Today is day one of an exclusive 15-day “Oliver and Peter without Catherine” engagement. Catherine flew to New Orleans this morning (she reports light rain, 17 degrees Celcius, and palm trees in the courtyard of her hotel); Oliver and I are on the Island until Sunday and then we fly away, albeit to the somewhat colder and less exotic Hamilton, Ontario. Our small family doesn’t reconvene until March 29th.

For an idea of how things will be radically different under the reign of Pete: here’s the book we returned to the library and here’s the book we checked out. Gers are much more interesting than Scoop and Wendy!

Post-supper diversions with Catherine include making healthy cookies. With Pete, it’s wall-to-wall Nanaimo Bars.

In other words, we already miss Catherine desperately, and will likely be admitted to hospital with either sugar shock or Mongolian horseracing-related injuries before the week is out.