Good vibrations

I am having a lovely time in Wellington, which is still the most beautiful city in the world as far as I'm concerned. Yesterday (was it only yesterday?) I met the lovely and talented Editter, and we had a coffee and natter (and will do it again). That was a delight, and also a relief. You never know whether your net friends will turn out to be homicidal maniacs in real life, but in this case it didn't happen. She didn't show the slightest inclination to chop my head off, or if she did she kept it well concealed. I also thought her head looked perfect where it was, attached to her neck, which means we're both probably safe, at least from each other. We had a lovely chat, or at least I babbled at her and she listened politely. Now and again I let her get a word in edgewise.

I have caught up with a few other friends as well, one of whom I am staying with tonight. She has a computer. It is even a Mac, and what else can a person ask for? (The friend I am staying with the rest of the time also has a computer, but at work, so I cannot monopolise it the way I usually do when I stay with friends.)

I was not going to write a blog entry tonight, but since everybody has gone to bed already leaving me in charge of the computer, and I have already emailed The Man, it looks like you're in for another nephew story, whether you like it or not.

In fact this is not a nephew story, strictly speaking. It is a friend-of-nephew story, and concerns the friend of the lovely six-year-old speaks-only-in-perfect-sentences nephew I wrote about in the last entry.

My sister-in-law told me this story. We were out in her car, and while we were waiting at the lights she apologised for the way the car vibrated.

"Is it idling too slow?" I asked.

"No, it's probably because it's a diesel," she said. "It always does this."

Then she told me about a time she was driving her wee son and his friend to or from somewhere.

"His friend is completely different," she said. "He's the kind of kid who comments all the time on what's going on, and has no filters. Whatever is in his head just pops out."

(This is completely unlike my nephew, who thinks very carefully before saying anything at all, and does the longest pauses of any six-year-old I have ever met.)

My sister-in-law went on to explain what had happened. The two six-year-olds were sitting in the back of the car in their child seats. The car had stopped at some lights. The car was vibrating, as usual, and after a while the little friend said, wonderingly,

"Hey, this car makes my penis wobble!"

Then he added, appreciatively, "Cool car!"

And that's it. It was a short story, but it made me laugh and laugh.



(Apparently my nephew got a look on his face that said something like,

Well, yes, but I wasn't going to say anything . . . )