The neighbours meet Laura as we decamp to Sheffield!

Diary 2013 Week 12.

Friday September 13^th.

Good job I am not superstitious, touch wood!

I already have one Ft13 mess up. Laura told me last night her last day at work is tomorrow not today. She will be finishing at lunchtime and then that’s it. Finito Benito for the Wigton job. We have decided that I will borrow Dad’s tank on Sunday to drive us down to sunny Sheffield with Laura’s stuff [it would be a very, very tight squeeze in my little Picanto], come back on the same day and then drive down to Sheffield proper on Tuesday. I cleared this with Dad and he offered to simply come down as well on Tuesday with Loll’s stuff and then drive back. We sort of want to be independent and do it ourselves. I guess it’s the symbolism of the thing. We are striking out together; two against the world. So we have gratefully declined his offer.

The weather here [Hawick] is still dreadful. I suppose as an area the Borders does get more than its fair share of wetness. That could be one of the reasons Mum moved south as soon as she could. Norwich is a desert compared to the Borders! Gran has a cupboard in her hall way where she keeps her coats – they are all waterproofs of one kind or another! Sums it all up, doesn’t it? I keep my best riding coat at Dad’s, I don’t need it anywhere as much in sunny Sheffield.

Gran asked me if I could drive her to Morrisons’ to do her weekly grocery shop this morning. I was only too happy to oblige. I think she eats way too much processed food. Hardly any of her meals for next week will be cooked from scratch using fresh ingredients. Obviously I didn’t say anything, I just mentioned how I plan my week’s meals in advance and then shop for them. It saves me a lot of money that way and I eat fresh produce every day. [I drew myself a bank menu on A4 paper which I photocopied. I fill it in each week and use it to buy my groceries.] I am not saying she didn’t buy some fresh food but ready meals will be three of her dinners next week. Can that be healthy? She is in her mid-eighties, so I guess she may be thinking she’s survived this long eating the way she does why change now? Plus, she does own the renown Scottish sweet tooth! One bowl in her lounge is full of sweets!

On the drive back down to Cumbria, I stopped in Langholm to visit the Macdairmid memorial sculpture on a hillside over-looking the town. It’s just so visible on the skyline as you drive back down the A 7, I had to go up and have a look. Dad’s favourite band “Runrig” used it as the cover image on one of their albums – Amazing Things. It is quite an impressive sculpture, shaped like a book with different icons on the two pages which have a particular resonance for the Border’s own bard. It looked eminently climbable, so I swarmed up it and sat on the top, just as another bloody car pulled up for a closer look. How sodding embarrassing was that?

I was sat there like a bloody ginormous pixie on top of this national monument. The man and woman found it amusing that I would choose to do something without an encouraging friend or two at the bottom egging me on. Guess what? They were also Runrig fans. And… they had been at the Runrig concert at Preston last year which Dad took me to! I was able to tell them that the Support artiste, Jill Jackson, had played Langholm Buccleuch Centre a year before supporting a band from Tiree called Skerryvore. [Dad took me to that too. We actually met the band afterwards and spent ages in the bar talking with them. Dad bought me their CDs and I got the each of the band members to sign the sleeve booklets for me. Rock star groupie or what?]

Leaving the stunned couple behind Callie and I walked along the track to the Cleopatra’s needle on the far skyline. It was an obelisk erected to commemorate the life of Sir John Malcom – a bloody soldier and politician. Why is there no commemoration to the town’s much more influential son Thomas Telford? I asked this question in the café at the bottom of the road up the hill to the Macdairmid memorial. The woman inside didn’t even know who Telford was, never mind the fact he’d been born in Langholm. She did tell me Scotrail are going to reopen the Carlisle to Edinburgh railway line, which will be a joy to travel on. There is no time scale for this as yet.

From here, the thoughts of Eskdalemuir earlier in the week made me decide to make a detour up to the Buddhist temple there. It is ages since I have been. From the outside you can tell it is something unusual, even in the driving rain! It is a riot of colour and weirdly shaped monuments and buildings. A prayer session was just beginning and, as everyone is invited to go and sit in the temple, I went in to watch.

