Keeping Abreast of the Situation

What an incredibly busy day! In school all morning, then home for lunch. After lunch, I made 8 sets of 'firefly' wings for the foundation Stage Christmas Production. It was a very quick job on the overlocker - and I was able to get them back to school at 2pm. They looked very pretty and floaty. I did take a picture before I left home - but having no small child around, I draped one pair of wings across the door in the hall to get the effect of the light on the sparkly pink fabric.

Please believe me! when a child has her hands through the elastic loops and the wings are on her back they really do look like iridescent insect wings. Looking at this photograph I realise this pair looks like a rather large piece of diaphanous ladies underwear! Oops!

After that, a committee meeting with Bob, dashed home [and a friend came to collect his PC which Bob had just fixed] then some pastoral visiting, a trip to Aldi for fabulous inexpensive Christmas foodstuffs [they have lovely Stollen and Panettone] An evening meal then I collapsed in front of TV to watch a programme I recorded DAYS ago about cryptic crosswords.

In the middle of all that, another phonecall to check if my aunt's flowers had arrived [NO] However, the helpful people at M&S [please forgive us, our computers are running very slowly today due to the high volume of custom because everything is 20% off] assured me they had been delivered and left "in a secure place by the front door at 6.45pm" My cousin assured me that there were no flowers anywhere [and there is no 'secure place' - she lives on a corner plot and her front garden is very open] The nice person at customer services has promised another delivery on Monday.

I am still waiting for my Christmas stamps - Royal Mail's website says 'delivery in 1-2 days' but apparently [their Customer Services tell me] that should actually say 'up to 10 working days'. And yes they did send a letter dated 13th telling me my order had been processed - but in fact they did not process it until 14th [although they took the money straightaway from my card] "So are you telling me the '1-2days' bit isn't true? and the 'we have processed your order' letter wasn't true either?" "Err, yes Madam. I am afraid this seems to be a catalogue of errors on our part. You should have the stamps on Monday 24th" "But I was expecting them on the 11th" "Yes, I am sorry about that"

Anyway, top marks to M&S for their helpfulness [and for prompt delivery of Steph's gift which I ordered only 2 days ago] and "Cashmere Valley" who were equally prompt with Liz's gift. All the other gifts got wrapped yesterday. I will prepare the cards [sans stamps]over the weekend. We actually had our first Christmas card through the post yesterday - but from friends who are about to move house - so they sent out their cards very early to include change of address. [How thoughtful]

I will get everything done, eventually - but the list of tasks seems endless right now. The washing is done, but the ironing mountain is getting ever higher. I am truly grateful that Charlie the dog is much happier than he was last week - his digestion appears to have settled down and his appetite has returned. It is probably a good thing that my weekend is fiendishly busy - it means I will not have time to brood about Steph.

On Saturday she is flying to Malawi with 3 others from her company [TNS Global] to look at the Unicef Projects which TNS have been supporting over the past year through its charitable donations. I am very proud of her - but also a little anxious. She has had all her various inoculations. Please pray that the team are kept safe and that the whole experience is one of blessing.

I am equally proud of Liz, who has just taken on a new role as a Dog Socialiser. Every weekend she is giving her time as a volunteer, helping out at Battersea Dogs Home. Liz too had to have some inoculations. I hope she doesn't get bitten by any unsociable mutts!

One final question, posed by Bob over lunch - "Why are there fireflies in the Christmas Production"?" You know, I never thought to ask my colleagues that, I just sewed the costumes. I suspect it may not be a Nativity Play!! [In 'Love Actually' they somehow get a lobster into their Nativity!]