Kirsty & James arrived around midnight, shunted kids into bed and we had a very nice couple of hours catching up, chatting and maybe drinking beer.
Saturday morning I went off to work for my last Saturday shift. It was Save Our Libraries day and whilst we did have various people coming in and taking out armfuls of books, we had new borrowers coming in to join and we were definitely busier than usual for a Saturday morning it was still a disappointing non-event. I’d talked to a couple of senior staff about doing some stuff – I was up for roaming the library handing out instruments for a flash mob style Baby Rhyme time or storytime, standing up and reading aloud from an adults book, trying to coordinate a live reading group, poetry reading or *something* but I seemed alone in being prepared to be active so instead consoled myself with signing up new borrowers, encouraging people to take out more books and telling anyone who asked me what they could do to help make sure we don’t get closed ‘use us or lose us. Write to your MP, the local council, the local paper. Shout about how important the library service is to as many people as possible’.
I currently have about 28 items on my ticket, both kids came and filled their tickets to capacity of 20 and Ady came and joined and took out another 20 so we have nearly 100 books home here at the moment. Kirsty, James, Marcus and Alex came along too and helped with choosing books so we felt we’d done our bit.
Meanwhile at home Ady and James had taken the washing machine to a second hand appliance place and failed to get even a tenner for it so very grudgingly taken it to the tip 🙁 It’s been in the local free ad paper for 2 weeks and after the fiascos with freecycle over other stuff I am really not inclined to list a non working washing machine and have it sat on the driveway awaiting collection for days. Kirsty did some painting and Ady popped along to the mechanic about Willow.
We all came home for lunch and then Ady and James did kitchen cleaning and tidying while Kirsty and I cleared out our wardrobe and ensuite bathroom. We now have a tiny amount of clothes hanging up for our last few days at work and stuff coming WWOOFing with us, all of the rest is in boxes. The bathroom is also reduced to stuff coming with us.
Various people had baths, Ady fed the kids and then they went off to watch dvds in bed and we had dinner and watched Hot Fuzz which happened to be on TV. We were all wusses and went to bed at 1am when it finished.
Today Ady was efficient and carried on cleaning and sorting but the rest of us were less inclined although I have blogged a couple of times and pretty much coordinated as many hosts as we need to start with. I also made 3 phonecalls to the insurance company to try and get this no claims proof sorted but despite yet another promise of an email I have still not had it and therefore will be doing yet more phoning again tomorrow. Argh!
Ady ran me over to Brighton at lunchtime as I’d been invited to lunch with Eira, our friend who has terminal cancer. I was so pleased to be invited although it was last minute and have been really keen to see her but waited for her to contact me to arrange it and fretting that we might not manage it before we head off. I’d also not told her about our WWOOFing plans before. Ali was there along with 3 other women I know from HE circles, Eira of course and then four other women I’d not met before. It was fab to see Eira, so wonderful to find she is just the same as she’s always been, irreverant, funny, warm and lovely :). She is clearly ill and took quite a cocktail of drugs when we first arrived but she cleared her very large plate of food really quickly, downed a couple of Crabbies alcoholic ginger beers and aside from the very poignant subject matter of most of the conversation it was all too easy to forget the underlying reason we were all gathered there together.
The food was actually delicious despite being vegetarian, obviously a slice or three of beef wouldn’t have gone amiss but the company more than made up for it.
Ady and the kids came to collect me and I walked with Ali to the station too meet them. Am hoping Eira can make it along to our Bye Then party for a while but am hugely pleased to have seen her before we go incase she can’t. I am humbled and inspired by her dignity and humour and feel very lucky to know her and count her as my friend.
On the way home conversation obviously revolved around Eira, how she is doing, how her husband Ade is doing and how their two children are coping with it all. Davies and Scarlett joined in with the conversation and asked questions and made observations. I suspect we will return to the topic a fair bit in the next day or two as they are both still processing it and were very clingy at bedtime to me despite being really tired from the late night last night. I guess if I am empathising with Eira, Ady will be doing so with Ade and the kids with L & T, Eira’s children on the impact of this on all of them.
We came home and Ady got dinner on with some help from Scarlett, Davies had a bath (which Scarlett then jumped in after him) and we all just snuggled infront of the TV and the fire really until dinner was ready. I was still fairly full from lunch so had a very mini token dinner. We watched Countryfile and the kids went to bed (although not to sleep). Ady and I had baths and I spent about half an hour each sitting on the kids floors beside their beds.
Was very glad you were there today *hugs*
Comment by Ali — 07 February 2011 @ 1:45 am
So hard to accept :-(.
Comment by michelle — 07 February 2011 @ 11:34 am