In which the Rodent enjoys artistic endeavours and Chinese food.

That was fun. Claire and Angela and Rob came round so we could do cards, which tomorrow I have to try to post. Tonight, they're drying. It was like being back at school, with a table full of bits to cut out, and people showing each other what they'd done, and paint getting everywhere. Claire did stars, Rob did a tree and a cracker, Angela did a penguin and I did a tree. They're all bright, cheerful and friendly.

The cards will be sent to Amnesty International, who will send them on to various prisoners in various places as a morale booster. I like the idea, and it's exactly the sort of thing I joined AI for. It tells political prisoners that, whatever else happens to them, they have not been forgotten by the world at large. I can get right behind that.

The Chinese restaurant sent us a new menu and one of the items on it, I discovered afterwards, is a platter of steamed buns, all different flavours. I am nuts for steamed buns, so I can't wait until next month's Chinese meal. I think it might well be Chinese New Year by then too, and I think the year of the Rat. I like Rat years.

Steamed buns are hard to make, which is a shame because their texture is fantastic - soft and not quite chewy. They're made from wheat flour, but what sort of wheat flour I don't know to turn out the bright, bleached white you get on restaurant steamed buns. The obvious ones are the steamed custard buns - since the pastry is doughy and sweet, this makes sense to the English palate. However, the pork buns, the char sui bao, are savoury pork in the same sweet, soft bun, and that seems very odd. I can't wait to try lotus bun, yam bun and peach bun.