Thursday 28 January 2010

One of the side effects of spending a great deal of time 'social networking' is that when I do go out, I find it much easier to speak to real people in a positive way. I have learned from Facebook that real people like perky people, that everyone likes to be spoken to as an equal and that eye contact and flattery will get you everywhere and everything, almost. Infact, I think I just find people more interesting now. I went to Bristol today on various fools errands and goose chases.

First off I watched a woman passenger get out of a huge jag and do that silly hand signal back back back STOP! thing for the man driver. He came within a gnats whisker of whacking the hell out of his tail lights and she was beating on the boot and shouting. When she saw me laughing, she laughed too. We agreed she'd had a close call and on we went with our days.

Then the moody mare in the changing rooms. I had to woo and beguile her, but I won her over in the end, after the fourth visit. The girl on the till was great. She didn't mind when I took three things back five minutes after buying them, because I made fun of myself and explained (untruthfully) that I was taking pills for it but they hadn't kicked in yet. Same with the Security Ape holding the door in Harvey Nix. I said 'Hi, thanks' walked in, stopped stock still, looked around like the dinosaur sniffing the air for edible kids in the kitchen scene in Jurassic Park. Security Ape almost grabbed my arm and led me to a chair, but instead asked me if he could help. I explained that it was my age and that I didn't know why I was there, laughed and went for lunch.

The Apple shop was the most fun. I almost started a rave in there, music, headphones, silicon covers and a good loud play on the iPad which looks like it will be a must have when they iron out the inevitable glitches. The geek serving me had the thickest glasses on I have ever seen and was charming and energetic and enthusiastic. His beardy weirdy fellow technogeek (aged about 50) was wearing an Apple t-shirt over his shirt but wry and witty inspite of that sartorial confusion. Clever than he looked, obviously.

So, in this current Pollyanna frame of mind, I'm off to the pub, singing 'I'd like to teach the world to sing..' by the New (thank you Nicky, Ed.) Seekers with butterflies rather than frogs flitting about in my headbox. I can feel a Coyote Ugly session coming up, but that is possibly best left until Saturday night. No partying on school nights.

Wednesday 27 January 2010

What are Hippies FOR?

Years ago when the smalls were tinsy wee, I remember overhearing Girl 5 ask Boy 7 what hippies were for. He replied, 'To keep your leggies on' which I thought was s smart response.

Well now aged still just 45 I have found out that hippies can be a damn nuisance. I was born with hyperflexible hips and as a result splent most of my childhood upside down, doing walkovers and sitting comfortably in 'the splits'. Unthinkable now. Pay back for the party trick has snuck on me over the last few years and I was finally driven to wave the white flag and surrender down at the doctor's surgery. The subsequent X-ray has revealed that I am 'Normal. No Further Action' Snort! That's what they think. I hate doctors. They always think they are the only intelligent person in the room. Anyway I've been batted away as usual but the dull ache in what Jesus Jones the Pontius Pilates teacher would quaintly call my 'seat bones' remains. As I am still not rock and roll enough to get addicted to Benzadrine, or whatever it is they all seem to live on in LA, I'll just have to lump it.

Looking for reasons has never been one of my weaknesses. Stuff happens, we all know that. However, I think a winter of sitting on the kitchen bench or perching on the radiator downloading songs and films and ordering books and chatting with friends on the internet has not just affected the state of the housekeeping, but also narsed up my arse, as it were. Jip in the hips. Now where did I leave my zimmer? If only I could find my glasses... Bugger I'm going to miss Emmerdale at this rate.

Tuesday 26 January 2010

I'm on Fire!

I was persuaded to write a Press Release today. It had to be done on the spot, so armed with a certain amount of info about the product I resolved to get on with it and it was scary just how much time it took me. I realised how, since the internet really took off in my head, just how butterfly brained I have become. One minute I'd be sitting at the Research Station that masquerades as the kitchen table and my desk, the next I'd be in the laundry room, or outside talking to the chickens or pulling on my coat to walk the dog. Back in the day this just wouldn't have happened. I'd have sat down, written it, and then checked the list for the
Next Most Important Job.

It took hours and in the end even I was sick of all this goofing off and nailed my Tinkerbell arse to the chair and created what I hope will pass as a straightforward and interesting piece, of readable quality. The knock on was that I then reached for the list, and cruised through not just the next most important, but every last thing on the list. Fairly extraordinary behaviour that has left me feeling liberated, and able to move on. Inevitably as soon as I was through I had to start a new list, but at least it is full of new items. God I was sick of that last lot.

