There's definitely one thing to be said for an absolutely skin-tight rehearsal dress - it's pretty obvious when one has been sampling the best of what the city's restaurants have to offer for a few days (thanks, Mother!). A slight discomfort when sprawled alcoholic and fainting (yet again) across a sofa, with a mezzo balancing on my knees and a baritone fanning my forehead, means that my culinary talents are going to have to be severely curtailed for at least the next week. Luckily, of course, the German supermarkets are helping me in that respect...

I am attempting to hold off the diatribe against the supermarkets, trying to give them every chance before I leap in there, sword in hand, but it's hard, it's hard.

With the autumnal weather yesterday came an interesting phenomenon - I returned after lunch to find my flat absolutely HEAVING with ladybirds. There were so many I was a trifle worried that I might have done something to warrant a Biblical plague. However a friend living a couple of hours to the east of here also reported being bombarded by the same insects, so I heaved a sigh of relief (surely we are on different sinning timetables, so I reckon this counts as a natural phenomenon rather than divine punishment...). It took me two hours, having closed all the windows, to collect the little creatures using glass and paper, and stick them all out on the balcony. I wonder what's next?