( Private )

I'm so excited that in 46 days, I am going to be Mrs Gabriel Spinnet.

I hope that everything goes well with Ludo's trial Friday. I can't believe I'm living in a world where Ludo Bagman can be properly accused of being a Death Eater.

( Private )

Wicked that the Scotland-Brazil match is still on, and who catches the snitch still matters. Scotland has to catch Luxembourg in points and come away with the Snitch. I'm glued to the Wireless. I love the World Cup. Anything's possible during World Cup season. Anybody can win and anybody can lose. And they're using my brooms.

Nic and Cam got married. Three months until the next couple ties the knot.

It's hard to believe that spring is in full bloom. It has been a long time since we have seen a proper spring. The grass is greener than ever, especially in Ireland, and all of the flowers seem happy to have the chance to grow.

Cressida's birthday was on the 13th, and we celebrated this past weekend with a weekend at the Île-de-Bréhat off the coast of Bretagne. The landscape was breathtaking. Cressida and I stayed in a small inn for the weekend with some other women. I hadn't seen Callista Schneider in years, she and her husband have such involved lives in Germany now, and I saw Callista far more often when I was living in Italy, but she's looking healthier healthy and well for anyone who hasn't seen her since her daughter's funeral in a longer time than that. Her son is looking to finish school at the end of term, and she said that he is making difficult choices about where to start his career. It was fun to see her and Junia back together again, I know Junia visits her when she can, but work has a funny way of convincing anyone that it is the most important thing you can be doing at any given time.

I missed the Wasps and the Falcons on the 14th, I'll confess whenever I catch an odd match here or there, it's the Bats, Padraic or not. I heard the retelling from Junia and Marelda this past weekend, and both of them agreed that they "had seen that match at Hogwarts." It must have been something.

I worked the Easter weekend, and it was thankfully uneventful.

( Private )

[Blocked from: purebloods, Stephanie Keitch, Bex Whitby, Melisande Grubbly-Plank]

I only have a handful of things to say today.

1. Brilliant party Switch.
2. GO MAGPIES KILL THE BATS NEXT WEEK.
3. Girls need to stop dating pure sods because they are only after one thing and they're going to make you miserable. Always. It doesn't matter how fit you are or how nice they seem. They are dirty, rotten lying sods and they won't stay as long as you think they will. You like the thrill now but YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE AND THAT'S WHEN THEY'LL LEAVE.

DON'T DO IT. THERE ARE LOADS OF HALFBLOODS AND MUGGLEBORNS OUT THERE WHO WILL TREAT YOU BETTER and we're fit too. We're not inbred and we'll watch the telly with you. We like long walks on the beach too and we know how to do our own washing up. We also have nice mums (sometimes, if we have mums) who aren't scary and they will bake you things. You don't have to hide from our mums just because sometimes we do if we haven't been home lately. (My mum doesn't have that problem she's a brilliant cook.)

That's all happy Sunday.

Happy Easter!

Today was alright. I played with Proserpina. We coloured some pictures and played with dolls in her room. Her room is a pretty colour it's my favourite room in the house. Ixoria said that when I come home for the summer, we can redecorate my room however I like. We already started looking at catalogs and going shopping for things. I don't know what colour I want yet.

We're going to have dinner soon. The house elf is a good cook. His name is Snarky. He doesn't like me. Ixoria doesn't like him eith

The holiday has been going by fast but slow. Is anyone doing anything fun?

( Private )

( Private )

Is she or isn't she?

That's the question of the day.

I'm sorry you left the MLE so soon, Flint. We would have valued your input.

All right.

Rhea has her babysitter lined up for tomorrow (her sister, Nyx, thank you Nyx).

I have my suitcases packed for Jamaica.

Now I just have to go to sleep, wake up tomorrow morning, get in a good run and a good fly, go to the Tutshill v. Wasps match, go to whatever party happens next, and then Portkey to Jamaica so that I can celebrate Toby's birthday with him. I can't wait, Archer's going to drop in after he finishes Cursebreaking in Arabia, John is going with or without Victoria, the only people we'll be missing are Rob and Elise, and somehow I don't think that they're going to be missing us.

I'm excited.

Ludo Bagman's birthday is on the first, and I think going out of the country is the safest thing that any of us could do that day.

Dargle and Idalia are getting married, and after the reception is all done we are going to get Eva into one of the spas in Bath. There, I just decided for you.

( Private )

Tomorrow we play the Wanderers and the Marchbankses are clearing out of the country. Wankers. That means the Magpies' fan base will decrease by roughly half, and the match will be full of spectators who usually cheer for Portree but will cheer for the Wanderers because they're looking for the big upset (or because they're Urquharts).