So the hens have clean sheets, and the old sheets flung into Green Waste the microwave was lobbed into Metals (by Mike)and best of all, the recyclers finally turned up and removed the 5 empty tins of Quality Street and many, many empty bottles. Mike is a chum who occasionally drives us (nuts with his talking) places. We were laughing about his 30 year old son who has a 19 year old girlfriend - the usual matey 'Ha ha lucky bloke, cor!' stuff. I thought about it and then said I didn't think I could handle a 19 year old. He has clearly given it a deal of thought and thinks it would be a Good Thing.

So that's why I'm on fire. Not because I have found myself a 19 year old in the form of rather dishy Adam, who works up at the tip, or lovely Josh with the rasta hair who helped me dig a trench last summer (another story) but because I did a tiny bit of proper work and then got through the to do list.

Perhaps I should start tomorrow's list 'Find suitable Old People's Home and book self in'.

Monday 25 January 2010

Lefty loosie, tighty righty.

There is something very exhausting about being in trouble, I'd forgotten. But recently I've discovered that it's even more wearing and upsetting to be the Mother of Captain Cock-up. You can see the blunders lumbering over the hill, but somehow you are powerless to stop them. Poor Mum - no wonder she never really liked me.

I have done nothing but field calls, reassure, be shouted at, told white lies, rung people and discovered facts, repaid cash, sent parcels of clothes back to the lenders and apologised for the last 48 hours. I've dispatched bunches of flowers left right and centre, and all I suspect to precious little effect. I wasn't even the one having the fun.

Boy 16 on the other hand has gently strummed along, new strings installed.

This brings us to the lefty loosie, righty tighty thing. I'd never heard that one and thought he was muttering about pants. Tighty whities were what we used to call Jockey Y fronts when he was small, and needed serious, zero fall-out factor pants for junior rugby. Today, I couldn't understand what he was on about and thought he'd gone mental. When we finally sorted out the mutterings, I swapped the knowledge for bLue to Left, bRown to Right. Between us now we can re-string a guitar, switch off a valve and change a plug. What a team. (Just wait till I try and teach him about buoys and night time navigation... green to green, or maybe not, it sounds a bit dodge put like that).

Girl 12 is doing my nut in. Anyone would think I was leaving the building forever not just taking a trip. After 17 years of child labour a girl (45) should be able to wander off into the wilderness for a bit and restore her equilibrium. And now they are talking about what they think I will leave for them to eat in the freezer and who is in charge of the chickens and who the dog. Wait til they get to grips with laundry, logs and lunch. Talk about a guilt trip.

Lets hope I made a mistake and sent myself all the flowers. Which reminds me, it was darling's birthday, and I forgot. Someone light the pyre now... I'll just leap on. Oh and the recyclers haven't been and if they don't damn well turn up tomorrow I'm loading the whole lot into the car and taking it around to the Council Offices and flytipping it under the inevitable car park cctv cameras. It's been a month now and those gd tourists are getting on my tits. Eighth wonder, my arse.

Saturday 23 January 2010

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Leave away weekend kicked off with a big hug and a flit into Oxford to take back some of my more self indulgent purchases from earlier in the week. The florist gave me a strange look but I must have had my 'Don't eff with me Dude' face on and she just sighed when I said I'd changed my mind about them gave me a full refund. Then a dippy hippy lunch in a veggie shack and lots of laughter and then ages in the travel section of Blackwells. It seems I am not the only armchair traveller in the family and if he didn't have GCSE's around the corner and I was more organised, I think we'd both be stitching union flags onto Berghaus's right now.

The enormous pot holes in the road left over from last weeks snow made the trip home rather exciting. A-holes driving too fast to spot the hole before they were upon it, then not wishing to scuff their alloys or take out their exhaust systems, they swerved with near fatal effect. This happened three times but I was ready for them all. I'd taken the same route there as I did coming back and I knew where it was going to happen, because I'd done it on the outwards trip.

Night fell and we flopped down with a weepie and a glass of wine (me, not him). Kind Boy 15 (til tomorrow) provided the chick flicks. Another one of my guilty pleasures, a film to let me cry. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist pushed all my buttons and I was a snivelling wreck about 4 minutes into it. And then it was 1.30am and then the 'phone went and we had a Man Down. Girl 13 had opted to spend the first night of leave out in London with friends. I'd confirmed with the mother that she was expected and welcome but the call I took told another story. They'd been home alone paid a hobo to buy them a bottle of vodka. There was crying, talk of two hospital visits including a cat scan, police, everything. I couldn't get any sense out of her, so Boy 15 took over and calmed the whole thing down, sifted through the facts, established that they had found a responsible adult to rescue them, and most importantly shaken off the feds.

