Think tact, love, kindness. Think it until I completely mean it, and then write appropriate letters to people who feel upset.
I’m almost there now, but it took a day or two. My place in life is to soothe, because I can’t bear that people should feel uncared for, unappreciated, unloved. I do get indignant, upset, myself, on occasion, and there my husband is wonderful because he listens to it all, often doesn’t say anything except generally sympathetic murmurs, and lets me get over it and regain my balance and good humour. It is tempting to feel that the matters that other people become upset about are more trivial than one’s own affairs, but it is not so.
Music tonight – Mozart, Cosi Fan Tutte and Billie Holiday. And I have given up hope of finding my copy of War and Peace and have bought a new one. A brief browse and I was engrossed anew. But I won’t read it yet. Not until the weekend is over.
Dilly has one more day to persuade her recalcitrant son to make an appearance, or then she is due at the Norfolk and Norwich hospital first thing on Friday morning (honestly, at larkfart, she is expected to be there by 7 a.m. and we live quite 40 minutes away). So I’ll be babysitting from 6 and then in the shop from 9 – 2, then babysitting again.
Grannies are marvellous, aren’t they!
Later. I’m still plugging away at the music Ro has provided me with. He doesn’t go for stuff that is instantly likeable, on the whole, but it’s worth persevering, or else I’m just getting more tolerant. Tonight it’s Neutral Milk Hotel’s ‘In the Aeroplane over the Sea’, for the third time of playing and I’m coming to appreciate it, after a startled first listen.
Grannies are marvellous. Yes.
So when I get back there’ll be a baby announcement. Darn I’ll miss it. Full account please.
I’ll be passing northwards through your neck of the woods by train tomorrow afternoon and will send a prayer your way.
Isn’t it so exciting – the birth of a baby!!
Is Dilly very nervous? If you don’t think it would completely freak her out to know all these strangers are rooting for her, please pass on hugs and kisses!
7am is very early – what a gruesome thing to go through at that time of day. At least it’ll be a respectable time of day for everyone to have a drink once it’s over.
Geena darling, I hope (by the time you read this) that you had a wonderful weekend. I waved and blew a kiss at the train.
DW – I’ll tell her all my friends have been asking after her. It is early isn’t it, but I expect it’ll take a couple of hours to get all the paperwork and everything done before she goes to theatre. Poor darling.
Exciting days. I hope all goes smoothly and well! We await the happy news.
Thank you Boy! I’ve been too busy dealing with practicalities to let myself feel emotional, but nervous excitement is really kicking in now.
All the Best for everythign Zoe.. and tell us all how it goes .. for you and for her!
Thanks, I will
I can’t help but notice you are not only a music fan but an adventurous one- I also really enjoy recommendations from others, as I have a wide range of tastes and little time/patience for the hunt. I highly recommend the band Okkervil River, for what it’s worth. You can find them at okkervilriver.com. I was very excited to discover a rock band (I use that term loosley) who were obvious fellow literature geeks.
Also, good luck and whatnot with the grand-baby, of course.
Hello Julie, thank you for that. I’ll check them out.
I’m starting from a position of complete ignorance as I’ve mostly listened to classical and jazz music for years – now broadening my outlook. I need guidance however, which makes a knowledgeable son (and you too!) useful.
Maybe I will eventually seek your advice on jazz. I am so ignorant of that genre that it is somewhat embarrassing.
Cool. Maybe someday I will seek your advice on jazz, as I have practically no knowledge of it.
Is there a good reason why they are inducing this baby? Hope it all goes well.
Hi BW – the overdueness at which they decide to induce does fluctuate periodically doesn’t it – there were minor complications last time which, after a long labour, necessitated a Caesarean. There was no reason for that to recur, so she was intending to go for a natural birth. However, the consultant recommended no longer than a fortnight overdue, as she is a small woman and it was already a fair-sized baby. This would have been Monday, but they were already fully booked so went for Friday instead, and a Caesarean rather than an induction.
I suspect you reckon there is too much intervention in a natural process, and I’d certainly agree with you. But I can see why the decision was made in this case. They did explain options to D & A, with percentages which, as a maths teacher, was not as disconcerting as it might be to some people.