Me: Doesn’t Bushy Martin look amazing?
Nell: That’s one word for him.
Me: All dressed up and ready to party.
Nell: Good grief.
Me: Unlike you.
Nell: Watching someone decorate a tree is exhausting.
Me: Dave helped.
Nell: David loves carrying things around in his mouth.
Me: He’s such a helpful Big Brave Beautiful Boy.
Nell: Do we need that many photos of a tree?
Me: Someone asked what we put at the top of the tree and I found it quite hard to describe.
Nell: It’s a unicorn mouse with wings in a pink fluffy dress. What’s difficult about that?
Me: Well, now you say it.
Nell: Exactly.
Me: I thought a close up might help.
Nell: At least there don’t appear to be any squirrels inside and if there are any they’re keeping a low profile.
Me: For now.
Nell: I beg your pardon?
Me: Nothing?
Nell: Now, Poppy wants to know if you’ve managed to organise everything for the Christmas trifle?
Me: Not everything because some things have to be bought at the last minute.
Nell: But most of it?
Me: Yes.
Nell: Good. And you will be following your mother’s recipe?
Me: As much as I can.
Nell: What does that mean?
Me: She used tinned raspberries and I’m using fresh ones.
Nell: Why?
Me: They’re nicer and you can’t get tinned raspberries anymore.
Nell: Fair enough. Is Herr Hoffmann watching television again?
Me: He’s fallen in love with the cooking programmes. Bless him.
Nell: He’s got a crush on Beary Merry. He watches everything she’s in.
Me: They’re of a similar age, Nell.
Nell: We need him in the kitchen.
Me: Christmas is about relaxing. Let him be.
Nell: Do you realise how long Poppy’s list of Things To Do is today?
Me: No. Sorry.
