Six weeks + 2

Well I am running late this morning, I guess that's what lazy bank holiday mornings are for, I didn't have the best nights sleep either, I had some really weird dreams and woke up with a strong urge to send Neil all the way to Woolacombe to get Will back. It's a totally irrational idea that seems to make more sense at 4 o'clock in the morning, and I'm pretty sure Will would not have been impressed to find his Dad on his doorstep first thing (do awnings have doorsteps?). I know sometimes it's hard balancing being a bit overprotective with letting your kids do things, I do quite well normally, but again I think it's a reaction to the operations, you see a bit more fragility in the fabric of life, works for Will too, who told me yesterday he wanted to ring me every day to make sure I was OK, something he wouldn't have considered a couple of years ago. Every thing that has happened to me, and changed me in so many ways, has also changed everyone else in the house you just don't always know how.

We had a lovely visit to Neils Mom and Dads yesterday, she has some really impressive bruises on her arm, and I discovered something that I thought I should pass on. First of all you do have to understand that if you have a sore area on your body, no matter where it is, all your family members, your pets and even inanimate objects seem attracted to it, you will get bumped, banged, knocked and shoved constantly in the one place that you really don't want. It's why my cats are still banned from my bedroom at night, they all would try to sit on my belly, or if I'm really unlucky, use me as a trampoline, something nobody would enjoy, and certainly not for the recently operated on. Anyway, as we were leaving yesterday, Neil went to give his Mom a hug, and she flinched expecting him to hurt her, now he didn't (he can be quite gently), trouble is the flinching hurts anyway, now he insisted he was going to be careful and knew not to touch his Moms arm, but she didn't know that, hence the flinching. So I think there should be a, hugging an injured person etiquette, whereby the hugger makes a point of saying something like "I'll be gentle", or "I wont touch your arm", giving the huggee a chance to relax through the process, taking the comfort that was intended. There will always be accidents, the last time Eileen (Neils Mom) hugged me her handbag slipped off her shoulder and whacked me in the stomach, these things do happen, but if we could keep the flinching to a minimum, maybe the huggees can get all the love and comfort intended for them without it being a trial for them physically.

Now as to the "utility project", well I got downstairs this morning to find the washing machine in the gap in the kitchen, with washing in, working and everything. I was quite impressed, I did say that Neil shouldn't have lugged it out of the utility by himself, although as he pointed out how much use would I have been in the process. A reasonable point I suppose! It is moving along at a nice steady pace, as all projects should do, at some point though I think I am going to have to stop saying "I don't mind" and actually make some decisions. Well I'm guessing it doesn't need to be today. I have to go and do housewife type things now for a bit, I have a chicken to marinate (like you do) and washing to hang out, then we'll have to see how the rest of the day goes.