Dear Philip, Spring, 2010

April 22, 2010

Hi again,

Coffee time, and such a beautiful day.

Yesterday was Susannah's fifth birthday. Remember when we were in America and had
the phone call telling us about her birth - seven weeks early. She has developed into a lovely little girl. I gave her the pogo stick that we bought last year - but you felt was too difficult for her to use. I guess it is still difficult now, as Stephanie mentioned that it was stiff and some big boys would have to use it to loosen it up a bit.

Thursday

I haven't had anything much to write about, but now I can tell you about going around
to our neighbour Linda's house for lunch yesterday. She came and knocked with our woodpecker on the door - and she was a bit embarrassed as she didn't know if I would want to have a meal at her house. In fact, I had already eaten, but I went over and sat and had cake and coffee while she had her meal. She said how lonely she now is, and how she
talks to the lately  departed  Harold all the time. She is having chemo again, and although she didn't seem to have much in the way of side effects except from being tired, we all know what that involves. She is waiting and dreading her hair falling out again.

Sunday May 2

Hi again Philip,

He has finally gone, the man who came to view the house. I have been cleaning and
clearing non stop (that is a bit of a lie as I was out all day yesterday in Eyam) in order to impress him. But the sun wasn't shining, and the gardener cut the grass a week ago Friday, so it was kind of scraggy looking, and no matter how I tried to pretend, the weaknesses of this house sort of stand out.

I vacuumed the cobwebs in the garage today - just the ones by the utility end, but I
hadn't done that before. (No wonder nobody wanted to buy it!) and that hole that came because of the cistern leaking from the floor above is really pretty obvious. Nobody has mentioned it so far - but, of course, people are polite, usually, when they are viewing. And I noticed (how can I have bypassed it) the poster of the Cerne Abbas Giant that we put
on the back door. We got that on our honeymoon.

Remember how you made me sit on the appropriate part of his anatomy (I was so
embarrassed) - and then perhaps wished you hadn't when I got pregnant so quickly afterwards?

It has been six weeks since the original house sale fell through - and this man was the
first to show an interest in that period. But I did lower the price. I know you wouldn't have worried about that, because you would have felt it was overpriced to begin with. And I agree with you - but the estate agents suggested it, and they are supposed to know whatthey're talking about. Anyway, I now felt less bad about all the things that I know are
wrong with it, when I showed the man around.

We never went to Eyam before did we? Stephanie insists that we did when she was a
child - and perhaps even several times. But I would have remembered a place as interesting as that. In our literature group, we read the book, Year of Wonders, which is historical fiction about Eyam written by Geraldine Brook, when it was the plaque village in 1666. I've often said that it was that book that inspired me to write historical fiction - because the author took an historical fact that nobody knew many details about and created something very believable and interesting. But seeing the church, and the boundary stone, and the houses of the original villagers who died from the plague, and the
hall, (as well as a bit of shopping - I got the cutest stick-on glittery letters of Natasha to give her for her 7th birthday - as well as other things, of course) made me appreciate the book even more. I kept saying things like, "I expect the ones they killed as witches lived
there?" forgetting that they might have been a figment of her imagination.

We were rather disappointed with nearly two year old Arran's lack of enthusiasm for
the animals at Chester Zoo. He loved the tunnels and slides, and did notice the ducks on the river, but the elephants and lions and even the monkeys left him totally unmoved. But when we were walking by the river, which had several friendly otters jumping in and out for the tourists' benefit, Arran had his nose pressed to the glass part of the fence (so little kids can see through) and one otter came up and pressed is face right up against Arran's on the other side of the glass. It was so funny (to us anyway - Arran was quite taken aback to say the least.)

Weekends are the hardest times for not having you around. I keep pretty busy during
the week - but cleaning house and going to church hardly fills all my time, and the TV on weekends is pretty dismal. (I know snooker is on, and you loved to watch that, but I am just glad I can turn it off now without feeling guilty.)

Clair is off to Spain a week on Monday - to look out interesting birds and flowers,
I guess. She spent much of yesterday teaching me about bird song, and what the various trees and flowers were that we passed. I can't say I was a very attentive learner, and I think if it had really been a cuckoo she heard, I might have recognised the sound myself.

Anyway, nearly time for the results show for Over the Rainbow, Andrew Lloyd
Webber's competition. I expect you are as pleased to be able to miss that, as I am to miss the snooker.

Love

Jean