I have hardly done any of the things I was supposed to do today.
I started the day with such towering ambitions. I was going to put the clean sheets on Lucy’s bed and clean her bathroom. I was going to water the conservatory and sweep and mop the kitchen. I was going to clean the taxi and cook some interesting although unspecified things for taxi dinners, and I have failed.
I am getting bored with my current same-every-day taxi dinner, which is a wrap containing yoghurt, peanut butter, smoked mackerel, onions, lettuce and Wensleydale cheese. The problem is that it tastes so completely divine that anything else is always a disappointment, but I have reached the stage where dinner is no longer a joyful moment, and I know that the time has come for a change.
I failed to achieve this as well.
At the last minute I managed to remember that I was having a dietary crisis, and unearthed a boring bit of Sainsbury’s pastry out of the freezer. Allegedly this contains spinach and cheese, but it might as well be sawdust because as a gastronomic experience, it is decidedly uninspired.
I put it in a box with some low fat cheese and prawns, and then realised that if I was trying to make my dinner disappointing, this would be a marvellous way to achieve it, and made myself a wrap anyway.
I had run out of mackerel, so it is smoked trout. I do not suppose that I will be able to tell the difference with all of the other gubbins on there.
I did, however, manage to clean the taxi. This was non-negotiable, because it had already reached the stage where if might be classified as Disgusting. I looked at the filthy black smears on the new cream leather seats and sighed. I do wish the council would impose compulsory ablutions on would-be travellers. I do not know how people manage to make such a mess even though I am being ruthlessly dictatorial about not eating kebabs or allowing dogs anywhere close to the seats.
I was pleased when it was done. It is always good when a tiresome chore is over for another week. I wish I had managed it with the watering of the conservatory as well. That is a complete nuisance, if only I was more organised I would have managed to get my act together and built in the new watering system that is sitting waiting in a box in the attic. When that glorious day turns up I will be able to add water at the merest flick of a switch, which probably I will forget to turn off again later.
I did not do any of these things because of being distracted. My friend called for our afternoon in the computer, which is one of the highlights of my week, there is nothing nicer than loafing about with my feet on the desk and a cup of tea in my hands.
We were only supposed to have half an hour, but we were enjoying it so much that we had another half an hour afterwards. Halfway through this her husband, who was obviously using the peace and quiet to get on with his own things without interruption, sent me an email. He is the very splendid barrister who is helping me disagree with my telephone company, and he is so very clever I do not know how he manages to fit all of his brains between his ears. I am constantly astounded at his astute and detailed observations, and have come to realise that despite my high opinion of myself, actually I am a bit dim really.
He had summarised the last things to be sent to the telephone company police, and I spent the rest of the afternoon raking them all together and sending them off. Even this was difficult, and I had to restrain myself because I was longing to simplify the process by emailing him with stupid questions, but I didn’t. I managed to work it out for myself, so probably I will have done it wrong.
This took the rest of the day, after which it was time to shove my boring cheese pastry into my bag and go to work, which is where I am now. I am feeling very pleased to have a clean taxi, but not looking forward to the long list of things that are going to need my attention tomorrow.
There will be everything I didn’t do today, along with everything I probably won’t get round to tomorrow.
Ah well.
I will just have to try again.
