Malawi & More

Having had a bath, conscious that ours wouldn't be quite ready upon our return, I packed up and ate breakfast in the morning sun. It was a little cooler than previous days but still a simple joy to be able to sit outside. We then packed, ate what we could of the small amount of leftovers and then emptied bins and general clear up. We didn't have to be at the airport until the late afternoon, so we headed off to an art gallery - small enough and interesting enough for all of us to enjoy it. Before that we'd had found some Sicilian street food, essentially a filling in bread then covered in more bread crumbs and deep fried. Delicious and filling.  What is great about spending a holiday with the Ws is that we are practiced at it and have a similar sense of what is a full day and we can be honest about what we want to do. Our last day proved this with us popping to the beach for a short throw of a frisbee and then the airport and we managed not to get too bored while we waited ...

  The weekend was a quiet one, mainly little things, and TV. I had a shower at Joe's and did some bits around the house. I went out for a drive with BigA by my side to make sure I was ok, emergency stop performed and happily all was well.  On Monday we all went to see Metamorphosis at the Lyric theater in Hammersmith and, despite it meaning a later than normal night, it was great to see. Very interesting set and the actor playing Gregor was so athletic - swinging on the light and hanging upside down from the corner of the ceiling.  Without our bathroom we've all been finding places to shower. All of us planning the week around that in some ways. All of us lucky to know where to go. But it is a bit odd - feels a little like Malawi when there was no water or no power. Expect it's colder here of course. There's a lot that goes wrong with an old house and the rain revealed another issue, but hey...  I'm finding my way at work, the highs and lows all part of the experien...

 I was in a bit of pain last week but still managed to get to the theatre. We saw a very interesting version of The Merchant of Venice at The Swan. Thanks to Margaret and Dick. It had been cut a fair amount and Shylock was a woman. Set in 1937. The play began with some Jewish prayer and I felt a strange sense of something perhaps like nostalgia. We set off home earlish on Sunday as M had plans with her cousins and BigA had frisbee. My mate came over that afternoon too. Having worried all weekend about my fob it didn't come to much. I blame my mother for her very strict key rules. Mind you it does mean I tend to be very careful. Maybe another reason I was so frustrated by not having it.  School involves a lot of meetings about how we can be part of a much bigger picture of keeping children safe. The staff here hold so much knowledge and I find myself feeling a bit out of my depth. but all the more reason that certain systems are developed and it becomes less about what you reme...