P***** Bound …
Was the name of one of the fillies at Trelawney. P***** Road is where the flat is.

R****** C**** is the name of the block that I’m moving to & R****** is where Malcolm & Justine live. They were instrumental in me visiting NZ. It’s not number *, which is my favourite number, but it is an **** number & we all know ***** are good & **** are bad don’t we ? If the landline number end in even digits, all will be well.

The obsessives know what I mean.

I came to realise during my year away that someone is taking care of me. Whenever I think things won’t work out, the best thing I can do is relax, stop churning against the water & allow the hand behind ne to support my chin.

It’s a lovely feeling, very calming.

I visited the new flat today to measure up for carpets. I had fielded a call from a very worried Sharon who explained that she was was worried that her boxes were ‘strewn everywhere’. I ripped into her & said that after 3 days I expected her to be completely clean & tidy. I was thrilled to see how messy her stuff was because come Saturday, that’s how my stuff will look.

Anyone free to lend a hand ? I can’t promise anything other than a ride in a Transit van & a tour of Crystal Palace, West Molesey & Epsom.

As I entered the flat today, I had a reassuring feeling of coming home. Matt & Claire have really bust a gut to get the place ship-shape & it looks unrecognisable from the place I visited a couple of weeks ago. It smelled of clean washing & from the bits & pieces I saw of Sharon’s I can’t see how we could fail to get on.

Anyone who has box upon box of BBC Wildlife magazines, Bill Bryson’s, & a box marked ‘candles’ just has to be a good person.

Happy Birthday Sharon.

She told me today it was ‘the big one’. She means 30, bless her.

As I drove to work at 0530 this morning I regarded the balmy marbled skies & laughed at the severe weather warning forecast for 5pm. At 5pm as I trudged, sopping wet, to Woolworth’s to buy a tape measure, I wasn’t laughing quite so heartily.

I finally got home at 8.30pm after a last minute CBRN scare in Kingston Town Centre. After work I headed off to price up carpets. My lack of sleep last night meant I had to pull in off the A243 for a nap after scaring myself by being woken several times by the rumble strips.

Once home I waited for the rain to ease off to exercise the dogs. And waited. And waited. Finally at 9pm we headed out. I don’t think I have ever been for a walk with an umbrella before but tonight was something special.

Rhododendron Wood as darkness arrived was magical. Rushing water dragged leaves & branches along at an impressive rate and the smell of the peaty water rinsed away 10 hours indoors. The dogs thought it was fantastic.

Michelle, remember the time you saved the ducklings from the overflow pipe in the back paddock ? Like that. Eric, remember how we regarded each other, warm & dry in the living room, then looked outside at the torrents & asked if we should go look for Michelle ? We decided it was best for only 1 adult to drown didn’t we ? If all 3 of us drowned, the kids would have starved, unable as they are to cook for themselves.

That’s it for tonight, have to go catch up on some of last night’s sleep now, difficult to do a CBRN on no sleep.

Cx

ps. Mum, made 2 new appointments today, you would have been proud of me
I was assertive and polite.