Jen and Serge took us out for dinner at an Italian restaurant called Sola Luna. I couldn't believe how nice it was. I’ve driven past it quite a lot, but I’ve never been inside before. It is gorgeous. And they have over 50 different types of pizza. I doubt even Italy could top that.

(photo: Karyn Makins)