I had intended to stay for a few minutes but I ended up being there for the whole session – about an hour. It was sort of intoxicating, fascinating and totally alien all at the same time. The Monks chanted throughout and played instruments and span prayer wheels. What struck me most was the fact they’d be doing this every day of the year, regardless of their surroundings or the political climate they were in. It was sort of humbling to think that people were still prepared to devote their lives to a cause they believed in for the good of the whole planet [in their eyes] even if the rest of the inhabitants were totally indifferent. In the shop I bought a couple of “Free Tibet” items: a fridge magnet, a T-Shirt and a poster. I will frame the poster and hang it in my office at work.

Dad and Louisa were out when I got back to Tallentire, so I set to and prepared a boeuf bourguignon for dinner, as I’d arranged with Dad last night. Molly was there when I got back, so I made her stop cleaning and sit and have a cuppa with me.  She told me Laura was really nervous about beginning the new term in a new city. She was looking forward to living with me full time but was apprehensive about whether she’d fit in and be able to make new friends and that kind of stuff. I told her that was only natural, and I thought that she’d fit in just fine. Embarrassingly, she did say that she thought I was the best thing that had happened to Laura in her life so far. She had always seemed directionless and an outsider in things but now she was much more independent and focused and becoming a personality in her own right, if I saw what she meant? I think I did. She said she had always thought I was a very stable and strong willed person and some of that seemed to be rubbing off onto little Loll.

I told her I was so grateful that she hadn’t reacted badly to Laura’s decisions and the situation she must have found herself in when Laura finally “came out”. I promised I would do nothing to harm her precious daughter because she was precious to me too. She is! She is just as precious as to me as Richard was, but in a totally different sort of way.

I picked up the subject of our conversation from Wigton as usual and she gave me a huge kiss as she got in the car. We sat in the car park and kissed for quite a while to be honest. Apparently I had scared her zooming off to Gran’s without a moment’s thought like that but she couldn’t explain what had scared her. I could resist giving her the present I’d bought her straight away. I got her a paperweight from the glass maker in Hawick [Peter Holmes used to be Selkirk Glass’ main glass maker but he moved to Hawick a few years ago]. Laura collects paperweights and this one is lovely. It is all clear glass and bubbles with no colour at all. There is a ring bubble in the middle and through the hole in the ring a second bubble, looking like an elongated tadpole, has just burst out. She really liked it. I sort of knew she would. That brings her collection up to twenty four.

Louisa took care of the rest of the boeuf so all I had to do was arrive at the table to eat. We opened a Dornfelder to go with it and dessert was another of Gran’s rice puddings, specially made for Dad as she’d remembered how much he loved them. I think it is good there is no animosity between them since the divorce. The rice pudding was extremely Moorish! We ate the whole lot in one go! Pigs!

We spent a lazy evening lying on the sofas in the lounge watching more of The White Queen. Then an early night prior to Laura’s last day at work tomorrow. No more Ft13 mess ups all day. Phew!

 

Saturday 14^th Sept.

Had a frantic Skype from Oz this morning: the clan are going to the AFL play of semi at Subiaco next week [21^st] even Mum! They were just so excited. They will play the Sydney Swans; the other semi is between Hawthorn and Geelong. Freo will know who the opponents will be in the final proper, because H vs G takes place on the Friday evening! I am rather green tinted at the moment. Even Dad seems quite stirred up by the news. He has always ridiculed AFL and calls it a game for thugs.

There were no flags or bunting at the Wigton tool hire centre this morning for Loll’s final day. I guess there never is. Whenever you undergo a momentous change there is hardly ever a celebration of it. I suppose Graduation is the closest most people come to one [other than weddings and christening of course] and I missed my graduation having had my breakdown in Australia. I don’t think Laura had actually thought about it, TBH. I took Callie across to Silloth for a long walk along the prom. We parked up at Skinburnness and walked all the way into the town centre, had a cuppa at one of the cafes [a bit cold and blowy outside] and then strolled slowly back. You could see that the fell tops, away to the south, were getting a battering from the weather but the coastal strip often misses out on the nastier stuff. I think that is why my folks chose to buy their holiday home where they did.  Quite often, when the Lakes are being filled from above, there is dry walking to be had along the Allerdale Coast.

After Silloth I explored the delights of Wigton’s shopping centre [it took about a minute! Lol]. I was accompanied by the Wigton Whiff. There is a huge chemical plant right in the centre of the town and this often floods the area with a dreadful odour. We have always called it the Wigton Whiff. I really don’t know how the residents of Wigton can stand it. It means I will never ever buy a house here. Some days, if there is a strong Northerly wind, you can ever taste a glimmer of the whiff in Tallentire!

