Glimpsesofcolour

The first astounding thing about working on the Horrendous Piles of Papers (est. ca 2005) is how much of their content can be immediately tossed into the recycling basket. About 90% so far. The second astounding thing is how, when long unseen areas of desk are exposed, can they be so dusty? Surely the dust didn’t slink under the paper? These things are marvels the like of which we have not seen in our days.

Not only is LUST an anagram of SLUT, but RIBALD is an anagram of BRIDAL. I am not sure what this signifies other than that I have been playing too much Word Twist on Facebook.

…that today, after much internet-based procrastination, was the day I finally tackled the first of the Horrendous Piles of Unfiled Paper. It was surprisingly easy.

Yesterday: I receive a letter from Genius Brat’s chemistry teacher that informs me helpfully that the deadline for his chemistry coursework is Tuesday 22 June, a date which does not exist this year. Even assuming she meant Tuesday 23rd June, it was not hugely helpful to send, second class, a missive informing me of the deadline which only arrived on the deadline. She also informed me that the coursework was worth 33% of the overall mark, and that he could be moved down to a lower set if the work was not submitted. Added to this is the fact that he missed the Core Science Chemistry exam last week because of illness, and we are well on the way to a failed GCSE.

GB very nonchalant about the whole thing, saying that he can afford to lose one GCSE. I, not very convinced, raise the matter at home group, and lose hours of sleep over it, as well as posting it in every prayer forum I can think of. I also write a panicky email to the Chemistry teacher, asking if there is any possible leeway. My email bounces back the same evening.

Today, I transfer the contents of the email to a letter and, reasoning that it is foolish to post it when the school science wing is 10 minutes walk from home, I go and deliver it by hand. I have done all I can.

Lo and behold, GB saunters home from school and remarks, ‘Oh, I found the chemistry work I’d already started and did some more work on it. I can finish it tonight and the teacher says I can hand it in tomorrow’. My mouth drops open with disbelief.

Do I believe there is a God who answers prayer? Well, to paraphrase a song, ‘Ma’am, I do tonight’.

The good times continued over the weekend, with a meal out on Saturday night with good friends whose son is best friends with my son; then a church lunch on Sunday (with three good desserts!) and a nourishing service on Sunday afternoon.

Managed to get GB back to school for his physics exam on Monday, in spite of the fact that he hadn’t gone to sleep till about 2.00 am! (he came straight home after the exam which he wasn’t supposed to). And this morning I did a ‘learn yoga so you can teach it to your kid’ session, and would have gone to a silent film in the afternoon if I hadn’t driven round and round trying to find a legal parking place and finally given up and gone home. Why oh why does an area have a unique arts cinema with afternoon showings, and then limit pay and display parking to 90 minutes, which is less than the length of most films? Do they really want to shoot their own local economy in the foot?

Oh well, I had a sleep instead. Not as culturally satisfying.

What a pleasant day I have had. Slept lateish, and as Genius Brat was still off school, decided not to go to Pilates and leave him alone. Then The Grouch came home unexpectedly as the customer he was going to was not in, so I left him in charge and walked to the gym, where I swam 20 short lengths and sat in the Jacuzzi for a while. Then to coffee and the crossword at my latest favourite café, and by the time I’d finished both the coffee and the crossword, it was time for lunch so I stayed on and had that as well. Then another walk home, followed by a little sleep in the afternoon.

Finally this evening I drove (in rush hour, that was the only unpleasant bit) to Hackney where I spent four hours helping to stuff and stamp a Catholic Worker mailing. Stuffing with me, unexpectedly, was the daughter of a former director of the London Mennonite Centre, whom I first met when she was about four or five, and who is now 21 and over from America to do voluntary work. She has grown up into a lovely young lady and it was a delight to see her.

The stuffing team was fed with a wholesome veggie meal and two sorts of cake, and they were still stuffing (but near the end) when I left just after 10.00. It is such a treat for me to work as part of a team, an experience you don’t normally get as a freelance writer.

So: exercise, indulgence, mental challenge and a ‘work frolic’ all in the same day. Really ready for bed now…

Well apparently I really did blog about a ‘brothel clock’. Thanks to Kerensa for reminding me where.

Today has been entirely domestic and boring, consisting of moving clothes around and doing the food shopping. GB still home from school with Not Swine Flu, but improving all the time. With any luck he’ll go back tomorrow and I’ll be able to go to the Pilates class again (great improvement on the Aqua Aerobics from Hell).

I am not sure what to think about the discovery that someone found my blog by searching for ‘brothel clock’. I am almost certain I have never blogged about any such thing.

Hallelujah, after a month of waiting I finally have my little car back, and have returned the horrible huge courtesy car with the boot big enough to hide several bodies. And I have a lovely unscratched new bumper (I’ll soon put paid to that!) to replace the one which was sheared off a month ago by someone over the road who didn’t know how to park her boyfriend’s car. And they mended my seat adjuster for free while I waited, because I said it was more broken when I got the car back than when I had brought it in.

All right, my little Fiat is under-powered and jerky, but because its emissions are so low I only pay £35 tax disc and am exempt from congestion charge, and I can also feel greenish without having to shell out £15,000 for a Prius. There’s nothing like the feel of your own car about you again.

Meanwhile, Genius Brat has been home with what the doctor assured me was not swine flu, and consequently missed his Chemistry exam (first module of GCSE). The school tells me they can still award him a mark if he has a doctor’s note – which he now does. I swear I am far more anxious about these exams than he is…

Forgot to mention in the last blog that, in my post-Pilates café trawl last Friday, I made a waiter’s day by asking for ‘a panino’ [sic]. I was the first person he’d met who knew that ‘panini’ is a plural and has a singular form, and he was thrilled. I don’t expect he gets many moments like that in his day. Pedants unite!