Friday June 6th.
What a drongo I am!
Yesterday’s wasn’t Laura’s penultimate
exam, she has TWO more! One of which is on Saturday! I mean, Saturday? What is
the world coming to? In a weird departure from the norm that beats Saturday for
her exam, is the fact that her final one, on Tuesday, is at Sheffield
Wednesday’s football ground. (It really is her final one, honest.) How mad does
that sound? It means she is only a couple from miles from the venue to home
when she has finished (it ends at 11) so she is going to catch a bus back to Oughtibridge
rather than wend her weary way westwards to XXX & Y after the exam is over.
Callie will be surprised to see her at least.
She spent most of the day revising for Maths II, which is a
three hour jobbie, tomorrow morning in the Teaching Suite. Well, that’s what
she told me she’d been doing. Arriving home to a meal of home-made burgers and
chips and a freshly baked lemon drizzle cake did make me wonder how much
revision went on when there was cooking in evidence. The burgers were great. I
do love our home made ones, they are so much nicer than premade, shop bought
ones.
I had a strange phone call from Nadia K. this evening (the
old school friend I bumped into in Australia last year). She was looking
through her photo’s and found some of us having lunch at Perth. She remembered
I had said I would try and get across the Irish Sea to Derry; she wondered if I
was still going to? (She obviously had forgotten the huge row we had about my
Lesbianism!) I explained that I had myself fully booked until September with
work at the solicitors’ and then another two months in Australia. I am not sure
whether she sounded disappointed or relieved, TBH. Laura thinks she sounds like
a complete pillock and, after our spat last year, I am very much inclined to
concur with her assessment.
Dad called again to see whether we were going to let Phil
and Jane use the van on Arran. I am a bit ambivalent about it to be honest. I
know he is my brother and all that but he does veer towards pillockhood too!
They would find the space at a premium, with the van having only two bedrooms
and Angela and Peter being too old to share any more. Plus there is baby Sophie
to consider in all this. Then, there is the fact that we have stocked it with
only enough items for four people: four settings four dinner; four of each kind
of glass ware etc etc. I think Dad got my drift.
TBH, I think it is a fucking cheek on his part. He was given
a chance to come in with us on the purchase but he made his feelings very clear
to me on the subject (he obviously didn’t to Dad) so I don’t see why we should
even consider letting the cheapskate use OUR van. I hope Dad doesn’t let him
after all, I will be very annoyed if he does!
Laura wandered down to Dominic’s again tonight and I went
and collected her as usual. This time I took the car so we wouldn’t have the
drag up the hill to my little house. She had made over £35 in tips again. She
likes the work but is looking forward to being at XXX & Y with me for a
month when her exams finish.
Saturday June 7th.
We didn’t alter our routine for the day, even though it was
an exam day for Lollster. So we swam after the joint dog walk and then after
Brekkers I drove Laura up to the Phildelphia Teaching Centre for her final
Maths exam (that’s where I had got confused last week – the last actual exam
she does is Probability Modelling). This place is just off Penistone Road, so
once I had dropped her off I took Callie for a stroll up Rivelin Valley. It was
so peaceful and warm as I strolled past the old dams built for some long forgotten
industry at Malin Bridge. There are quite a few of them as you walk up the
track that eventually leads to the A57, Snake Road. There is a little shop
there where I bought an ice cream and then we sauntered back down to the car at
the bottom.
I did a grocery shop at Morrisons (£120! Phew!) and then
went to pick up the Lollster who was standing outside the building as I pulled
up. I was dead on time so they must’ve started and finished exactly on time
too. She saw the bags on the back seat and said, “You haven’t forgotten I am
going to Tallentire on Wednesday, have you?” I assured her I hadn’t and the
grocery mountain was to tide me over the long lonely hours while she would be
away. She slapped my arm.
The plan is I will drive the Little Darling One over to
Manchester Piccadilly station where she’ll get the train up to Carlisle, on
Wednesday. Molly has arranged to pick her up at the other end. Then on the
weekend of the 20th (Friday) I will zoom up to Dad’s for the weekend
and we’ll come back down together for a month of time at XXX & Y.