I asked if there was anywhere she wanted to go when I picked her up at 12.30. She said she just wanted to go home. So that’s what we did. Eric was at work and Stephen was at a friend’s house, Molly was in, baking. I left Laura with her Mum and she said she’d be round after dinner. I felt sort of hollow dropping her off and leaving her like that. I hoped there was nothing wrong. It turned out there wasn’t. She just wanted to be with her Mum for a while, without the rest of her family about. I knew what she meant. Having Mum all to myself in Australia was really special. Plus, it gave her time to get all her things sorted for the move.

 

Sunday 15^th September.

One Cabin Trunk. Two suitcases. One holdall. One flight bag. Two cardboard boxes. One bag of cuddlies. That is an inventory of what Laura and I loaded into Dad’s car in Cumbria and unloaded to my little house in South Yorkshire. It might have been possible to fit it all into my tiny Picanto but I doubt it.

The journey there and back wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be despite the awful weather. The rain driving down the M6 was pretty unpleasant at times. I went the quickest way down. M6, M61, Woodhead Pass, A616, A6102, home. Dad’s car does just fly.

At my house the process of unloading took about a quarter of the time that the packing did. We then spent about an hour watching Laura’s possessions being swallowed by my house. I asked how she wanted to arrange her clothes and she was keen on my shared wardrobe idea, so we have half of our clothes in the huge ‘under the attic stairs’ cupboard and half in the freestanding robe. I cleared one of the chests of drawers for her and rearranged the desk up in the loft [it’s just a table really] so we could have a side each. In anticipation of her arrival I bought another bookcase, where she has put her collection of tomes.

We had discussed the idea that she used the second bedroom’s cupboards and stuff as her clothes base but she wasn’t keen on that idea. To be honest, neither was I, but I offered it to her in case she decided she didn’t want to sleep with me all the time. [I hoped she would, naturally.] We had a bite to eat in our kitchen and then sex in our boingy chair in the bedroom before we drove back up to Tallentire. I went back through Leeds, following the route through Horsforth which I take when I visit Phil and Jane. (A65) I almost made a detour and called in on them but decided against it. We are going to see them in the week ahead anyway. The journey took us past Skipton and the three peaks mountains. I have walked the 3 Peaks Challenge when I was a youngster. I wonder if we could walk it again?

There was a huge Sunday dinner waiting for us when we got back to Dad’s, with Molly, Eric and Stephen plus Errol and his partner. We had quite a boisterous crowd round the table and then on into the evening. We ended up game playing. Charades first. We used to play this all the time when I was younger then Errol challenged us women to a Trivial Pursuit match. I haven’t played this since Christmas 2011! This was so weird because Loll and Stephen had never played games at home in this way, they’ve only ever been sat in front of a screen plugged into whatever game console they own. They really enjoyed it.

I had forgotten just how much I enjoy quizzes. Needless to say Dad, Errol, Eric and Stephen won. We didn’t stand a chance against two University Professors really. Although it was pretty close.  This coming Thursday will be the third of the month for our village quiz at the pub. I will have to get on the ‘phone and summon the troops. We have our Scampi Tails reputation to uphold.

I picked my scab off before bedtime. Stupid I know, but it was really itchy. Laura told me I needed punishing for being naughty and laid me across her lap to whack me with my hair brush. The beating lasted only three whacks before I felt familiar fingers worming their way into my knickers…..

Monday September 16^th.

Dad and Louisa went off to Lancaster pretty early this morning, for the day, so when we were fully awake we carried on from where we left off last night…

I cooked a huge pile of bacon and we had mammoth BLTs for breakfast. As the Aged Parent and Louisa had gone in Louisa’s car I took Laura and the four dogs in Dad’s Citroen to Crummockwater. We stayed in the woods, mainly, as it decided to rain on us just as we arrived in the car park. This was a blow but the dogs enjoyed the walk. We went almost to the top of My Fell – this is Lanthwaite Green Top [I don’t know its real name, it may be Lanthwaite Hows.]. When I was a little girl my Dad gave me the fell top as a present! So it has always been known as my fell ever since. His reasoning was as he was a National Trust Member and all the area was owned by the Trust, that meant he owned it, so he gave it to me.

