This is the notebook with scraps of poetry and story ideas, as well as notes on recommended restaurants, the phone number of the good dentist, where to buy lowfat cottage cheese, that sort of thing. And, relevantly, ideas for diary entries.

Not entire entries, just random thoughts and occurrences. Not enough for an entire entry, but enough to get me started off, since usually once I start I find it hard to shut up, at least typographically.

Well, orally, too, but that's hardly your problem, is it?

I'm sure it will turn up, but I'd rather like to have it right now. I'm in the mood to commit some diary, and I really don't have anything much to say.

Not that that has stopped me before, eh?

We were home from lunch by seven pm yesterday. Not surprising, I suppose, since we didn't get home from Saturday night's festivities until 8 am Sunday morning. We were all adventurous at lunch too, eschewing the Posh Pub for the Not Quite as Posh Pub next door. They have a slightly different menu. I had tomato soup with a poached egg, which was just about exactly right. It didn't clash with the kebab remnants, in any case.

I bought a new quilt for the bed today. I've been wanting one for ages, or at least since we moved in, because the bedspread that came with the apartment puts me very much in mind of a motel in desperate need of renovation. It was beige-ish, with a hybrid pattern of flowers and paisley in tasteful pastel shades. Very 70s Motor Inn. Rather depressing.

So today I found a new quilt, at Jumbo. I was looking for a duvet, but I couldn't find a cover that I liked and was big enough. It's taken a while, since I have sheets in varying shades of blue, and the curtains and lamps are a peach sort of color, and I wanted to use some of my carpets which are all bright blues and pinks, or deep reds with black. We have no idea how long we'll be here, of course, so I've been trying to redecorate with the least amount of money and effort possible. You would be surprised, for example, what a big difference a new shower curtain makes, especially when it replaces a refugee from the apartment of Bob and Emily Newhart.

Digressing again, aren't I?

The quilt I found is plaid, with varying shades of blue and peach, plus a bit of cream. I'm not a big fan of plaid, but it's a big plaid, more of a graphic design, and it goes super in the room. Brightens it right up, especially since we don't get the sunlight in the morning.

The Italians, by the way, call what I would call afghans-- that is, those small blankets you keep near the couch to wrap around yourself while watching TV, or at the end of your bed in case your feet get cold-- "plaids". They're not always plaid, of course. They might be stripey, or flowered, or a solid color. But plaid plaids do seem to be popular. They pronounce it play-d. But I digress.

Elvis doesn't like our new bed covering. The best he could manage, after prompting, was that it's "cheerful", which is Guy for "oh my God, how can I possibly live with this." Makes me wish I'd bought the sort of abstract flowery one, which I passed up as possibly too girly for a manly-man like Elvis.

Not that he shows any interest in my attempts at interior design, aside from hating pillows in any form. It's not the way they look, he just hates taking them off the bed and piling them in the corner at night. I've compromised by limiting the pillows to three.

None of them have ruffles, either.

I'm not a big one for ruffles.

The quilt goes perfectly with the sheets and with the curtains and lamps and so forth. But it clashes horribly with the carpet. Any one of my carpets, actually.

Guess I'll have to buy a new carpet.

The Portuguese do a sort of hearty needlepoint type of carpet, called Arraiolos. The background color tends to be cream or some other neutral.

I don't have one.

I bet one would go well with my new quilt.