Chilli sauce

Long time friends of ours have just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. On the eve of their anniversary they received a phone call from their daughter who works and lives in Karratha. She asked them what they were doing on the day to which they replied that they would go out to lunch somewhere in their town, Mandurah. No they weren't: she had booked them on a plane for an overnight in Karratha for dinner with her. There is lots of money to be made working in a north-west mining town!

When we were in Los Angeles we visited the Farmers Market. One of the stalls there was solely devoted to various types of chilli sauce. There must have been hundreds of varieties all made by the stall holders. We bought a small bottle and it is very nice...and hot! So today, Kev has been brewing up his own chilli sauce and it is shaping up very nicely. Large hot chilli, tomato puree, some apples, some potato, vinegar and a little salt and sugar. Ready to bottle tomorrow. The name of my sauce: 'Ring of fire'.

I have been delaying visiting a friend who has mesothelioma. I have not seen much of him in the last 49 years when we both did an apprenticeship at the State Engineering Works. After he finished his trade he went to sea as a ship's engineer and that is the most likely reason that he contracted that disease. Ships in those days used lots of asbestos lagging on pipes and the crew was constantly renewing lagging. I am not good at sitting with people who are about to die. It is not so bad when they are quite old and have had a long and good life. Colin is about 69 years old. What can I say to him?