I have been worried about the children in this cold weather.
Not the grown-up children, obviously. Since Number Two Daughter is in Canada, presumably she has got cold weather rolled up and tucked under her jumper by now. Number One Daughter is in the Army, where they warm up cold soldiers by giving them something heavy to carry. I am quite sure that they will both be perfectly all right and probably jogging rosily up snow-covered mountains shouting encouragement to weary polar bears by now.
I was concerned about Lucy and Oliver, especially Lucy, who has reached an age where Matron no longer chases her into the shower and checks that she is wearing her vest.
She had left her coat at home. I wrote to her to see if she was managing all right and was staying sufficiently warm.
I will copy her reply in full.
No, I’m currently writing this while I’m freezing to death outside in the snow caught in a blizzard unable to find my way back to the school. One of my fingers fell off while composing this email.
I should be gone before the morning.
If you don’t hear from me again tell the dogs I love them.
It took me a few minutes to realise that I did not actually need to worry, which made Mark laugh so hard that he was unable to speak for some time.
I am not going to waste any more anxiety on the children.
It has been a week for correspondence with them all.
Number One Daughter rang to tell me of her sporting difficulties with her latest competition and to tell me not to run on running machines until my knee is better. I was not sorry to get this advice. She explained that sore knees are an almost inevitable consequence of a person doing no exercise whatsoever for fifty years, and then suddenly deciding to train for the Olympics.
Number Two Daughter rang to tell me that she is going to get married.
This was a pleasing development. She has been Living In Sin with her other half for ages now, and it is rather nice to think that they are going to make an honest woman of one another.
The family is instantly divided about what she should do, obviously. She wants to get married in Canada, which is where they live, and none of us want to have to save up for the air fare. Her other half is Australian, which is just as inconvenient, so they might finish up having to get married three times for the benefit of three sets of people if they do not plan very carefully.
Despite this potentially costly outcome, it is cheering news, and eventually will turn into an intoxicated knees-up somewhere, which is something we will all like. Number One Daughter’s wedding was ace fun, not least because she asked just as many of my friends as she did of hers.
We have considered the prospect on and off all day. It is Saturday, so we did not do very much. We walked up the fell and then ate a colossal breakfast and then went back to bed. This filled up almost all of the day until it was time to go to work, which is where we are as I write.
I am feeling uncomfortably sleepy even despite an afternoon nap.
I am going to cut this short and eat chocolate instead.