We took three more calls between then and 3am and then agreed that we were sure she was safe. She made it back on the 9.15 train and is a bit irritable but contrite. She wasn't the hospital victim either... so we can't blame her for the fact that this poor bankrupt country can't afford to fix its roads up. I wish I could honestly say, 'Well she'll never do that again' but experience tells me that this is unlikely.

I was fibbing about taking the flowers back. I just liked the idea of trying it.

Thursday 21 January 2010

Fool.

The true extent of the way in which my day could go wrong has only just revealed itself. Having upset just about everyone I know by being a thoughtless git, I decided that I needed to get out. To alter my frame of reference.

Last autumn I bought a small sailing dinghy. I love water, I love to be outside, I love being scared and I love being the Captain of anything. Master and Commander. In control (I wonder why). I am a fairly competent sailor with experience in dinghies and racing yachts, but this thing really frightened me. It is whippy and unstable and agressive and I need more time during milder weather in order to tame the beast. I had a few goes before it got really cold, but then I put it away and resigned myself to a winter of laundry, logs and lunches for the men. Or so I thought.

I woke up in the middle of the night recently, firstly bemused by a friend's claim that the only photograph of himself in existence is a passport photo (think about that one, we'll come back to it) and secondly, vaguely remembering leaving the boom and sail of the boat in the Clubhouse. I'm not generally a flake, so this bothered me. So, my plan to get out settled on going there, unlocking everything, looking for the bits and taking the small white terrier for a run around the lake. Found the sail. Forgot to look for the boom. Forgot to walk the dog. Forgot I even had a dog. Would appear that the jerkishness is going to run and run, so sorry everyone. And Mink Trumper,sorry, I totally messed up lunch.

So is he a spy, or a criminal, or a nark? Did a past life explode, or his house burn down. Or perhaps his ex got custody of all the photos including the ones of him as a baby, (unlikely surely, why would he/she want them?) I don't dare ask. Well, not while I'm putting my foot in my mouth every time I open it.

Tuesday 19 January 2010

Groundhog

How weird. You spend months wondering what is wrong with you, and then one day you wake up and find that its nothing a couple of cashmere cardi's can't sort out.

I went to Oxford today on the way to see girl 13. She is having a ne-naw ne-naw moment away at boarding school. Septic self- pierced ears, boys, hormones and the rest, so I felt blessed, loading up the car with fresh fruit and veg. I was glad to be needed. I met her on Big Side and we goofed about in the shadow of the chanting and drumming and watched Stowe beat Abingdon, but not easily. She has such interesting friends - pretty and witty and daft and constantly in trouble. All the third formers do is ogle the boys and choose who's next. The sixth formers have clearly decided and were all draped all over each other. Its heartbreaking. If only they knew.

And then the trip home was good too. The sun was setting in a peachy forgiving sky, the day has lengthened. Everything I looked at pleased me, except perhaps the coffin dodger in the lime green micra doing 50 in the lane I needed. Jeeeezus! Fifth gear felt good again, which was a relief because I was running late for girl 12's pick up so had to take the course at a gallop.

Oxford is my favourite city. Full of youthful life, foreign languages, beautiful architecture, energy. I should go there more often. So Friday is looking good too as one of the cardi's is crap and has to go back. I'd rather spend the money on flowers.

Monday 18 January 2010

Press ups, with just one arm.

Today was one of those strangely optimistic Spring days. Plenty of light, plenty of birdsong, strange growing noises coming from the undergrowth. (Or a 'rustling in the hedgerow' if you are a Led Zep fan, which I think I once was. Back in the day when things like that defined your personality.)

I won the class spod prize at Jesus Jones's pilates class today. His iPod had collapsed, and I not only had mine, but a lapdog, dongle and mobile phone, all in the same neoprene wetsuit baggie thing. None of my fellow flakes had ever seen a girl so speckked up and they were impressed. So I won the nickname of 'Geek' and even Jesus admitted that he might have to buy the Thomas Newman album I shoved on. The class was hard work - one armed press ups are perhaps not the ideal way to start the week, but certainly focus the mind. And in my case, I had to concentrate so hard on getting it right I managed to ignore the getting it wrong I seem to have made in real life. I suppose that's why I go. To give the poor sore noggin an hour of peace a week. And to stretch and align.