But you have fun, Marchbankses, in Switzerland and Jamaica. We'll be fine.

Keitch is going to catch the snitch, Wiggin will catch up with Goodbody so they can contemplate retirement (again) together and then after the match Leandra Warrington and Melisande Grubbly-Plank will stand over the pitch trying to sort out whose blonde hair is whose. I think, to help you ladies, Melisande's hair is longer, but who can say if Leandra's going to get the hair from the root or from the ponytail.

My boys are coming to the match. They're good Magpies fans.

( Private )

Elise and Rob had their baby. He's a cute baby and as well-behaved as you can expect something that's half-Rob and half-Elise to be. I don't think they'd want it any other way. I understand the baby will have to wait until he's another year older to go to Jamaica to celebrate Toby Thruston's birthday, but I'll be there this coming week and so will Darius.

It remains to be seen whether John will let Victoria come, because Victoria has been a very bad girl. Shame on you, Victoria.

I do think it's funny that Altair eloped with the woman who jilted his roommate Alton's little brother Colton. I think it's funny that woman was Yetta. And, finally, I think it's funny that Yetta told us a few weeks ago that she and Altair have been friendly for awhile now. Whether they were or weren't, I can say, because Yetta is good at keeping a secret.

Yetta's birthday is in two days. I'm sorry we'll be missing you for it. Happy Birthday, Yetta.

I want to hear some new music soon.

( Private )

Carly Goodbody turns ... well, I won't say how old Carly Goodbody turns at the end of the week. She looks young for her age, and I won't take that away from her. I've already received a handful of RSVPs, thank you to everyone who sent them. If you didn't, I'll give you an extra day because I'd love to have a full flat.

I've been working on a couple of projects this month, including plans for remodeling the kitchen in The Armarium so that Susan Kirke can add an extra oven and have room for another table. The kitchen hasn't been remodeled since she started renting the space. I'm trying to convince her to just put the money down and buy it so that we can have more fun than we're having, but luckily the landlord is a Muggle, and if we can get the construction done without any of them noticing, and they never notice, he'll never know what we've done but Susan Kirke is afraid of making such a big investment.

I don't know why. She's positively talented, and her business is too solid for her to be going anywhere. But maybe one day she'll want to change her lifestyle and dabble in something else. There's no harm in keeping those options open.

My brother is back in the country again. He's been in South Africa for the past two years. Who knows if Hunter will stay. My sister Tara has been up to her eyeballs in event planning, but that's what spring means for her. I know she's happy to do it, even if she has to keep her son Zachary busy besides.

I still don't have a head for Quidditch, but I do read things in the newspaper from time to time. As a woman, I'm disappointed Hell Urquhart didn't win both of her matches this weekend. I won't take away from her hard work this weekend, but it would have been something if she had. (On the other hand, as an English woman, I have to be glad that an English team won).

It's FRIDAY!

This weekend I'm in Germany with Moira. We're playing a birthday banquet for some old man who wants to celebrate 111 years in style. I hope one day I'm that old so that I can get a cute young thing like myself to celebrate my birthday. But hopefully by my next birthday (July) they'll have perfected aging magic so that I'll never get old.

But I don't know. Some women grow old gracefully. Maybe it'll even be fun to be crotchety. Now I'm just thinking out loud.

I'm in my hotel room in Berlin and I have the most beautiful view of the city from here. It's not raining, the night is clear, and Moira's checking the room for anything that's violating the security regulations. Then she's going to unpack her trunk and mine, because she does it more neatly than I do and whatever I do to my clothes between the trunk and the wardrobe, she has to go back and fix anyhow. I've been traveling with Moira for years now, I could tell you all of her little secrets.

The party's tomorrow and we'll see how we're doing Sunday morning. Moira insists that we have to be back in England in time to watch Puddlemere play Pride of Portree.

The new skin potion that I'm using is making my skin feel really smooth.

I can't wait for next month! Toby's having his birthday, Dargle's getting married, and Cameron MacKenzie is getting married (Toby is such a gentleman for letting me come with him instead of a real date. Toby Thruston is a class act).

Oh there's our room service. I love room service.

( Private )

Lately, things have been things.

We're having dinner at our house tomorrow night, like we sometimes do on Fridays. Logan is making tortellini, and who we hear from by 6 pm today is how many he's cooking for.

I've gone to three of the last five Cannons matches. I know all of them end the same way, but if they ever win one, I want to be there to see it. They played the Magpies last weekend and lost, obviously, but Bex's cousin Roger got into it with Igraine Robards, so that was fun to watch. I thought both of them were going to get thrown out of the match.

We'll see if Hell Urquhart can get through two matches this weekend without something setting fire. I doubt it. So does Logan, but I think it'll be Hell who sets something on fire, and Logan thinks it'll be one of her fans.