Luckily the woods skirt the actual top so we were able to stay under cover and not get too wet. If we’d gone up to the fell top proper, we’d have been drenched in minutes. The paths are very well defined up there and I know them so well. I took us along to the path that leads to the Lanthawaite Green then we flowed alongside the beck down to the lake itself, just by the boathouse. We had a drink of tea from the flask here and some chocolate. Sadly the dogs decided they wanted a swim and all four went into the lake. I hoped there were some towels in the back of Dad’s car, I’d forgotten to check. Once they were in we decided they may as well swim properly so went spent a good half an hour throwing their ball, and any sticks we could find, out on to the lake. Several people came by and stopped to watch them swimming. A few of them were planning the circumnavigation of the whole  lake. I thought they were mad, but I kept these thoughts under my hat.

Having taken so long at the boat house we had passed the magical 12 o’clock. This is the time when the Kirkstile Inn starts serving food. [It actually opens at 11am but they don’t serve food until noon!] There was still more swimming to be had at the fish ladder end of Crummockwater, by the dogs that is, and more chatting to the people who stopped to watch them.

There were towels in the car! Thank goodness, but it took about fifteen minutes to get them all into a reasonable state of dryness before I drove us off to the pub.

The barman recognised me and jokingly said, “Glass of white wine, ham baguette and chips?” I had to tell him we were going to go for the soup and a sandwich option but could the sandwich be a baguette which we’d share? That was OK. We also ordered a single portion of chips. I had my usual glass of white and Laura had a J20. They stock a Riesling here which is really tasty. Not many pubs do, they have all gone down the Chardonnay road, or recently the Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon route. I find them too dry for my liking. We had the beef and caramelised onion baguette with our soup, which was home-made leek and potato! Yummy in my tummy. The chips were excellent as usual, the only difference to my normal visits here was I didn’t have Callie in with me, waiting patiently under the table for her few chips. I thought four dogs might prove a handful in the small bar.

Later in the year they serve a brilliant mulled wine here. It costs around £5 a glass [it is a 250ml glass though]. When I have been in the depths of winter, a glass of their mulled wine by the roaring open fire is heaven.

After lunch we drove straight over to Workington from Loweswater to look at the sea from the mouth of the harbour. We did a mini food shop too. I bought us some fresh mussels from the local fishmonger, he assured me they were fresh Solway ones, I was planning on doing a simple Moules et Frites dish for tea. Laura still isn’t quite sure about some sea food, but she said she’d give the mussels a go. As the rain had stopped, and the dogs were whinging we walked them up Derwent Howe. This is another thing the local girl has never done! I just can’t believe it. The view of Workington from here is pretty impressive, well I thought it was, anyway. On a clear day looking out to sea you can sometimes see the Isle of Man. Today you couldn’t: too much cloud!

Laura was really squeamish about putting a moule into her mouth. I almost told her she’d had my labia in there, how tricky could a moule be? But the Aged Parent and Louisa would probably not have found it amusing, so I refrained. She did eventually try one and was gobsmacked at how delicious they were. Fresh ones are really tender and “melt in your mouthy”. These obviously were as fresh as the fishmonger had said. Dad had brought a cheese cake back with him for dessert. He joked that it was done deliberately as part of my diet [bastard!] then he brought out the individual fruit tart he’d bought for me because of my cheese allergy [un-bastard!]. In fact he’d brought five fruit tarts so we could all have another each with supper.

They were in Lancaster sorting the flat out. We are going to drive down again tomorrow in convey and Dad and Louisa will turn right into Lancaster as I carry on down the M6. I bet that doesn’t happen, he’ll hit the motorway at Penrith, put his foot to the floor and Zooom! We’ll not see him for dust. I’ll bet they will have been into the flat, and had a cup of tea and be listening to the Radio by the time we are driving past.

We watched the final episodes of the White Queen tonight. The actor playing Richard III was very good, and I liked the way they had kept Gregory’s sympathetic portrayal of him. He really wasn’t the murderous villain from the hatchet job done by Shakespeare at all. Trust me, I know these things.

No sex tonight, just falling asleep in each other’s arms. I just love doing that. Tomorrow is one small step for woman, one giant leap for womankind!

Tuesday 17^th September.

Up with the larks. Laura zoomed off pronto to her folks’ house to say goodbye to her Mum and Stephen. Her Dad is out somewhere with the lorry [he drives for Eddie Stobart’s] so she’s going to phone him later. I took all four dogs up Tallentire Hill in the rain. It seems to have done that a lot since I got back from Oz and yet everyone tells me they had a wonderful summer in the UK.