And then lunch with the Mink Trumper. What a wonderful friend I have there. She asked what I wanted to eat ('Just veg') cooked me a feast, emotionally hugged me, stroked my ego, reassurred me that we would all be fine and generally left me feeling amazingly loved. And all this with bags of laughter. Thank you MT.

Sunday 17 January 2010

Thomas Newman- Dead Already

Years ago I had a nightmare I've never forgotten. It's been like chewing gum on the sole, and it went like this...

I walked into the laundry room, and looked right, out of the window. As I did so, the laser lights of 21 guns lit up, picked me out and shot me. The window glass shattered, I felt my mouth fill with blood and my knees weaken. I knew life was over and that these paratroopers would storm the building in moments, and that, in my crumpling state, I'd never be able to fulfill my motherly duties and get up the stairs and herd the children to safety. So, I died, on the laundry room floor and they would too, in their beds. I woke up choking. You can imagine the internal carnage.

Today I had another one. But strangely and horribly, I was awake. In short, Darling went out on a 40 minute max trip to collect Girl 12 and didn't come back for 3 hours. I imagined the worst, went outside, had a smoke, looked at the snowdrops, imagined the woman cop walking down the garden path, planned the funeral, chose the flowers and hymns. I looked at the roast chicken, bread sauce and stuffing and felt very sick and wondered why I'd cooked it, and what would happen to it next. I wondered what I'd do with the house I've never loved. I hoped Girl 12's black coat had survived the impact from the cracked out fucker that had crashed into them and taken their lives, and wondered what happened to him, and if her coat would be do for Girl 13 at the funeral, next Friday. And then I wondered if I'd missed the bit where darling had said 'I'll pick her up and take her out for lunch, see you later'. But then I remembered, he'd watched me prepare it all... so that didn't add up.

But then Darling rang and apologised. He'd had coffee with David and Natascha. And I did well not to rip his head off.

If that tells you something about how close to the edge I am, maybe it will explain a thing or two. It doesn't help me one bit.

Saturday 16 January 2010

Perkily Purple

When I was about 13, my mother finally caved into my whining and let me go to London, on my own on the train. I will never forget that feeling. The song in my head was Georgie Girl and this was back in the day when there was no such thing as a personal hi-fi, and phones lived in big red boxes and took tuppenses and ten penny pieces.

One of the things I wanted to do most was hang out in a boutique called Miss Selfridge. They did the best (affordable) make up with great packaging, and I wanted eye shadow. The one I bought that day was purple, and it was called Berry Wogan. It didn't come with a brush so you had to smudge it on with your finger tip and the resulting mess was very pleasing, to my eye.

I've worn purple eye shadow ever since and some of the names have stuck with me forever. There was Bluebirds Over, Beautiful Iris, Plum Perfect, and Papal Purple to name four. I remember sitting at a funeral five years ago with my Step Father in law trying to make sense of another senseless premature exit and making crass remarks to cover my sense of loss. I whispered to him that at my funeral, no one would be allowed in the church, unless they were wearing purple eye shadow. He is a lovely, gentle man, and he agreed that this would be a brilliant (note, lowercase b) idea and that he would certainly play along. So that's the deal. No purple, no pew.

But don't dash out into the cold January sales and buy up the cosmetics counter just yet. Darling is on his way back from the airport, the house is clean warm and tidy, the snow has melted and I can see the shoots from the bulbs I planted pushing up through the ground. And strangely, thinking about it, the flowers will be mostly purple. Perkily purple... why didn't I get a job as an eye shadow namer? It would have been practically perfect.

Friday 15 January 2010

Frogs

Back here where I come from we have an Elder Statesman who very efficiently and generously keeps us villagers up to date with all the local news, social and political. He does this wearing a PCC hat, but in truth, its more like voluntary community service. Having been snowed in for a week, I could hardly believe my eyes when todays e-mail notices warned of flooding, with a tongue in cheek editorial note warning of plagues of frogs. I am particularly sensitive to this idea as I travel in the knowledge that somewhere in my pre-frontal cortex there is a box of frogs which lies doggo for most of the time, but leaps into action if nudged. However the snow is melting and nothing could compare with the horror and suffering in Haiti at the moment. The hungry and thirsty there are becoming desperate and angry and I cannot imagine how it would feel so be so violently and terrifyingly dispossessed, or worse.

