Result

After the shilly-shallying over the Award Board for Michael’s degree, they met today and published the results. Is there a Doctor in the house? There will be tomorrow when he calls in to see us!! He is now a qualified Clinical Psychologist. Dr Michael Sleath. Boom.

By all accounts he got very drunk yesterday with his cohort to celebrate. Properly let his hair down. I am so pleased he did that – he has had one hell of a ride over the last three years and it’s relief all round. Can’t wait to see him and give him a massive hug.

The rest of us had a busy day today one way or another. With Michael away, I had promised to be over to their house early this morning to support Danielle once again with the children, as she is still not feeling well. I arrived just after 8.30 and then we were on. The kids have no real concept of time, do they? We are bleary-eyed from lack of sleep at that time in the morning and they are bouncing all over the place.

I left John in bed, but I think he was up fairly early as he has been making a birthday cake for William – who is four on Monday – and he was keen to get on with it. A great mini-project and one he loves doing. Everyone wants a ‘Grandpa Cake’.

Chez Les Sutton Sleaths, we played a bit, prepared some breakfast which both William and Danielle had omitted first thing, watched a programme on TV, toddled up to the park, played a bit more and then lunched. All marvellous and lovely and soul-fulfilling. I was, of course, in Seventh Heaven.

Thomas was a bit more ready to accept me picking him up and playing, which delighted me, but, to be fair, he did do a little bit of grizzling. He is teething, and it’s making him feel ‘neither here nor there’ – other than clinging on to Mummy’s trousers at every opportunity, which makes me smile every time.

At lunchtime, Danielle’s phone pinged. Mine might have done, too, but I was faffing about with something so didn’t hear it. She laughed. Out loud. Guffawed, in fact. Then said, “Oh, poor John.” Eh? That got my attention. What’s he been doing now? I mean, cake-making is fairly harmless, isn’t it? But this is what she saw…..

A Cake Catastrophe…… yes, poor John. I think there was more cake on the floor than on the board. This is the picture after John had retrieved it from its inspection of our new laminate flooring.

Danielle wanted to know if it was retrievable. John said he had everything in hand. I texted to say I could call at Lakeland for more supplies if necessary. John phoned to say ‘no’ and ‘where are the car keys?’ He was off up to the Co-op and he’d sort it. Hmmm…. he didn’t sound like he was taking it all calmly…..then he said, ‘Oh… go on then…. go to Lakeland. And eight-inch tins, please. Eight inch tins….’

Actually, when I got home, John was remarkably calm. Honestly, he is the most remarkable man. He had started all over again and – ‘thank you for the stuff you’ve got from Lakeland – perfect’ – he beavered on. Successfully. So far, so good, anyway.

I was reduced to ‘pot-wash’ and ‘runner-abouter’ this afternoon. The Cake Catastrophe was consigned to the bin, and the various cake tins were washed and dried and were wondered about. Where shall we store all these tins? We have loads of them now.

I mean, what do you call a collection of tins? We know that it’s a ‘murder of crows’; an ’embarrassment of pandas’ and a ‘loveliness of ladybirds’ – but what about tins? Perhaps a ‘terror of tins’ or a ‘triumph of tins’? What do you reckon?

Meanwhile, COVID continues its reign of terror – or is it triumph? – over our population, and there are 32,651 people noted as having tested as positive for the virus in the last 24 hours.

I know I keep banging on about it, but I really can’t compute why the government thinks we are doing well. Answers on a postcard would be appreciated……I mean, the figures are nearly ten times what they were this time last year – and we were worried then… well, at least, I was, anyway. On this day, last year, I recorded that there were 3,395 people who had tested positive.

As regards deaths, 178 people died with the virus in the last 24 hours in the community, compared to 21 on this day last year – nearly nine times the incidence. Surely we shouldn’t just be accepting this, should we? Surely we should be reminding people of the appropriate precautions and adhering to them? It really could save someone’s life.

Darn it. I really wasn’t going to rant today – and look, I’ve only gone and done it again.

Take care everyone. May you have strength, and resilience, to face every challenge that greets you. God bless you and everyone you love.