Secret behind the Big-bada-boom revealed

It was my car doing the big-bada-boom after all, and not the dodgy beige car on the other side of the road (see entry 'd’oh!' below).

I did several trips with it during the day yesterday and it was fine, but as I left to pick up Matias from school it started coughing and shaking. I had offered to drop Joyce off at her house, but with a car like that I wasn't brave enough to drive to her house at the less-than-formal settlement. (I felt I would have been such a good bait for opportunists had the car stalled there, and with India in the car I wasn't willing to take the chance).

I dropped Joyce off at the entrance to the area where she lives, and returned home instead of driving to the school. Matias came home with Joona.

We went to have some pizza with Joona, Seija and Andrew in the evening. India had talked about Seija and Joona on several occasions throughout the day, and was thrilled to see them. She ran to them with open arms yelling "Mummy... Noona!", in her high-pitched voice (India calls all women mummy, as that's what she hears other children do). She hugged both of them again and again throughout the evening.

Matias got lots of wonderful birthday presents from Seija and Joona (two T-shirts, a SuDoku board game and a mini sized skateboard). India got a lovely, extra soft, pink frog, which she adores.

India and I stayed at home today because of the car-problem. Heikki took the car to the garage in the afternoon, and it seems that some plugs need to be changed. I should get it back tomorrow.