So yes Nick, when I say 'I can't take anymore!' you are right to answer 'Oh yes you can...' Of course I can. This is nothing.

Thursday 14 January 2010

Private Jet vs Cabin Fever

Hmmm. Girl 13 has just e-mailed me to say Darling is in a private jet somewhere over the Nevada desert. As the person charged with Keeping The Home Fires Burning why do I find the contrast between our days somewhat irritating. Having been comprehensively snowed in for over a week, I have started each day, not with a prayer or yoga, but by cancelling anything and everything in my diary. And in one or two cases, this has been dispiriting, to say the least. I have managed not to bite my lower lip and cry, but only because there is no one here to see me and sympathise, so it would be a waste.

However, today I achieved one good thing. I told a lie, sucessfully. Without flinching or blushing.

I blamed the snow for the fact that I had failed to return my sailing club forms and managed to blag my way onto Ken's very popular Laser racing course. This may not score particularly highly against a private jet to Vegas, but when you are a bottom feeder you have to exist on detritus.

Without coming over all bitter and twisted, I'm not sure who's zooming who out there, but I damn well hope they're loving it. And that Lady Luck smiles on them.

*STOP PRESS* They lost a mint on the craps tables after the David Copperfield magic show in which Darling was called up onto the stage, asked to expose his boxer shorts (which we all know will have been immaculately ironed by Yours Truly) and had a car lowered onto him. A bit like home really then. Except you are more likely to be t-boned by a car skidding on ice than have one lowered onto you.

Tuesday 12 January 2010

The Eighth Wonder of the World

I live on the top of a steep hill. There are three roads in or out,and none of them are passable in the ballet shoe that masquerades as my car which is currently parked in a snow drift outside. The Bin Men and Recycling gang (who I note made it up here for their Christmas tip) have also failed to rock up. The resultant Monument of Twenty First Century Shame outside on the roadside will shortly and undoubtedly get classified as the Eighth Wonder of The World. I anticipate coachloads of Japanese tourists arriving any day now, camcording the hell out of my boxes of Quality Street tins (5) cans, bottles, newspapers and milk cartons. Perhaps, if they are lucky I will go out there like Rhys Effans in the film Notting Hill and raise my arms in triumphant recognition of what we have achieved of late. After all, it wasn't all me. If it was, I wouldn't be able to move from my specially made bed for Obese People and would have to make do with posting gory images of me having my bed sore dressings changed on YouTube.

As it is, this last week of enforced captivity (yesterday doesn't count, I was in a borrowed car and had to dash back) has meant that I have spent a bonkers amount of time sitting at my lapdog. And far from feeling guilty (as I do about the recycling) I have really enjoyed it. I have downloaded some toptastic tunes, read loads, chatted with friends on the phone, on Facebook, researched various schemes and made some great plans for the future. But in the absence of the Mastermind chair I really aspire to, I have been perched on a tiny bench at the kitchen table, surrounded by books, maps, diaries and a camera. Maybe, one day, when the sores on my arse have healed, I'll post a picture.

Or maybe the Japanese tourists will snap me through the kitchen window and do if for me, before they move on to Dylan Thomas's boatshed in Laugharne.

Monday 11 January 2010

Truly Great, better than Brilliant

I wondered what I looked like setting off across snowy fields with a gritty grin and wicking lycra, heavy walking boots and the fur at half past eight this morning. Daft punk or Yummy Mummy looking for her Monday morning pilates fix with Jesus Jones, aka Mike the Instructor? Either way I made it, thanks to Darling parking his car in the foothills. We are now big in the bog paper department too, as I took my granny trolley out for another trip and stocked up on the essentials. The Seige of Leningrad this is not, and Terrier, 8, can rest assurred that we will not be roasting her in the Aga this week or next. Darling left for La La Land and Vegas later in the day too, so food reserves will stretch just that little bit further.

I am not sure how many more times I can be bothered to drag fresh stuff up the hill though. BBF 1996 canned sardines suit me just fine, and girl 12 will be back in school soon and the snow will eventually melt. And then I will be (Boz Skaggs) All Alone.

Mike is a great instructor. He was surprised to hear that even my teeth hurt after last weeks (my first) session. I was thrilled when he told everyone else (ok the other person) to get her head on the floor, 'but not you Lucy, yours is already there'. I have always yearned to be a teacher's pet, God alone knows why.

So today was a good day. Not brilliant in the old sense, and neither was yesterday or the day before. Perhaps I have turned that point, and can settle for truly great instead.

