Nine Feet Underground

I am going to Liverpool for the first time in a few weeks, but unusually I'm deliberately leaving late.  Why is that? It's because Q's brother and his wife are flying into the UK from Australia and will be arriving in the early afternoon. To avoid arriving before they get home from the airport and to give them a chance to settle, I'm going to leave a little later. Shopping, home for breakfast, packing, a spot of DIY (hopefully solving the mystery shower leak, which hasn't happened since son #2 first reported it), and time to hit the road. That was a journey!  Rain of biblical proportions. Lots of traffic, proving I'm not the only mad person, but at least I'm there. After introductions and chats, we decided to go for a walk to the pub. A chance for some English Ale: Doom Bar being the choice. Home for dinner, chat then bed, by way of a poem. Hollie Cook /  'Win Or Lose'   / 'Twice' [[] ]

I started work today with some trepidation. My contract was due to be renewed on Monday, in theory. Every time this has happened before, I have lost my access from anything ranging from a few hours to a week.  I have been warning everyone for last couple of weeks to make sure it's all set up, but... At some ungodly hour son #2 and his gf headed off to London to get a Eurostar to Paris, this all happened whilst I was still asleep, but I'm sure I'll get progress updates during the day. Surprise, surprise. I've lost my access...again. It's been a frustrating, but quiet day. No sons are home for the entire day, which is quite unusual. I made dinner early and got myself completely up to date with MAFSA until the final one next week.  In between the two I watched this evening, I finished reading 'Oxen of the Sun'.  It occurred to me that some of the scenes are redolent of 'Carry On Nurse', even if they are couched in less transparent terms. It's a very...

I got plans, and they are multiplying, however, mercifully, no grease is required. PTL! First off, after the usual billhooks, a trip to the shops, for food, cash, music magz (mebbe - it's EOY music review time, but they may not be in the shops yet), and a hair and beard cut at a Turkish barbers. I'm home, the carers are here, and on my way home I've had a chat with Q. What better way to start the day? (Answers on a postcard, please..) Cutting my hair is, to be honest, relatively simple and almost impossible to screw up. The beard trim and shape was a very thorough process though, finishing with hand, arm and back massage! Where will it all end? Not too happily, I hope. Unfortunately, as mentioned previously (yesterday...all my troubles STOP!!), I have to do some actual work today, in the form of two IT training courses.  Floppy equine hybrid. It's data not data!!! It's time to make dinner now and, as I've spent something like seven hours on these two courses, so...

Today looks like it will be one of those mundane, nothing-out-of-the-ordinary days. I guess our 'nothing-out-of-the-ordinary' might qualify as exceptional in some lives, but we have become used to chaos and uncertainty. I'm still feeling very tired and seem to wake up feeling tired and go through the whole day feeling tired. It's been suggested that a return to something approximating my old pre-end-of-life for E (?) routine would help. Guess I will soon see as I am due to return to work next week provided nothing untoward happens. The most notable thing today is a plan for Sunday that is gradually turning from a possibility into something highly likely. Change is the order of life. I have an enormous backlog of music to listen to and things are aligned in such a way that I feel able to listen to a few new albums tonight before making dinner. My usual bedtime routine leads to sleep of some sort, hopefully. Hollie Cook / 'Praying' / 'Happy Hour' [[EQualis...

Today I'm heading off to Birmingham University to collect son #1, leaving as close to 9 a.m. as I can.  The intention is to get there and come straight back, or as close to that as his readiness allows. Almost as soon as I get back I'm taking sons 1 and 2 to the dentist - no peace for the wicked. Back from Brum and straight out again! It's now 3 p.m. and finally I'm home and very hungry, time for lunch at last! The afternoon disappeared in a series of discussions and changes of plan. I don't seem to have managed to progress any of the Christmas things I need to get done, but never mind. Spoke to the hospital for an update on my mother-in-law, but so far no real change. Hopefully something new tomorrow. Ate with sons 1 and 2 and watched a 'Live At The Apollo' before heading for bed and the new end of the day events. Hollie Cook / 'Sugar Water' / 'Hollie Cook' [[ ]]

Sleep? Who needs it! I've decided it's an outmoded concept and I'm giving it up, or has it given up on me?  Instead, I decide to get up and get showered, there's no point lying there when sleep is never going to pay me a visit. Waiting on a message to confirm my date is covid-free, and, if so, I'll be heading off Winchester-way for a lunch meetup.  It's on! Negative PCR test, so I've got to get a move on as I've two washes to do and hang out and a third to start, which hopefully son #2 will hang out. I'm running a bit late but the washing is on the line and the next wash is under way - an unexpected load of towels from my wife. It's got to be done as I'm off on holiday tomorrow, not back until some time on Thursday. Back from Winchester! What a great date! There was definitely a spark and before we left we agreed we'd both like to meet again. I'm not sure who was the most excited. Thankfully the lunch was quite filling otherwise I...

When I went to sleep last night I guess I was probably still buzzing from the twin hits of achieving my certification (after so bloody long in the wilderness) and the revelations of the counselling session, consequently (and I'm assuming this was the reason, because I can't find another) I woke up at around 3 a.m. and my mind was so active I did not get back to sleep.  I spent 3 hours or so in that awful state where my muscles were in a relaxed / off state, and I could feel I was teetering on the cliff edge ready to fall into slumber but my brain wouldn't let go.  Eventually I had to move and so I went through the whole cycle again (and again), never quite managing to enter the kingdom of sleep.  I wasn't fully awake, in the sense that rational thought hadn't kicked in, otherwise, perhaps, I might have thought of trying meditation, although, to be fair, I've never yet managed to fall asleep during meditation, so maybe it wouldn't have worked.  It would have ...