It has been a bit of a day of undoing things.
I am not going to go to Cambridge this week after all. I don’t exactly mind this, the eight hours that would have been spent driving up and down the endless motorways could be far more productively used doing some writing in Windermere. I have written some more today, and think that really I just need to get on with it.
Also it would be expensive and also my car is making a mildly ominous creaking noise. I can’t decide whether this is the suspension or the steering rack, but the point is entirely academic since I can’t actually fix either. I am just going to have to drive it carefully and gently and try and avoid going over bumps or around corners until Mark gets home.
Also I was most mightily disgruntled to discover today that the splendid new dungarees I had purchased to replace the chiffon-thin ones I have now discarded, are no longer going to be mine after all. I got a disappointingly matter-of-fact email from the dungaree-vendors telling me that they had messed up their stock numbers and didn’t have any beautiful rusty-brown dungarees to sell to me after all. They would, they added, refund my money in the fullness of time, but I could stop hanging about hopefully next to the letter box, because no dungarees were going to pop through it in the near future.
I was cross about this. I shall have to dither about on their website yet again later, wondering hopelessly if the ones in the nicer colours are worth the seven quid increased price tag. I will have to get on and do it soon, because I would look ridiculous taking the dogs for walks in my knickers.
It might be a sensible idea, though. We went up over the fells this morning and I got drenched. A nasty sharp westerly wind was racing across the tops, and chilled me to the very marrow, my coat is still hanging over the fire and has not dried even now. I was so cold and wet when I got home that I considered hanging everything over the fire and just going back to bed to start the day again an hour or two later, but of course I didn’t. I soldiered on bravely, because I thought that since I was wet through anyway I might as well go and get on with the wood pile. There is no point in getting soaked twice.
After I had become so wet that rain was running off the end of my nose in a persistent and irritating little stream, eventually I gave up. I went in and tried to rearrange the hotel I had sensibly pre-booked for Oliver’s trip to Norland in Bath. This has once again been delayed, also because of the school drama department coming up with some more exciting end-of-term plans, although these ones are for an A Level drama assessment. I was very withering to the school on the telephone about the problem, and obliged them to telephone Norland and explain that it was not Oliver’s fault, but of course nothing could be done, and I am now left with an hotel in Bath in which I do not wish to stay.
It took some considerable pleading with the manager, but eventually he agreed that I could change the booking to whenever the new interview might be, which caused some further grumbling when I had to admit that I did not know.
I am going to have to call him back as soon as Norland comes up with a Plan C.
I dug my nose into the keyboard to write my story then. The day does seem to be awfully busy. I have no idea how people manage to get out to work for nine o’clock in the morning. I was only just getting started and it was almost two, no wonder nobody wants their employees working from home.
I had just got my heroine lost in the wild and peculiar woods with a strange bloke when somebody banged on the door, and it was the lodger coming for a cup of coffee and to tell me all about her adventures. Her house is growing black mould, a problem with which I could entirely sympathise, and I nodded with grave understanding, when I win the lottery we will go and live somewhere warm and dry.
It made for a very pleasant end to the day, especially as she kindly braved the still-deluging rain to take the dogs out for a quick peg round the Library Gardens whilst I got my taxi picnic ready.
I am going to eat it now.
