Scrubs

 A delightfully slow start to the weekend - tea brought to me by my wonderful husband and then he made a cooked breakfast. M headed off to work and he got on with his DIY projects and I lost myself in my book after a cleaning blitz. 

A mate came over for dinner and we had a much needed catch up. She has overcome so much, not least a terrible work situation and so I was reminded of the fact that it can all turn out for the best. We did lots of laughing out loud and giggled over memories and her current, rather busy and crazy sounding love life. 

Sunday was the first folk open mic event. Oh it was beautiful and so many performances moved me. I fought the tears but one song really hit me. So much of it made me think of D and my dad. The joy of hearing such talent. Our little band of two middle aged folks and a bunch of teenagers were ok. I wasn't great but not too bad given my lack of practice and subsequent confidence. 

That evening an exhausted A arrived home. Too tried really to talk. She'd got me a mug and her Dad a fridge magnet. Over the rest of the week we heard bits and pieces of her time in Berlin and overall she had really enjoyed exploring that city.

On Monday I set off for Wormwood Scrubs and M headed to spend the half term with her dad.

My day in the prison was very interesting, I don't think I saw anything that made me feel I wouldn't work in one but it didn't spark a fire either. The staff were kind and some friendly, the men were all very nice and most extremely polite. I was so upset to hear that a huge number of them spend 23 hours in their cell. Not even having meals in a canteen but instead good in their cell too. It was a reminder of the importance of liberty and not to take it for granted.

Then Tuesday us three set off for Liverpool. The purpose was to give A more of a taste of the city to help her decide what university she should put as her first choice. It's a great city, I was grateful for my liberty and felt a twinge of sadness to know the men I had met, and so many more men and women are locked up. We arrived on a cold and sunny day. Saw a few sights and managed to do a tour of the student accommodation. A then chose LIPA as her first choice and we booked her a room in a shared house. My mind twirling around, pride at her being such a wonderful grown up person and also a bit of worry that she'll be so far away. 

It was C's birthday and so we set off to a pub and raised a glass to him. 

We met up with my cousin Liam and he showed us some other bits of the city and we had a fantastic evening meal at a great Indian restaurant. We chatted away and talked a little of our shared family. Funny to me to hear someone say - our uncle or our grandad. True of course. 

The hotel we stayed in was nice with a fab breakfast selection and then we headed back into Liverpool but it was much wetter and colder so we headed off and stopped off in Rugby for the evening and some of the next day. A regaling her grandparents of her views of Liverpool and her time in Berlin. We did a bit of plant getting and I was delighted to be able to spend most of Friday in my garden, spotting it with the snowdrops M gave us and other plants too. The purple of some crocuses have begun to cheer the space and as I went about putting bulbs in I could see the shoots of spring just about ready to make themselves known. I even sat in the corner letting the little bit of sun warm me as I surveyed my work. It was D's 50th birthday and I shed a tear to remember and miss him. We raised a glass at dinner too. Two men I loved deeply not here. 

And so another week has rolled on - I'm in no rush to go back to any kind of work but I'd quite like a little direction back. I'm told I will definitely know my fate by 26th February.