cimorene

have carted the Venetian parcel-gilt racist statue torchiere away with them and committed to also buy the secretary desk and the neo-Rococo gilt mirror with a rooster finial, as well as a miniature (for train travel) bar set (of four decanters and twelve tiny cocktail glasses, all engraved, in Art Deco style brass holders in a fold-out wooden case). They think it will make a good 40th birthday present for their son this year: apparently he likes cocktails. Lotta also took an amethyst parure - necklace, ring, earrings - to have it valued at a goldsmith near where they live. They're going to have the mirror valued too, and they've already given us a thousand bucks for the torchiere and the desk.

Wax's aunt Pu is supposed to take the pair of Jennylund armchairs off our hands, which would almost make the bedroom livable again.

I've met them most recently at the funeral, of course, but going through MIL's box of old photos recently, I had images of them in the 1970s at the forefront of my mind - wedding and christening snapshots and family parties taken by both MIL and FIL (they were university friends of MIL & FIL). Of course I said, "I recognized you from the photos!" and Von Sir said "But we were at the funeral anyway" and I was like "Oops yeah...". The truth is I don't really remember anybody from the funeral, it was just a blur of old people in black.