Saturday 9 January 2010

Wild Theme by Mark Knoffler

With more snow forecast and the bog paper situation nearing critical, Darling woke full of resolve. He set off boldly with Boy 15 and Girl 13 and only jolly well did it. He got them back to school. He is not back yet, and should have been ages ago but apart from being marginally concerned I have had a good day.

I had totally underestimated the effect of filling a house with big, loud, squawky, gawky mini-humans and what that alone can do to your head. If you then factor in feeding the beasts and trying to keep all the other domestic plates spinning, metaphorically, and being the driver and entertainments manager too then it is hardly surprising that things (I) have not Been Good of late.

When I loaded the car this morning I remembered my lovely friend from school, Tara. My mother was meticulous with my packing and made sure that I went back to my all girls, very dry school with my trunk filled with all the prescribed items, ticked off and accounted for, in good order and named. From Surrey, in the car, with both parents in attendance, on the right day.

Tara arrived by train from Notting Hill, stinking of Marlboro Red Tops, late, and with nothing much in her holdall, unless you count the half bottle of vodka and Clash album. And believe me, we did count those two things. And in those days Notting Hill wasn't so much cool as sodding dangerous. I made friends with Tara within about one and a half seconds of first meeting her and together we made it through the system, sharing my kit. We had some amazing adventures together too. In anticipation of ever finding a boyfriend we once tried to explore each other's erogenous zones so that we could direct operations to our satisfaction when our time came. Our housemistress, a spinster who we called 'Dave' for no particular reason unfortunately walked in on us, after lights, in the dorm, while Tara was licking my back. Amused she was not and we were immediately separated and never got to share a dorm again.

I spent some of the happiest times of my childhood at Tara's Mum's Notting Hill home. Connie had had six children by three different men, none of whom seemed to feature much in her life. Connie only really kept the house as a place for the kids to hang out whilst she shacked up with a publisher in Little Venice and it was anarchic. Whilst living for four days on toast with peanut butter (because that was what there was), staying up all night with the Taylor boys and mad Suzi might be fun for a while, I imagine that as the oldest child of six as Tara was, it may have felt less like freedom to her. I lost touch with her after school.

Anyway, my children have been returned to school and they packed their own bags and they had plenty of luggage. They had regular meals consisting of all the major food groups and access to fruit at all times. So I am not going to beat myself up too badly.

Tara turned out well. I read her (published) writings regularly.

Friday 8 January 2010

The Mink Trumper is on your rabbit thread.

As all parents of school age children know, Facebook is evil and should NOT be allowed in the home of any loving caring family.

This was the message that was sent home from my children's school about three years ago and has given me hours of entertainment, and even, on some occasions real happiness. Naturally as soon as I read that Headmaster's letter I was intrigued (in a bad way) and set up an account. I sat back and waited for the paedophiles and perverts to come and groom me. I waited and waited, and whilst I waited I looked about a bit and found a load of friends and family also mooching about. Some I knew well, some not so well, some not at all but who have been introduced to me. The group of friends grows almost daily and the good humour, mutual emotional and creative support and encouragement and genuine empathy (particularly for the bereaved and the insomniacs) has been almost breathtaking. Anyone who thinks that all human kind is cruel would have to perform a swift volte-face in the face of my facebook.

The point is, that Facebook isn't evil, but young people can be cruel, and that kindness sometimes has to be learned. Maybe, like youth being wasted on the young, Facebook is too. You have to have been kicked about a bit in order to know that kicking is bad. And Facebook isn't a replacement for real friends and real life. It just runs alongside it, enhances it. And when you are snowed in, or alone, you aren't.

And as for the title of this piece, The Mink Trumper is on your rabbit thread. Well, it was a message I got last night and I have been laughing about it all day. It would take too long to explain, but she knows who she is and I am glad she got home safely. And to date, not a single perv.

Thursday 7 January 2010

Lillies

The lillies in the kitchen smell of jasmine, strangely, and every time I get a waft I am taken back to San Pedro de Alcantara in February 2001. It was a hard time back then and life was a minefield to be tiptoed through, so during the February half term we scooped the children up and flew off to San Pedro. Afterwards they told us that the best bit was the lemonade and peanuts on the aeroplane. They had never flown before and aged 7, 4 and 3 didn't grasp the magic of sunlight and warm wind on bare skin in winter. And perhaps they forgot about the terrapin we found on the beach called Terry. And maybe they didn't smell the jasmine.

