Typing Quietly At Eileens. Dawn Is Breaking And The Birdies And I Are At Our Computers

http://www.antoniarolls.co.uk/ for my website
http://www.jesusonthetube.co.uk/ for my other website
http://www.agracefuldeath.blogspot.com/ for the A Graceful Death exhibition, paintings from the end of life, showing in Dublin 21 - 25 October

Dawn Breaks.  The Birdies And I Do Our Blogs.

I am at Eileen's, at her computer.  Last night I washed 13 Year Old Son's hair and took him to his elderly grandmother's for the night.  I arrived at Eileen's at about 10pm and ate a sandwich, drank some tea, chatted a bit and then fell into a deep sleep on her spare sofa bed in soft white clean sheets, and dreamt that I was a surgeon called Jane.

This morning, the birds woke me at dawn and I decided to get up, follow their examples, and do my blog.  I am, I say with pride, dressed.  I have packed up the sofa bed and am here fully formed and efficient and it is Saturday morning.  So where do we go from here?  Out, I say.  We go Out.  Today, this Saturday, is Eileen and my day out to celebrate her birthday last January and my 50th in August.  It is another celebration, yes, and I did say that it was not just my birthday in August, it is my birthday this year. 

How then did I get here?  Through thick and thin.  Everything exploded that could explode yesterday, everything fell off that could fall off, and all that could prevent me having a smooth day that started at the beginning, had a lunch break, and ended at the end, happened.  It felt that way, it felt that I was fighting to have a normal day, and a good deal of the day went belly up.  I needed to make a doctors appointment for something that I think may not be Leprosy or Fatal after all, but found that to make a doctors appointment was not possible. I had to call between 8.30 and 8.32am and by 8.33am all the slots had gone. I could book to see someone, a nurse, in 2013, but apart from that "Sorry, we are full up.  Call on Monday between 8.30 and 8.32 and just keep phoning all week unless you die."  I did get a 9am cancellation (how?  Someone got an appointment at 8.33 and cancelled at 8.40?  And How, by all that glitters, did they get through on the phone twice?).  Anyhow, I sped like the wind to the doctors and saw the loveliest young lady doctor who really seemed to like me and feel my pain.  She set me up with a blood test and some other Things and I feel loved by the NHS.  Back like the Blazes to get 13 Year Old Son up and off to have his ear padding out and Hey!  The road outside the hospital is being dug up and there is no way anyone can get near it!  I had a new friend in my Lovely Lady Doctor at the surgery, I was not going to let this sour my NHS experience.  I drove on the pavements to another entrance and all was well.  Son is not only Deaf in his left ear, he is nearly 14, driven by Testosterone and 6' tall.  His way of passing the time is to shadow box me, and practice fake head buts.  He talks loudly.  Waiting in the Ear Nose and Throat waiting room, he pointed out with enthusiasm who was ugly and who was not, and followed it up with an affectionate headlock.  It looked as if I was with a dangerous criminal with psychological difficulties. 

Much to do!  A date in London in the East End with the wonderful Nicola Slee, feminist theologian and writer and poet. She was giving a talk on theological issues and I was due to go.  I didn't go.  I had to Not Go.  After feeding 13 Year Old Son and Costya the Muppet Over Lord (who is ill and home too) I sped about doing Work on the A Graceful Death exhibition which opens in Dublin on Thursday 21 October.  Oh so much to do.  Let me, I said to myself, pop to Quick Fit and get my two front tyres replaced because the MOT man said I should, what with all the long journeys I do and the way they are worn down to a smooth and threadbare condition.  It can be done, I remembered, in less than an hour.  Then, I said to myself, I can take Deaf Son to Old Grandma (a sitting target for headbuts, she can't run fast or move out of the way like I can) and head on up to Nicola Slee and then on to Eileen's for the night and hey, isn't life good? 

Four hours later and four new tyres, new brake pads and brake stuff flown in from Chichester to Bognor as a Favour to the bloke who was doing it otherwise I would not get the car back till Next Week, four hours later I was able to drive the car home.  I missed Nicola's, I didn't get to Grandma's till her bed time, and I didn't pack nor wash nor have my dinner.  I missed Nicola's talk. But my car drives like a dream and is Safe. I must add that I had a huge nail driven into one of my old tyres that was a very unnacceptable hazard, even I could see that. 

So here I am. Sitting now in daylight with Eileen stirring next door with the Tea Things.  She and I are going to the following today -

• Saatchi Gallery.  We suspect that they will beg us to come and exhibit, and we will have to check our diaries to see if we can.  Other than that, we are intrigued by the Gallery and want to Have A Look.
• Kensington Roof Gardens!  We are going to see them.  My eldest brother had his wedding reception up there years ago, and I have fond memories of it. 
• Tea at a Place Eileen Found and Booked.  Afternoon Tea and Cream Cakes at 2.30 instead of lunch, because we knew we needed the cream tea more than lunch and felt that we would not enjoy it so much if we had both. 
• A Wander Around The South Bank and
• A ride in the London Eye.  Deaf Son thinks it is the London Ear but he has a bit of a thing at the moment about Ears. 
• Home again.  What a lovely day.  Eileen has her next birthday in January and we are going to have another day out together and maybe I will not interfere with my own Birthday Year that seems to take over.

So now, the birdies have flown.  They have done their Morning Stuff and now so have I.  The day is mine, and Eileen's, and we are going to Have Fun.  Yesterday is behind me.  Nearly £500 worth of car repairs and I am fit for the road.  The sadness that I couldn't make Nicola Slee's wonderful talk will fade as the Cream Teas keep coming, and by the time we fly over London in the London Eye (Ear) I will feel all is right with the world, and that there is always Tomorrow.  Which there is, too, now that the Lovely Lady Doctor has not given me a week to live.  Sigh.  Bring on the tea, Eileen, and let us have cake for breakfast.