And so here I am on the taxi rank, trying not to feel disgruntled about life.
In fact that isn’t exactly difficult. I do not mind being on the taxi rank, which is just as well since I have spent most of the last twenty five years here. As always, I have got a cup of steaming, spicy chai, and a good book, and from where I am sitting I can see the steamer chugging slowly across the lake to the pier. There are worse things than not being on holiday.
In any case we thought that we would try again next week. Next week is still a long way away, with many a slip betwixt, etc, and so I am not yet indulging in excited gasps of anticipation, but you never know.
Fortunately it has been a sunny day, with a brisk breeze, and the endless washing pegged on the line has all dried nicely. There were sheets and towels from the camper van, Mark’s revolting overalls, and Oliver’s now no-longer-needed bedding.
Mark’s overalls made the washing machine smell of diesel. I glowered, quietly to myself, about this. Also he had been wearing a new T-shirt, a cheerfully coloured green one that I rather liked. It is utterly ruined. His shorts are ruined as well but all of his shorts are ruined so he can just go on wearing those. I have not put them in the drawer because of the diesel smell, and I have simply left the overalls out in the yard. If he wants to put them back in the camper van they will just have to go in a plastic bag.
I finished Oliver’s packing and dragged his luggage down the stairs to the living room. This only took a very few moments to write, but it took ages and ages to do, and involved an awful lot of puffing up and down the stairs.
I have crossed Baggage Handler off the list of things I want to do when I grow up.
The children rang whilst I was doing this. They have arrived in Canada and were merrily ensconced with Number Two Daughter. They all looked very happy and pleased with their world. I could tell this because it was one of these modern video calls where you keep getting distracted by a truly horrible picture of yourself wearing an inane grin in the top corner. Also there was a sticky moment when they realised I was in Lucy’s bedroom, and Lucy was cross because I had piled all of Oliver’s luggage on top of her bed, and Number Two Daughter was cross because she said, correctly, that it was actually her bed.
I am not at all keen on this modern technology. Phone calls worked perfectly well and you could carry on having secrets. I have only got room in the house for so many beds. I am going to have to get another one for Number Two Daughter when she visits, but where I am going to put it I am not quite sure. We used to put things like that in the loft, but it has become such a handy repository for junk that there isn’t room any more.
I had dumped the dogs out in the yard whilst I was hauling luggage about. I am no Health and Safety guru, but I think it is indisputable that some things are best attempted without three interested dogs milling curiously around your feet on the stairs. I brought them all a bone from the butcher and barricaded the door. They broke the barricade down when they got bored with the bones, and I discovered that they had been lying in the tray of little plants that we have been nursing along to put into the front garden, and flattened every single one. I was very cross about this, they even had a cushion option, perhaps I had better hide them before Mark gets home.
I do not know if it would be preferable to hide the dogs or all the poor squashed plants. Really they are villains.
Anyway, those are all the exciting highlights of my day. I am going to go and read some of my coursework for the Master’s’s degree thing, I am supposed to write something as well and some bloke has been in touch telling me that he is my personal tutor, so it is all happening in the world of academia.
One of my other tutors has written to me as well, telling me that she likes the story I am writing and that if I can actually get my act together and finish it she will pass it on to her agent.
I am far too busy to be faffing about writing diaries.
I am going to go and get on with everything else.