Congratulations again to Charissa on getting married without any drama, and to everybody who has, uh, baby news. And congratulations to everybody who had a birthday.

Good to hear your hand is almost better, Switch. Must have been a nasty splinch.

TODAY

Today is a momentous day.

Today my dear friend Delphina Ogden McLaggen gave birth to her fifth son, Coyle McLaggen. According to the happy couple, Delphina and Fingal have finally collected them all: Callum, Cillian, Calbach, Cormac, and Coyle.

I am such a proud friend. I'm welling up with tears. Yes, I know, I hear what you're saying - Phoenix, your maternal instinct! It's kicking in! Don't you think it's time you thought about being a mother?

The answer, my friends, is no.

I am just happy for Fingal and proud of Delphina for delivering such a big, beautiful baby boy. I'm pleased that they came up with enough C names between them that they didn't have to repeat one. I'm looking forward to the day when the Kestrels sign all of them.

My life has been busy with other people's good news. Delphina had her baby and Ita married my brother. My brother is one very lucky man. Las Vegas is a fun city. I wish we could've spent more time there. I have a lot of pictures of the CRAIC we had prowling Vegas at night, and not just of us. I met a few strangers whose pictures I got too.

February might be 28 days, but it feels much longer.

Yesterday was my nephew Zacharias's birthday. He and Andreas had fun and I can't think of two parents who are happier to do mundane children's things all day long than Sarah and Brand, and Zacharias got some wicked toys if I say so myself. Dad bought him more Wasps gear and Mum bought him more clothes he doesn't need even though Brand's mother is the famous designer.

I think everyone heard about last month's Valentine's Day adventure, but for those who didn't - yes, Lydia and I got into a duel and yes, I've fully recovered. Unlike Bill Whitby. I got a few more hits in than Bill Whitby, that's a drawback of being attacked from behind in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Sorry Whitby. But Lydia and my disagreement meant that I missed the Tugwood-Abercrombie wedding. I don't know if my relationship with Lydia will ever be "on" again, but I can always hope. I miss Amanda's shining face.

This month, Brian's wife is eight months pregnant.

Also this month, the Wasps play the Arrows on the 25th.

And Alan and my Uncle Todd have a birthday. Alan's is on a Monday, the 12th, so we'll have a party Saturday the 10th. Uncle Todd's birthday is Sunday the 18th, so I'm sure as always Aunt Anna will throw him a party for all of his old school friends and their children.

Kenneth Travers also has a birthday this month, but I don't remember what day that is. Who's throwing the party?

( Blocked from Alan Mulciber )

( Private )

I smell like beer and ink and dish soap.

We only just got through the dinner rush.

The Wanderers won Saturday! Wicked. Keifer Wiggin can have a drink on me anytime.

( Private )

Constant Vigilance.

It's Friday, and I don't know what my weekend looks like. Hell's going to America to visit an American Beater, there's a wedding that some other people got invited to, and I have some friends who use the weekend to spend time with their children.

I might stay in the MLE to catch up on some work. Or I could catch a Quidditch match, but I don't even know who's playing.

( Private )

Yesterday was Adriana's birthday. She turned 22. It was a nice party. Small, but Adriana's parents don't hate her The boys enjoyed the cake and they even got to help Adriana open her presents. Then we had to rip the presents out of their hands because those presents were not for them.

Well this month I am terribly jealous of the Arrows, the Kestrels, and the Cannons, who get to have all the fun. I played in one match this month (I sat out the match against the Cannons), and at least it was a good one against my little brother Julian because gods, the month drags on when there's not a match at the end of the week.

I did get to go to New York one weekend with Florence. That was fun. We caught onto some end-of-winter sales and I bought a pair of boots that I adore. I love living in Scotland, I get to wear all of my wintery things, and Florence is right to be jealous. While we were in New York, we caught up with the captain of the Fitchberg Finches, Carl Rothsberg. Running into him was just such good luck, he was a very sweet and we have a date for this coming Saturday. I'm going to pop over to New York for the day and we'll see what happens from there. I haven't bought a ticket for Sunday's matches. I just don't know which one I should strain myself to watch.

Valentine's Day was alright, Everett Tugwood is always out on the prowl that day and I even got to see Darius. Florence and I both agree that Darius Bagnold is a very cute boy.

My cousin Mernock celebrates his birthday in two days, which is actually Rhea Pontner's due date. I play with Nyx, I couldn't have forgot even if I wanted to that her sister, the reserve Seeker for Tutshill, with the deceased boyf is going to have that baby on 24 February or cry trying. It's a shame there isn't a match that day, although I'd say that if that baby is still in her by the time that weekend comes, she'll be attending all four matches trying to make something happen.