I am so sleepy that I am finding it hard to write.
We had to get up early again this morning. Lucy had a check-up at the GP at half past nine, and I went with her even though she is a perfectly functional grown up.
My eyes would not come open. Fortunately the GP surgery is very close so we could walk, because I do not think I would have been much good at driving.
She had to have an injection. I am old, and have had lots of injections, so I told her that the GP was completely fibbing about it probably not hurting and the GP told me to shut up, although I was proved right in the end.
I discovered whilst we were there that our nice GP, the one we always see because he is a comfortable round shape and does not go on about how much people drink, has retired, and now we have got lots of beaming youthful enthusiasts in his place.
I am gloomy about this. Young doctors are tiresomely interested in the Whole Picture and ask about uncongenial things like diet and exercise. I prefer my GP to have a relaxed attitude to life, and preferably a taste for good wine as well.
This was one thing the French did superlatively well. You were never going to visit a French GP and come away with an exercise programme, at least not in the days when we were there. When I was expecting Oliver our French GP recommended a quarter of a bottle of red wine each evening, to calm the blood. It was a brilliant idea. It was the calmest pregnancy I have ever had. Modern English doctors are altogether too uptight.
Whilst we were out Mark carried on making the ridge pole for the conservatory look beautiful. He has stuck gold vinyl all over it except for the middles of the spiky bits, which are copper.
Actual Head Boy’s father came round whilst we were doing it, because Oliver was spending the afternoon with Actual Head Boy. He is really middle class, which is different from just being an aspirational taxi driver. It means that he has got genuine good taste as well as a shooting jacket and an enthusiastic labrador. When he saw the ridge pole and we explained what it was, he laughed so much that he had to sit down, and spluttered a bit into his coffee. He kept on laughing until he went away again. I was pleased about this. The world is a better place when people laugh.
They have been to Stockholm for a summer holiday. They had dinner on a tall ship and visited lots of Swedish art galleries and museums. It sounded wonderful, and made me feel quite wistful, because Actual Head Boy really likes doing things like that. I can’t even begin to imagine trying to persuade Oliver, or even Lucy, that an exploration of Nordic culture would be a thrilling way to spend their spare time.
We are on a tight budget, so we are not going to go to Stockholm, but to Woking for our summer holiday.
I can’t remember if I told you about it, so if not I am going to tell you again, you will just have to be patient. We are going to go in the camper van and stay in Number One Daughter’s garden for a few nights. Whilst we are there we are going to see some of our friends and also, as a stunning holiday climax, have a trip to London to see a musical called Hamilton at the theatre. The children want to see this. They can sing all of the songs. It is their reward for working hard at school this year. I wanted to see Harry Potter as well but we hadn’t worked hard enough for that.
When Actual Head Boy’s father had gone we finished sticking the gold on the ridge pole, and I stood at the bottom and pushed it as high as I could whilst Mark manoeuvred it into place.
You can see it in the picture.
The windows have yet to go in, along with all the plastic trim bits, but the basic structure is there now.
I stood in the road and looked and looked at it, and felt very contented. It is beyond lovely, and I wish that we had got the time and the cash to do the whole thing in gold, or at least copper, how beautiful that would be.
Not to worry. We have still got quite a lot left. There are plenty more bits of conservatory that we can brighten up before we have got to stop.
We stuck some coloured lights on it as well, but we couldn’t find all of them so we will have to do the rest tomorrow. They don’t work yet, they have got to be wired up. Mark has promised he will organise that over the next few days.
Now that is going to be an ace picture.