There were two more condoms at the view point seat. You think people would take them away when they leave rather than just dumping them. I used the dog trowel (again) to put them in the ditch where they could degrade without being an eyesore. I got me wondering was it the same guy who came twice or two different guys up here? Most guys’ recovery times aren’t all that quick, so perhaps it was two different guys. Unless it was a pair of gay men? One girl I knew at University  used to photograph all the guys she’d slept with using an instant camera and hang the condoms they’d used underneath this “stud’s gallery” on one of her walls. How tacky was that? By the end of the academic year there were nearly fifty photographs on her wall.

Back at Dad’s I put our two small bags in the car and had a final breakfast with Dad and Louisa. We aren’t going to drive down in Convoy after all. They have some stuff to do in Kendal, so they will have a leisurely drive through the Lakes and then head off to Lancaster later. Laura decided she wanted to drive us down to Sheffield, especially as I said I fancied going via the Skipton route so we could call at Phil and Jane’s on the way. Her practice with my little car over the summer has made her a much more confident driver, previously (TBH) I used to be a little twitchy when she drove but 8 weeks of commuting have put paid to my nerves. She’s pretty good. Quite a bit slower than I drive but that’s only to be expected. We stopped at a florists’ in Skippy to buy some flowers for Jane and then to exercise La Woofie, who was disappointed she didn’t get out when we did.

Jane was in when drew up in Horsforth. So we had a longer stop than intended. She made us a cup of tea and some sangers. She has gone part-time at her work but she is thinking of packing up altogether after the baby arrives. Phil says she needs to take the full maternity leave package and then quit – but he is an accountant so everything has pounds signs attached for him! She is hoping for a little girl. [So am I to be honest. I am not keen on boys, they are too much trouble and hard work. Not that I know anything – this is just the voice of prejudice speaking.] She had just been to Ikea and had a look at their baby furniture. They had got rid of all the old baby things from their loft last year, Peter is 9 and Angela 7 and they thought they wouldn’t need them again. [That was a telling statement, I thought!]

Phil is now making so much money that they can afford for Jane to be a full-time, stay at home Mum. I am not sure what I think about this, TBH, I mean if she never goes back to work what a waste of money her education will have been. I guess I can’t really imagine the attraction of wanting to be at home with the baby all the time. Maybe if I have one of my own my opinion will change? She loved her flowers and put them into two vases straight away. They needed two as there were so many in the bunch. Apparently they haven’t had flowers at home for ages. I always buy a bunch a week with my weekly shop – usually white ones. It doesn’t matter what the flowers are so long as they are white. I love white flowers! We left just before three as Jane was getting ready to go and pick the kids up from Primary School.

I decided to drive the rest of the way back as little Loll has little experience of Motorway driving. The centre of Leeds can be a nightmare! We hit Oughtibridge at just before 4pm.   I parked up, we unloaded and then we both took Callie for a long walk. We went up to Onesacre, dropped down to Coombes Brook and then into the village. I called in at Sylvia’s to start my newspaper order once more and we popped into the restaurant for Loll to meet her boss, Dominic,  again. The cheeky bugger asked her if she could start tomorrow! She has agreed!

Discovered that the pub quiz is on the LAST Thursday in month, not the third one. I looked in to check. Eva told me that the Scampis had been in for the last quiz, in August but they’d missed the July one. They won the August quiz by one point! That now makes 5 wins out 5! Rah, Rah and indeed Rah! It seemed pretty cold in the house so I switched the central heating on! It’s mid-September for heaven’s sake! Soon we were snug bug ruggly.

We had an early night for once, I think I was tired after all the travelling. Loll was! She was fast asleep and zed pushing when I came out of the bathroom. She has agreed to come swimming tomorrow morning. I bet she changes her mind in the morning.

Wednesday 18^th September.

I would have lost the bet. When I got in from walking Callie Laura was up, dressed and ready for the off. So with Callie in the back seat as usual we went to the pool. I introduced Laura to Sarah and then we had a swim. I only did half my lengths for two reasons; one, it was my first swim for over a week and two, Laura wouldn’t be able to manage more. There was also a third reason, she had brought a totally impractical cossie [a very skimpy bikini] and I just wanted to keep putting my fingers inside it. This seriously restricted our swimming activity and got me so turned on I had to get fruity in one of the changing cubicles. She nearly bit through the towel in an effort not to make a noise and get us thrown out or arrested [or both]. We drove back home with her hand down the front of my shorts and at home we only made it as far as the lounge sofa! It is extremely hard to concentrate on your driving when a dextrous finger is rubbing your important little places.

