I think Miss M has a new hero(ine) in the same way James Bond became mine after I saw Casino Royale. We watched Nancy Drew this evening, and although I was initially worried it might be a little boring for an eight year old, when the comic relief and action both kicked in, it was very enjoyable. There was a sequence where Nancy was pursued, and did some nifty self defence, and afterwards, I mentioned Miss M’s karate skills would make her a far better sleuth. She agreed, and said she’d thought Nancy Drew had a lot of opportunities to be more violent.

At the end of the movie, there was a sweet emotional moment, and as I’ve mentioned before, I’m a sucker for any type of emotion, anywhere, anytime. I even cried at the Spongebob Squarepants movie, as Miss M patted my knee and whispered, “Mummy, it’s only a movie, you don’t have to cry”, but tonight, she was the one who shed tears (alright, so did I, but I wiped them away quickly). As we left, she said “I don’t know why I’m crying, but I just can’t stop”. It was very cute.

We made fantastic risotto beforehand, with sausages from the Spanish deli that were so delicious it’s almost criminal. They’re little chorizitos, without any paprika, but full of other spices. We used tomato passata instead of wine, and I sneaked in a couple of mushrooms, along with carrot, celery and leeks, then parmesan to disguise the health factor of the veggies. Miss M stirred, and decided when to add more vegetable stock. Thankfully it was ready in time for us to eat before running over to the movie. Miss M still wanted a choc top, but I managed to resist temptation - maybe those tablets have kicked in already.

Tomorrow holds the promise of three properties to check out, the market and a sleep in. As Meatloaf once sang, two out of three ain’t bad.

Today I’m loving: whoever made those sausages! If you live near Fitzroy in Melbourne, go to Casa Iberica and buy some now. Or wait until they’re open … that’s probably a better idea.