Have you ever read the hotel soap story? It's always presented as true, but of course it's not. I've found an American version (featuring Dial and Camay) and a British one (featuring Imperial Leather). The thing just makes me laugh out loud even after all the times I've read it. Well anyway here at the Peabody (Tech Ed Speaker hotel) I am starting to have a similar, but more delicious, problem. Each evening they come around to do a turn-down service, to get you ready for bed. If I am out, they come in and do it, and leave two chocolates on the pillow. Very nice. If I am in, they knock on the door and say “turndown!” and I come to the door and say “thanks, I'm fine, really.” And then, you see, they say the dreaded words “but wouldn't you like a chocolate or two?”. “Oh yes, that would be nice, thankyou!”. The first time this happened, they gave me three. The next night, four. It keeps going up, I have no idea why. Last night, SEVEN! Tonight I think it was TEN!

I am actually eating a few of these chocolates but not at a sufficient pace. I leave tomorrow: I have, after eight nights in this hotel, twenty nine squares of chocolate still piled by my lamp, a little like the soaps of our supposed true story above.

There are worse problems to have.

Kate