Bulletin

It was a delicious curry. Phoebe was tucked up in bed as the rest of us quaffed wine and "Cobra" beer along with the indian takeaway meal that Frances and I had picked up from the "Bilash" curry house on Sharrow Vale Road. Down in the valley, the lights of Sheffield city centre twinkled on the last night of March.

Regarding the quaffing of alcoholic drink, I must confess that I misled you. Two of our party - Sarah and Frances - opted for non-alcoholic beverages. This fact might cause the whiskers of worldly-wise female readers to twitch. When a woman who normally partakes of alcoholic drink refuses it, that might well mean that... they are pregnant?

Full marks ladies!

I have been waiting to share this wonderful news for a while and now, on the verge of the twelve weeks staging post, I think I can safely say that  both Frances and Sarah are pregnant. Their babies are due within a week of each other in October. Joy upon joy - we are very probably going to be grandparents once again - but this time twice over!

It's early days of course and one should not count one's babies before they are hatched. Things can go tragically wrong with any pregnancy but  if Nature follows its usual path, bouncing baby cousins will arrive in the autumn. As you might imagine, we are all thrilled and keeping our fingers crossed for their safe appearance.

As I say, the curry was delicious and to accompany it I drank two big bottles of "Cobra" beer. The last half bottle was difficult to glug down. What with the Indian breads and rice I was beginning to feel bloated. When I stood up to go, I felt rather queasy and all of a sudden I did something I hadn't done in twenty years or more - I vomited! Not the entire curry meal I hasten to add but a ladle-full mixture of beer, rice and chewed up peshwari naan bread. 

There was no time to get to the bathroom but it all landed neatly on the granite work surface in the kitchen where it could easily be cleaned up. The digestive explosion removed my queasiness immediately and it was of course utterly insignificant compared with our marvellous news about two grand babies that will no doubt throw up their fair share of sustenance - just like Grandpa!