Pretend wine.

I still have not had any wine.  So my 6 year old niece decided to draw me a glass of wine: she knows her Auntie Vinogirl well.  I pointed out to her that she had drawn me a glass of red wine when perhaps I would have preferred a glass of white wine, to which she responded, "I don't have a yellow pencil."  Fair enough, red pretend wine it is then.

A holiday from wine.

Not one drop of wine has passed my lips since I arrived in England.  I did not even have a glass of wine yesterday when I visited my favourite restaurant in Liverpool, the Casa Italia.  Why?  Well, mainly because I have been very busy.  Very busy.  Wine, to me, is meant to be enjoyed and savoured.  Wine is not meant to be consumed in a hurry, or because one feels like one has to have wine with dinner.  One doesn't.  Wine is nice, but it is not mandatory.
A couple of days ago, whilst planning with Mrs Thud what we were all going to have for dinner, Thud and I ventured into his wine room looking for a little inspiration amongst his collection (which is heavily Italian).  And then I came down with an awful cold.  Inevitable really, given my nieces and nephew have had colds and the temperatures have been hovering around 8-9° Celsius.  Brrr!  My sense of smell is now non-existent.  Apparently my personal wine-tasting equipment has gone on holiday also.