relaxed

Not having to get up at some silly hour this morning was wonderful, I still had to work, but from the dining table, not hunting a desk after a two hour trek to London.

Just spent an hour talking to my son, standing in the new kitchen, using the binkie as a focal point. Content. It soothed the strange bereft feeling I had from yesterday when G B & K all took off. I itch a bit when people are living with me (apart maybe from Paul) but I gain so much from it. Not much good at goodbye's, never was, and my sister crying nearly started me off, but all of them will be back, variously, in the next couple of months, so I have something else to look forward to.

He sends his apologies to the Rammy crew for not being there, but has too much going on right now to have been able to cope with major socialising. Next year. At least I now know he got a B&B and didn't sleep in the car as I thought he had.

Sid called last night to say he would be able to take Kath to the airport, most surprised to find there was no need but it was a lovely thought and much appreciated. They got home at 3am, 11 hours is pretty good for 500 miles, especially when my bro is a much more sensible driver than I am.

I feel more ~confident~ about this new project having found public domain information which covers everything I need to know for background and is a bit startling in respect of how much detail there is online about stuff that is usually hard to identify when you are a newbie inside an organisation. Shared the key link with my latest boss and know he will see it as I do; that we should have been given this info on day 1, not had to find it ourselves.

More good news on the cash front, the kitchen novation will be mostly replaced by the tax rebate I will get in April, having just calculated the extra tax I've been paying all year on a ground-level tax code hangover from incap benefit: 40% of 4 grand will be a noticeable boost. No worries on what I will spend it on, the options are horizon wide.

Mark told me last night that he'd kept the Fred Astaire outfit on when he went to the pub in the afternoon for the match, and for the poker in the evening, getting some seriously impressed looks and politely accepting a photo request from some tourists on his way home close to midnight. They probably think London is always full of chaps in white tie and top hats on a Sunday night *smothered laughter* He also said he was mostly glad no-one used the top hat for snowball practice.

So, that was today. Tomorrow is a phone-check that the person I need to see at Somerset house to do the endless security forms will actually BE there, and the weekend is already imminent. 'However the sky grows dark with invitation-cards", I promise I'll catch up with all of them if I can.