We stayed in one of those desperate all inclusive compounds, where the red wine is sweet and fizzy and the white wine is just sweet and the coffee seems to lack a vital ingredient. Actually, the entertainment in the evenings lacked something too. I think we only went once, out of curiosity. I remember that the week cost £1,200 for the five of us and neither of us complained about any of it. We were just grateful to be somewhere different. Light in the darkness.

Wednesday 6 January 2010

Transformation and the Epiphany

Last night the kitchen transformed into a cyber cafe. Boy 15 sat at one end of the kitchen table, Daughter of Eve, 45 at the other, girl 12 at what used to be the 'art table' on the family PC, and girl 13 curled up on a big leather chair on her Blackberry. The arse fell out of that chair about 5 years ago so it stands in a permanent puddle of hessian and horse hair and it was once heavily patched by me, using UHU and a piece of leather that I found in the garage. My iPod did its usual trick. It lulled us all into peaceful melodic silence playing David Gray and Eva Cassidy and then suddenly threw something really heavy at us just to make sure we were still listening. Darling was next door watching Sharpe DVDs, his Christmas present from Boy 15. And he was wearing the socks I gave him. If he'd given me the iPhone I was after I might have been in there too, but as it was, there was a companionable atmosphere in the kitchen, broken only by occasional laughter or an entreaty to come and look at something on a screen. And I suppose 12 pairs of socks wouldn't really be fair exchange for an iPhone.

I wonder if this calmness comes from knowing that whatever is in the diary cannot be done? Or from David Gray. Or if it's my hormones. Or if it is something else that I don't even know about, an epiphany. I am going to pour myself a glass of wine and ponder that one on the back door step whilst I get some fresh air. I hope I see a shooting star.

Tuesday 5 January 2010

Alarm bells ringing.

I woke at 2.30am to the noise of the barn alarm going off. I leapt out of bed, pulled on my mink to cover my nakedness, grabbed the hockey stick, ran down the stairs, pulled on my gum boots, unlocked the backdoor and realised two things. Firstly, it wasn't our alarm, it was the farm across the fields. Secondly I had a hangover. Not good hun... where did that come from? An inventory of the empties suggested that I'd got the Louis Allowance single bottle of dry white to stay down using a litre of Peroni. Well what the hell? Worse things have happened at sea. Rum, buggery and the lash for instance.

Moments later I was fast asleep again, conscience and hangover put back into the box with a triple paracetamol washed down with a Berocca on the rocks.

When I woke for the second time I felt as if I'd been cage fighting all night. Even my teeth felt loose. This must be the after effects of that Pilates class I went to yesterday. They all looked like flakes so how come it hurt me, the tough little yoga bod so much? I mixed another Berocca (can't be too careful) which I promptly knocked over and then had to spend half an hour on my hands and knees mopping up bright orange sticky liquid with bog paper. Today it was important to be fit, be well, be perky and get my children back to their schools, a 200 mile round trip, without showing how much it hurts. I always pray for sunshine on days like this, so I can wear my sunnies.

And then the snows came. We decided after the third snowflake settled that enough was enough and binned the Back To School plan and went for a great walk in the snow. As we walked home, I noticed that next door's cows were singing Meat is Murder by The Smiths. Truly. Listen to it. Maybe the alarm was cattle rustlers over at theirs?

Monday 4 January 2010

Shooting cans off a shelf at the funfair, in spite of the crooked sights.

This not getting sloshed/applying the brakes mallarkey of my mentor Louis's has some interesting side effects. Firstly, it is truly wierd to lie in bed from 11pm to 2am, not sleeping, but not being that bothered. I remember my asking my Great Aunt ten years ago when she was dying if she would come back and haunt me. She said, no, but when I was curled up foetally in bed and unable to sleep, I should imagine her arms around me. She was a bit gross, physically, so I edit the image and take comfort from the idea.

And then to wake and think logical, ordered thoughts. Odd but good.

During the last few week we have worked out that there would need to be changes. One (which Louis didn't come up with because he is too polite) was that I should do more to help other people and stop being so infinitely selfish. On New Year's Day I received an e-mail asking if I would man the Safety Boat during Sailability sessions at the lake where I sail. Sailability is sailing for the disabled. I agreed very happily. What a great way to help out, zooming about in a speed boat and looking out for other people. One improvement in place.

