Just before Oliver and I left for our trip to LegoLand on Monday morning, Catherine and I hatched a last-minute plan to have our Copenhagen friends for dinner on Thursday evening. Invitations went out by email as we were headed out the door; RSVPs came in as we were away, and preparations are now underway for a lavish spread (in the invites I said “light supper” — Catherine doesn’t do “light supper” — she’s got a separate menu for cocktails).

I feel that I must shout publicly here that I have a most cool and flexible consort: not only does she go in for my cockeyed plans to string a New Hampshire — Portugal — Copenhagen — New Hampshire — Boston — Halifax trip together, but she happily takes up the challenges of feeding a ragtag bunch of Danish hooligans she’s barely even met. Let the Hoisin Sauce gathering games begin.