Anyway, the bedroom did get tidied, and it wasn’t that he was hungry, it was merely that he was very upset at lunch happening without breakfast having happened first as order is very important too. Plus “why don’t ppl mean what they say?” Sigh. I confess to having dropped a couple of tears on his head as he cried on my lap.

And then we had lunch. Which solved pretty much all problems. Apart from the not having watched Prisoner of Azkaban yet, which was very upsetting all round It was even more upsetting when I had to tell them that I had a doctor’s appt and they couldn’t watch it until I got back

Fortunately I was first in the appt list this afternoon, so we didn’t get a repeat of the over hour waiting fiasco. And I talked to her about the other doctor I saw, and how he didn’t seem very happy that I’d gone to see him, and apparently he’s pretty much like that. Lovely. The good news is that there’s no wear and tear on my hip, and therefore the diagnosis is sciatica. I’ve had no pain at all since the first day at Melrose, so if I’m happy to just sit on my backside crocheting all day I’ll be fine, and as I’m not, the suggestion is gentle exercise such as yoga or pilates with paracetamol to cover any pain and codeine to back it up if it doesn’t work.

Hm. Lovely. Ah well. And my choose and book follow up on the miscarriage is being transferred to a hospital nearer to soon to be house so as not to introduce a several month delay in the process.

Then I came home and we watched Azkaban. Even I’m slightly annoyed at how different it is to the book, but it didn’t seem to unduly distress the offspring. They were mildly surprised, and I had to explain some of the reasons why, but at least we didn’t have any more tears.

Tomorrow I’m thinking about a trip to old house and Big wants yet again to work out what she can make to sell to buy a DS. I feel I may not have thought this plan through sufficiently. And now I need sleep, which will take a little while, as I started processing one of the heaps in the bedroom and transferred it mainly to our bed. More sighs. Although I did find a pair of age 6 Levis in Small’s hand me down pile that now fit him. Wow, his first Levis. I’m so proud.

Meeting of the Northern Montessori Association Forum went on til 4, but I got lunch out of it, which was good. (It was supposed to be a bring and share, so many ppl had brought so much that my only required contribution was an appetite!)

Came home, got on with assignment. Finally mailed it in around 5pm, which is still quite early on the 4th in America, so no problems there, and I got an acknowledgement email promising response in a couple of days. On a roll, I even made a start on the Maths questions, answering the ones that I could without the file. Easily my strongest area, funny that I’m hoping to finish the whole thing off in the next couple of weeks and then discuss doing the Lower Elementary course.

So I saw the kids mostly in passing yesterday, which at least minimised the opportunities for us to fall out, although we still managed over the state of the living room, after I asked them to pick their things up off the floor.

Today was Big’s first church parade as an enrolled brownie. We were there bright and early as requested at 9.45 and there was no sign of her leaders or anyone from her pack. In the end they turned up as I was going over to the church, having left Big with the mother of one of our staff members (which is how we found out about Brownies there in the first place). Church was packed. It was a joint service with another church down the road, and as far as I can work out, is a joint church anyway, Anglican and Methodist. Although it could just have been that was how it was today. Anyway, I was sitting next to a lovely pair of ladies (word chosen carefully) who were very kind and interested, which helped when, part way through the last hymn I lost control completely and dissolved into a crying wreck. It was the bit in Love Divine about having a place set in heaven, and I just couldn’t stop thinking of Katrin. Yes, I’m crying again now. Anyway, a pair of arms came around me and held me and this complete stranger prayed for me and for my sister and my family, which was a little odd, but very kind as well.

By the time I’d pulled myself together, we were stuck for getting out of church, and the Brownie leader snapped at me when I finally located Big. Urgh. Not required. Silly woman. We started walking home and rang Tim for a lift – think we should have just walked it actually in the end, but never mind. Lunch, and I looked up nearby music shops, finding one in the Piece Hall in Halifax that was open, and has 1/2 guitars in stock. So that was our afternoon trip out, and we were highly amused to discover that the Piece hall was having a Kris day – it was full of landrovers. We spent a little time exploring, and Small gave us another giggle when he found a book in the second hand bookshop that “has passwords in it, look.” So:

* * * * * * *

He spent ages looking for another one!

Then we came home via Sainsburys, where I sat in the car with a recalcitrant Small and nodded while Tim shopped. Once home I tuned the guitar and then Small fiddled with it for a while. He’s determined he doesn’t want music or lessons, he just wants to make up his own tunes. Guess we’ll leave him to it until otherwise requested. He seems very happy with it anyway, although I found it incredibly fiddly to tune – couldn’t get my fingers on the strings! Electronic tuner here we come methinks.

Then I went to bed for a lie down, having not had a lie in either morning. Got up and rowed with Big which appears to be a pretty much standard part of our day atm, sadly. Best part of the argument must have been when I said “please take that doll out of the bathroom and get ready for your bath” and she left screaming “It’s not a doll, it’s a barbie, don’t call it a doll!” Please tell me all this is hormonal and it will pass?

Now they are in the bath, and I have a cup of tea and a vast choice of television programs before me. Oh, decisions decisions. And I suppose we’ll have to work out what we’re going to eat as well.

So no escape there then.”

I have no idea what we’re watching, I’m not concentrating on it, I’m writing php. But that tickled me.