Secondly, we decided that I should take more care of my muscles and bones and thirdly that I should try and mix with interesting creative people more often and stop sitting downing gallons of wine on my own every evening. Darling and I went out to see friends later on NYD for a Bloody Mary, and within moments of arriving two women I don't know bounced up to me and begged me to join their Pilates class. One was an artist, the other was a writer, and the Pilates teacher is a musician who used to be a rock star. Two and three. Bingo, I think. Bingo, I hope.

I went to Pilates today and managed not to fart or fall over. An improvement on the last six weeks already.

Sunday 3 January 2010

Sunday Roast

I woke with that feeling of impending gloom that comes with the belief that it is Monday morning. And then I remembered we hadn't done Sunday yet, and there was a huge hunk of beef in the fridge waiting for me to come roast. And Uncle and Nephew on their way down from London to visit us. So I went and got tea and snuggled up with my Pete McCarthy book for an hour.

When I finally tore myself away, I realised I hadn't left enough time for all my chores (laundry, logs, lunch) with the additional embuggerance of Getting The Sunday Paper (which no one will read), making a pudding (which I certainly will not eat) and the pleasure of popping down to a neighbour for village bonhomie to fit in. So,I asked Darling to make the ice cream which he is so desirous of - having bought the machine and ingredients. The answer came, 'I am in the middle of doing something, and you are asking me to do something else which I have no interest in'. Me too, and it's the middle of my life. I hate ice cream so much I had 'a note' from Mum at prep school to say I didn't have to eat it. And I loathe gadgets of any sort. I can just about handle a wooden spoon and a sharp knife.

If I sounded bleak yesterday by the way, I am back on it today. No reason to mourn for the loss of approval forever. It isn't how it should have been, but it's not all bad and I am a tough little sod.

So meat was roasted, spuds and 'snips gilded and Yorkshires ready for the off. But by lunchtime itself I begun to doubt to arrival of the rellies. I telephoned and my doubts were confirmed. They had forgotten. So I went to the village party for a preprandial and said hello to the new folk I'd been wanting to meet and kissed or smiled at the others who are all decent and kind and generally OK. I guess I conformed to the rule 'Always leave them wanting more'. I was only there for twenty minutes and I would have been happy to do the full two hours. But I was alone, as ever, and there was lunch to serve back at base camp.

And finally after everyone had used 'their fists and the back of their spoons' (stolen from Pete McCarthy) to ram yet another damn meal down their overstuffed gullets like a flock of foie gras geese, I took the dog out for her pre-birthday walk in the freezing dusk sunlight. The iPod gave me Jem Its Amazing, Sonny J Can't Stop Moving and Labbi Siffre Something Inside So Good. Good call DJ. Tomorrow is Monday and I am sticking to the rules.

Saturday 2 January 2010

January 2nd 2010

We went to my parents. My cousins, nephews and nieces were there. I drank champagne and sat in the garden with my sister. She gave me a product called 'Piss Off' for christmas - it's to wash my wetsuit. I gave her something called 'Bugger off' to keep the midges off. We planned our summer camping holiday together.

Nothing else funny happened.

Friday 1 January 2010

New Year's Day 2010.

To get the full impact of this one, you will need to download Nina Simone, Feeling Good and play it damn loud.

So Happy New Year (kiss kiss) all round and on we slog. It was a blue moon last night and I didn't get paralytic because I don't really know my hosts intimately enough to go into total free fall. And anyway, I am limbering up for the New Order, remember. We had a good time, I got to suck on a Cohiba and compare two ports, and whilst I didn't grow a beard on the spot I was grateful to be treated like an honorary boy. And, to top it all, we got a lift home which was a relief. Whilst the blue moon was interesting at 8pm going downhill, I suspect it might have lost it's thrall at 1am slogging up a steep hill through woods, quagmires and muddy muddy fields.

I woke early and smug. After all, by normal standards, last night was a quiet night in. I lay in bed and read McCarthy's Bar by the hilarious Pete McCarthy for an hour whilst Darling went off in a hungover huff to chuff on his roll-ups and drink coffee in the garden. But then he made a tactical error. He came in and apologised for being wantonly blind and brutish recently. Dear God, I cannot deal with that level of despair. No one ever surrenders in this warzone. I, in turn disolved into floods and together we hatched a strategy for surviving 2010. It was like a football match in No Man's Land. We made deals, agreed terms, spat on the palms of our hands and shook on it. We left no grievance unaired and touched on some dangerous ground but got through it. We drew the line at cutting open our thumbs and squashing them together though.

And no, this isn't a euphemism for an intimate fireworks party Rupert Garcia you perve. That is what happened.

And I'm feeling good de dum, de dum, de dum.