We had the day to play with each other if we wanted but we discovered a terrible oversight! We have left the strap-on up in my bedside cupboard in Cumbria. That made the decision for us, we would go into town and get ourselves another one from the Ann Summers shop down there. The only one in town is now at Meadow Hall, so that’s where we went. Laura has experience of this sort of place having been to the Carlisle branch but was astounded! The lingerie was out of this world. I could’ve spent a fortune but we restricted ourselves on a second strap on. I was very tempted by a new Rampant Rabbit which was quite a lot softer than the one I’ve got, but I resisted.

We strolled round the rest of the centre and I told Laura the saga of how Kaybers and I had been thrown out of here for roller-blading inside the mall itself. On the third occasion we were actually taken to a small office and held there for over an hour until I called Mrs Briggs at work who went ballistic at them down my phone and threatened them with all sorts of legal action if we weren’t released immediately. They called her bluff and phoned the solicitors using the phone book to look up the number and their land line, obviously assuming I had just called someone at random to rant at them.

They crapped themselves when they were put through to her again! While I’d been speaking to Mrs Briggs she told me to take photographs of all the people and the room we were being held in, videos if possible. So during their call to work that’s what I did. She was able to tell them that with the photographic evidence I was taking and e-mailing to her office, they personally -and the company they were working for - wouldn’t have a leg to stand on when they were sued for unlawful imprisonment and worse. Needless to say we were politely escorted from the building and asked very nicely not to return wearing our roller-blades as they constituted a health hazard. I just told them, “See you in court!”

At work I thanked Mrs B profusely but she was as excited as me and said she hadn’t enjoyed herself as much, at work, for ages. The firm sent the security company a formal letter stating that their client had decided to reserve the right to pursue the case through the court but for the moment were prepared to let the matter rest. I imagine they were not happy at getting that letter. We never took it any further. Kaybers and I went back to skating in their car park early on Sunday mornings, which was what we usually did anyway. [We only went inside the first time because I wanted the loo and couldn’t be arsed to take my skates off!]

Laura has yet to meet Mrs Briggs, but she will, sometime this term. She has met Mrs Orr (Kaybers) a couple of times. She says she can see why we became best friends. We just egg each other on to do more and more outrageous things. At school we were notorious for our pranks. We are going to see her this week now that she and Jan are back from Norway, visiting the paternal grand-parents to be!

I was quite surprised by how many people were actually in Meadow Hall. I mean it was a weekday for heaven’s sake? How come it was so busy? Loll was impressed by the size of the place and the cleanliness of it all but it can’t beat a real street with old and characterful shops, IMHO.

The strap-on is just as effective as the one we left in Cumbria. That’s all I will say on the matter.

From the beginning of the arvo onwards we had a steady stream of people coming to see me [and meet Laura] from the houses along the street. We are a very friendly bunch really. I must’ve drunk about a dozen cups of tea. We’ve got half a dozen invites to drop by for meals, some of which we’ve  already pencilled in the diary. The neighbourliness of my row of houses is lovely. When I first moved in (2010) I thought they were just being a set of nosey parkers but I was so wrong. The neighbours are all ages and genders but they all have one thing in common, they do all care. Laura found it all a bit overwhelming. I have tried to explain why I love living in my little house but I could tell she didn’t quite get it. She does now!

After dinner I lost Laura for the rigours of the working life. She began at the restaurant at 7pm and I went to collect her at 11pm. They have a longer licence at the weekend, so she’ll be there later on a Friday and Saturday night. As it was still fine, I walked Callie along the field behind the house and joined the Coombes Brook path behind the Doctor’s Surgery as part of my collecting her.

She was a bit surprised to find I had walked. I think she was expecting to be driven back up the hill to ‘our’ house. I was offered a glass of wine while I waited for her to finish up and Callie was given a dish of pasta and sea food which had been left by the last diners! She wolfed it. I threatened Dominic that if she got me up in the night needing the loo I’d bring down here to pooh on his yard!

I surprised him by asking if the wine was a Montepulciano D’Abruzzo? He was astounded. It was! I explained that Dad has a few cases of Montepulciano each year, which an ex-colleague, Roy, sends him from Italy. He gave up being a Professor and went to live with his Italian wife in her home village and become a wine maker. They wanted to bring their kids up in an environment that wasn’t as toxic as the UK’s! Roy’s wine was a bit like what Dominic had given me.

