It was the anniversary of Mum’s funeral yesterday. It is not something I dwelt on but I am surprised how raw the thoughts still feel. At the same time, I am not sorry that I feel that way. I do not want to let her go so easily. In my trip to Repton I thought that time had healed the wound but in the trips round my thoughts I know it hasn’t.
As we drove down Bretby Lane last week, Mum’s bungalow was occupied by someone else. There was a car and trailer in the drive. The only sign of Mum was in the garden which looked wonderful.
4th May, 2009
Bank Holidays like Friday nights mean nothing when you’re retired. It is one of the downsides. You don’t get that Friday feeling. This Bank Holiday is freezing cold and largely wet. It was just too cold to go out. So much so, I did the hoovering. I don’t believe I wrote that.
Got a lovely email from Cal. She is currently on a month’s unpaid leave from her job which she clearly loves. She says it is because of budget cutbacks and working for a not-for-profit charity is not a healthy thing to be doing at the moment. Also, she seems to be having some health problems – palpitations – at the moment. To add to that, she is building the Catherine Bennet Wing single handedly on the end of her house. I hope she’ll be alright.
5th May, 2009
One of those glorious days when everyone goes back to work but we didn’t. Hugely pressured day though – clearing out the garage. Spent an hour or two looking for French properties and then decided which Huddersfield Estate Agents we would invite to do a valuation. What fun! To cap it all I watched United annialate Arsenal. It doesn’t get much better.
6th May, 2009
Today I would have arrived at school by 7.45 am without having had anything but a cup of tea, done an hours work with a cup of coffee, had a brief meeting, taught a couple of hours of an exam class and then spent the rest of the day until 6.00 pm in my office going through individual candidates e-portfolios with them, preparing them for submission. After I had got home, I would have opened a bottle of wine while I/we started the cooking, finished that bottle at the start of the meal, opened a second and drunk half or more before the end of the meal. After a sweet and coffee, I would have fallen asleep for an hour or so before waking up and wandering into the Study to start preparing for Friday.
Today, what I actually did was get up at 8.00 am, have a bowl of porridge, spend my morning jet spraying the patio and garden steps, have a salad for lunch, do a bit more work in the garden and then catch up with my email correspondence. I also select a list, with Pauline of the Estate Agents that we are going to invite to the house and search for some insulation material that Stavros needs for the flue of our log burning stove in Greece. Finally, before Dinner, Pauline and I look at some coastal properties for sale in Pas de Calais and some others in Maidstone, Rochester and Folkestone area. Putting your life in order is so satisfying. It beats putting someone else’s by far.
In this relaxed state we had fish pie with asparagus and half a glass of white wine each. There was no tension to assuage with alcohol. Until, of course, I watched the Chelsea -Barcelona match. However much I hate Chelsea, I still think they were robbed.
8th May, 2009
A day of strong winds and violent hail storms. A day to be tucked up inside and we were. England won the first Test against West Indies.
