Day 43: Monday 22nd April

Monday dawns, another week beginning. First night back home, and C1 has another reason to creep into my bed. I can't sleep properly when a sweaty starfish is under my duvet. She wrote me a note explaining her presence....

She was actually snoring when I came to bed, so I left her as she was, and claimed the other side of the bed from Furbaby 1. My revenge was served cold, as I let the morning alarm ring near her head for a good 3 minutes. Ha ha indeed.

Yes - it goes off at 6:55am...

A normal Monday morning of mushrooms on toast, Special K, cups of tea and fresh water in water bottles. C1 and C2 are ready in record time, clean, tidy and full of the joys of school. NOT!

Anyway, my school run includes Mrs Fisherman's youngest for a last few days until she leaves for pastures new (different school on the other side of town), so off we go. 

After the drop-off, I head home just in time to meet up with Franny-Pan for a first try-on of the crochet leg-hider underskirt extension that I have made for her. She has great legs, but doesn't want to show too much of them at a wedding she is attending, so asked me whether I could manufacture this 'extension' to preserve her dignity and maintain the mystery a little! After putting on the full ensemble (dress, killer heels, bag and fascinator) we both decided that another 3 inches would be an advantage. This will be done, with some nifty scallopped edging thrown in for good measure!

Peeping out from under.

Close-up.

Completed article...

 Franny-Pan went off to work, and I set off to meet the  Phlebotomist for another armful of blood to be extracted. 9 vials later, with instruction to come back in a week for the results, and I am free to return home to my 'to-do' list.

This does include mowing the lawn. Ssshhhhh.

A gentle potter was intended, but these things have a habit of getting out of hand, especially when it involves me. The lawn was mown, then somehow, a picnic bench moved from one side of the lawn to the paved area, 5 bags of compost moved from the front of the house to the back, 2 crowns of rhubarb were potted, a root of mint was eased into another pot, some general tidying and bagging up of tip-worthy rubbish happened, and I suddenly felt really tired and in need of some soluble drug-based comfort.

Then, off to school to collect. 

Calm restores once both C1 and C2 remove their school shoes, kick back (not kick each-other) and relax.

Watching some extreme trampolining, some planting of seeds and cooking of tea, and I am completely and utterly tired with a capital K!

I escape upstairs with the announcement that I will re-appear to run a bath for C2. C1 is given the instructions to bring upstairs the bedtime milky drink at my call, and all goes reasonably smoothly.

At last, I am able to gather enough thoughts and energy to complete downstairs tasks, sort out tomorrow's diary, have a cup of peppermint tea, and flake out. Further installments of painkillers necessary, due to me being a foolish woman who will not be told, who is too independent for her own good, impatient, frustrated and downright fed up with all of this.

Hoping for a night on my own.