Smoked Chicken Salad

First there was the build-up to Christmas, the big day itself and then all the organisation involved in getting the two sons overseas - shipping their belongings from other cities back home, getting the money sorted out and a dozen other little tasks. They are quite capable of looking after themselves, but they like to talk through the various options open to them - like what to do late afternoon when James was leaving town the next morning and the removal company still hadn't arrived to collect his belongings. He soon learned the value of a polite but firm phonecall - instant action and a nice little discount.

At 4am on Saturday morning we delivered him to the airport for his journey to Adelaide.

"You'll be glad to get on that plane," I said, surveying his pile of luggage (and quietly wondering how much of the stuff that was being shipped home will need to be re-directed across the Tasman).

It's hard to move overseas on a holidaymaker's baggage allowance. The excess baggage we ended up paying would almost have bought me one of the current cheap return airfares to Oz - accommodation included. I could have said the large cricket bag was mine. In fact, I would have fitted inside the large cricket bag although I would have been very expensive excess baggage.

There was a further defection the next day when The Spouse packed his car and headed north for a bowls tournament. The cat and I are the only ones left at home and he is inclined to spend most of his time snoozing these days. It's been rather warm and as he is a long-haired black cat, he likes to find a cool spot, often stretched out along a skirting board.

He will stir, though rather lethargically, when he hears me pull out the knife and start chopping in the kitchen.

The cat seriously considers he is one of us. He makes himself at home on the bed each night, general hogging a fair portion of it for himself. When we sit down at the table for a meal, he takes his place on one of the chairs. In the morning he leaps up onto one of the kitchen stools (left) and taps The Spouse on the arm, begging for a piece of toast and Vegemite.

He was a total pest when I was preparing this week's recipe - swishing to and fro by my ankles and coming dangerously close to getting trodden on. He is very partial to chicken and the smoked chicken I was cutting up had him in a frenzy. I had to put a little in his feeding bowl to get him out of the way.

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