It will be strange having the house to myself for a week and
a bit. Like it used to be before last September.
Back home we unloaded the car and then went to Rock. We did
some messing about on the Limestone Cliffs in Monsal Dale. They make a change
(and a challenge) compared to the gritstone of the edges. We found plenty of
chocked routes and ready belayed places on the first couple of ascents and then
spent a happy hour abseiling down off the Monsal Head Viaduct. That was great
fun, especially as we attracted a crowd at one point and I showed off by going
down head first. It looks really spectacular but is quite safe. You do need
strong stomach muscles and good leather gloves to avoid rope burns.
We had an early evening meal at the Bowling Green in
Bradwell, I have been here before with Alan. On that occasion Alan stepped on
the pub cat which was asleep in the dining room and he threw his beer all over
the windows as he fell. I had a huge fit of the giggles and was no help at all
and he just got more and more annoyed with me. I still giggled when I told
Laura about it.
She asked me why I hadn’t been serious about Alan, as he
sounded quite a catch. I explained that materially he probably was: partner in
a veterinary practice; he owned his house; there were no ties or baggage from
previous relationships; he was a Scot (which helps). The only sex we had was
good but not earth shattering [I had given him a few blowjobs and he had made
passable efforts to lick me to orgasm a few times too] the main downer was the
fact that he was not interested in most of the things that I was. He wasn’t a
theatre goer; he didn’t listen to classical music; he said that he had no time
for reading; rock climbing was a foreign language; I couldn’t get him out fell
walking in the Peak District.
If I had been the sort of woman who wanted a stable secure
marriage with a couple of children and was prepared for a dull sort of life,
then he would have been ideal. Plus when compared to Richard, he didn’t hold a
candle either – but no man I have met since his death has, TBH.
We drove home through the Hope Valley, up past Ladybower
reservoir and round the basin of the Strines Inn and reservoirs too. Callie got
a stroll home from Onesacre and Laura drove the last mile back to our house.
This was planned so we could start having a lot of sex and not be interrupted
by having to take Callie for her final walk of the day.
Our pillow talk after we had both had an orgasm was about Laura’s
probability exam, from earlier in the week, and how she really enjoyed that
field of maths. She was thinking of going into work after Uni which would be in
that direction. I have the awful feeling that it is very probable that when she
does that I may lose her. I can’t imagine anywhere in the local area where she
would be able to work in that field. (But hey, what do I know about Maths?)
Sunday June 8th.
Had a mini lie-in this morning; until 7.30, when Callie
could obviously stand it no longer and she came and nuzzled me in bed.
Laura had her last full day of revision and I cooked lunch
for us two and Mum. She had driven over to see how Loll’s exams had gone. Like
me, she thought they were over by now, but that was because I had been her
source of information!
She had news about Gran. She has won a local knitting
competition which means her design for a three dimensional knitted object is
entered in a Scotland wide competition. She had made a bunch of Fuchsias in
wool! I can’t really picture it myself. Mum said that Gran was really pleased
with herself. I did wonder why I hadn’t had a call from Gran herself about this
but I said nothing.
We explained about Laura going up to her Mum & Dad’s
after the last exam and, when Loll had toddled off for her afternoon revision
session, Mum asked if there was anything the matter between us. I was tempted
to be sarcastic to her but in the end I realised she wasn’t being snotty about
it, she seriously wanted to know. I explained that Laura just wanted a break
from everything before we embarked on our work at XXX & Y together and then
zoomed to Aus. Plus her Mum had wanted to see her as she was missing her
regular visits. [We don’t seem to have been to Dad’s much since Easter.]
Mum was miffed that she hadn’t been told about Laura getting
work at the solicitors’ so I got it in the neck for not keeping her up to date
on all our news. A bit unfair I thought, but that’s Mum for you. She can keep
secrets or not tell you stuff, but if you do the same she gets annoyed.
Mum stayed for tea – cold collation with meat from the leg
of lamb – and then went off to Holmesfield at about 8.30.
A fairly quiet end to the weekend really. All that is on the
cards for the next week is Laura’s final exam and her going to Cumbria and me
taking Angela and Peter to see Hetty Feather at the theatre in a week’s time.
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