Can you remember a time without text messaging, smart phones, Facebook and Twitter? Does it make you wonder how the human race ever communicated with each other?

I often wonder how I would manage if someone made off with my phone. How would I contact people, I don’t know their numbers as they are all stored in that little tiny piece of technology that accompanies me wherever I go. How would I check my email, view my “friends” on Facebook, Tweet some useless anecdote. Would I have to revert to logging my slow laptop on every time I wanted to social network or (shock horror) would I actually have to pick up the phone and talk. My mum despairs of it, she thinks the art of conversation is dead  but my mother-in-law freely admits that she would be lost without her iPhone.

I get loads of text everyday, some are just a few words, others run in to chapter and verse of that days events, sometimes I get texts that really do put a smile on my face. This is one I got earlier in the week:-

“Hello Mrs. We are having a mini girls night round at yours on Thursday, you, me and Lesley. We’ll bring the dinner, pud and wine. See you at 7.30 ish, Jules”

It was not only the brilliant idea, free food and wine and the knowledge these two friends were coming round to cheer me up a bit that was so great about the text. It was the fact that it didn’t give me time to think of a reason why it shouldn’t happen. There was no “I have to be up early”, “let me check my diary” or “can  I call you back?” like there may have been if the idea had been delivered over the phone or in person. I just simply typed back “excellent idea, can’t wait”. I was committed!

As Jules and Lesley were bringing the food I decide that I had to make  an effort with dressing the table. The high chair was stashed in the kitchen, the table polished and scraped of its sticky finger marks and laid out with my best Kath Kidston crockery and napkins. I dusted down my crystal wine glasses and put tall fluted glasses in the freezer for the Prosecco. I even bought candles.

We enjoyed our Prosecco while nibbling on nachos and dips before sitting down to the main course of slow cooked chilli beef and fluffy white rice. As full as we were we still managed to squeeze down a couple of deliciously rich profiteroles before admitting defeat and crashing in the living room with our wine.

It was a great night and while we wished each other a good night via Facebook after we had parted company I do know one thing – the art of conversation is most certainly not dead.

Here’s to the next girls night in (or out) – I will cook next time.

Guacamole

The recipe below is for a delicious guacamole that I made for a recent get together over at Jules’ house. She has been badgering me for the recipe so here it is. It is based on the Lemony Guacamole recipe from River Cottage Veg Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

• ½ a red chilli, de-seeded and very finely chopped
• Juice of a lemon
• Half a clove of garlic, very fines chopped (or passed through a garlic press)
• 2 large, very ripe avocados
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to season