Walking back up the real hills to Bedfordshire, I could see that little Loll was done in! I should have fetched her with the car. I let her have Callie, she pulls like buggery on the lead for anyone but me. Callie dragged my little waif back home. She was too tired even for a nightcap. By the time I’d finished my evening ablutions she was pushing the big zeds – again! Bless!

Thursday 19^th September.

We sat and worked out our first week together’s menu this morning, after the dog walk and joint swim (again). The Red Cross parcel I’d snagged from Dad was going to run out today, so we’d need to restock! I’ll not bother with the details of the shopping [boring really] but suffice to say it took longer than when it was just me who decided what I wanted! We zoomed down to the Hillsborough Morrison’s for the food shop. I haven’t shopped with Laura for food before. She is a nightmare. She kept dropping extra stuff in the trolley, with a “…mmm they look nice,” or “…Oh I quite fancy some of that!!” This morning’s food bill came to £124! I almost dropped through the floor of the shop. To be fair we have planned for up to the following weekend too, so it was bound to be a bigger bill than usual.

From Hillsborough we headed out to Kaybers’ house for a cuppa and gossip. She’d invited us over last night and had her first ultra sound image to show us. [TBH, I couldn’t really see anything but a tiny little blob but I cooed and aahed in the right places.] The Norwegian in-laws were just thrilled by their news, Jan is the first of their brood to produce offspring. They asked her if she still saw much of me and Kaybers was able to inform them that I had become a lesbian! [Well, thanks for that!] Their reaction was, “Oh her poor mother!” Kaybers asked why and they told her that I’d not produce any grandchildren for her. To her credit she was able to tell them that if I wanted to become a mother there was no way that being gay would stop me. That shocked them even more than the homosexuality! I suppose I won’t be getting invited over to Norway any time soon then!

Laura told her that I wasn’t lesbian; I was bi-sexual, because I still fancied men. [How the hell does she know that? I thought I had kept my desires hidden.] It turns out I am not good at hiding my gawping at men but I don’t ogle to women. She is a star, little Loll, isn’t she?

Kaybers is like a dog with a bone sometimes, she wouldn’t let go. “So if Vic wanted sex with a guy would you let her?” [I was thinking, should I just leave them room?] Loll’s reply was “Well…. I suppose I might but I’d have to be allowed to have another woman, too!” I nearly choked on my cup of tea! She just wouldn’t stop though. “Wouldn’t you… you know? Just want to join in too? You and Vic, having sex with a guy… together? Wouldn’t it be exciting?” Laura seemed quite affronted by this, telling K, of course she bloody wouldn’t. She didn’t want a filthy man anywhere near her, thank you very much. It’s a bloody good job we went to different Universities as I could see that Kaybers thought this might have been an interesting proposition. The two of us and one guy. I simply had to stop the conversation going down this route.

“Oh come on, kaybers. We’d never be both satisfied and we may bloody kill him!”

We had a good giggle and thankfully the conversation wandered away from this potentially explosive topic. She asked us where we’d been and Laura launched into a paean about my orgainsing a week’s menu in advance and how she’d never have thought of that; of how my cooking was brilliant and she hoped she wouldn’t put on any weight by living with me. Kaybers said, “Not in the way I am, that’s for sure!”

Phew.

Kaybers rustled up some lunch for us, maybe feeling insulted by Loll’s praise of my culinary abilities? At about three we wandered back to my little house and indulged ourselves somewhat until it was time for me to cook the dinner. A hot mackerel salad, actually – for Loll’s I’d bought some Feta to crumble into it as well.

She was at the restaurant again tonight, so I promised to fetch her in the car rather than walking down, I didn’t want to get her completely worn out after only a few days of living with me. I actually drove the car and Callie down in to the village, parked up by the restaurant and walked roughly the same circuit as I’d done last night, now that the rain had finally passed over, and then we motored back up the hill.

I promised Dominic I’d bring a bottle of Dad’s colleague’s Montepulciano on Saturday night and we’d, all three, have a glass. I am certain I have a couple of bottle left from last year’s vintage. This year’s is probably still on the vine! He said that he’d have a little light snack waiting for me if I did. That’s good. Isn’t it?

Laura wasn’t as tired tonight after work but we just kissed and cuddle together as we couldn’t summon up any more energy; we decided we’d save it for the morning. For before our swim.