I’m stumped. One day last week, I sat here in front of the computer and opened the post. There was a letter from the solicitor and one from the accountant, which included his account, ha ha, though I didn’t look to see how much it was, as I was about to go out – I’d just looked to see if it was anything urgent.
I was busy for the rest of the day – for the week, in fact, so it wasn’t until the end of the weekend that I wanted to read them properly. And I couldn’t find either letter last night, but wasn’t too anxious until I searched again this afternoon and can’t find them anywhere. I have no idea where I’ve put them. I’ve got three box files here, they aren’t in the correct one nor either of the others (but they wouldn’t be, I don’t file things until I’ve read them at least), there are a couple of piles of papers, either of current school matters or things to be dealt with and they aren’t amongst them. In case I’m wrong about opening them in here, I’ve checked the kitchen – sometimes I open post while I’m having breakfast – but no.
I checked back through my diary to see which day it was – either Tuesday, when I had a 9.30 appointment, or Wednesday, when I was in London. Tuesday is more likely. Someone who called round on Monday evening took away some papers, so my wild hope that they could have got mixed up is groundless.
There is one place more to look, though it’s not likely, but the light isn’t good there and I need to spend the evening clamping down on anxiety so that I can sleep tonight.
This afternoon wasn’t great either – I was doing pretty well, getting on with admin – I’ve actually ticked or annotated 15 items from the to-do list – when I logged on to my Lloyds account to pay a bill. That is, yesterday I paid a bill from that account, the one for the valuation of this house. Then I had to pay back a fortnight’s pension which has been overpaid for Russell – bereavement is an expensive business, darlings. It was paid into an account that has been frozen, so I have to refund it from my own purse – I suppose it was because the two came to over a thousand pounds that the second was delayed. I had to log back on again to okay it today. But I put a letter in the password in lower case that should have been in upper case – and there’s no second chance, I was shut out and had to phone to get back. It took 22 minutes and I was asked so many security questions – info on credit cards and directorships amongst them – that I almost cried. Well, I did cry, but I almost showed it in my voice. I dealt with it, of course, and remained polite. My mother’s grandmother’s mantra “Never be rude to those who cannot answer back” is still applicable. By the end, he’d reset my account and I was able to log in, okay the payment to the Department of Work and Pensions and pay the next sizeable bill for servicing the boilers at my London flats. £1500 down the drain in a couple of days, I feel depressed.
Part of the reason I didn’t tell you here that Russell had died for so long was that I didn’t want this to turn into a bereavement blog and I still don’t. But it’s always been an everyday story of Z’s life and this is what I’m doing at present, I can only apologise for being a moaning Minnie and assure you that I’ll try to keep feelings out of it. Let’s finish with something positive.
1 15 items off the to-do list has to be positive, innit?
2 Lovely chat with Ronan this evening. He had an impacted wisdom tooth removed last Friday and is still on mushy food, but he’s over the worst.
3 I’m having a new gate to the Ups and Downs fitted later this week and then will be able to have a flowerbed by the short length of The Wall. It’ll look lovely in the spring.
4 I was almost too despondent to cook dinner this evening but pulled myself together and did a lovely mixture of veggies – leek, shallot, chilli, cauliflower, tomato and broccoli – with turmeric, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. And a potato (this is a JonnyB joke, but is true).
5 A very productive meeting at school yesterday, the AGM of the Trust directors, and we’ve appointed a new governor who will be great, I’ve every confidence. The new Head is really impressive, I knew we were making the right choice and I was right to know it. He’s right for the school and he’s a potentially great Head. When I stand down as Chairman at the end of the school year, I know I’ll be leaving some really excellent governors and the school will be in good shape. I will have given 27 years of my life to school governorship by then (I may or may not carry on, but only until I sell up here in any case) and I shouldn’t think of minimising its importance in my life.