So who knew doing major home improvement works would be stressful?! I ask, hiding in the spare bedroom while a workman downstairs is slopping some kind of glue about and laying a new floor covering almost all of the downstairs of my house.

It's been worse for Ollie though, as while Leo and I were away the man had to lay down some latex stuff, which should have taken "four to five hours" to dry, trapping Ollie upstairs in the meantime. 10 hours on and the stuff was still wet, and the very worst part? He forgot to take his sandwich upstairs! I had to let him know where an emergency box of Ferrero Rocher was concealed in the wardrobe, but no one can live off those things for an entire day without developing a debilitating hazelnut phobia surely. He confided he fantasised about ordering a takeaway and dangling a basket out of the bedroom window to receive it. About 9pm he cracked and ordered a pizza and left a footprint in the floor answering the door. Poor guy; a tough day.

While this kerfuffle was happening we were having a super time at a countryside garden centre, enjoying lunch and a miniature train ride into a little woodland that the operator opened up just for us! We did some other trips out while we were there and also had a "party" each evening which was mostly just eating crisps and salt and vinegar twirls and Leo sticking on a Shalamar CD, but lovely nonetheless.

At the tail end of last month it was Frank's birthday and me, my mum and brother went with all the rest of his family to scatter his ashes in the place he chose a long time ago (I think perhaps not legally but best not to dwell on that!). It meant what could have been a really hard day was a happy and positive one and I'm so glad I went along.

The rest of my life has been a juggle of childcare/work/all domestic chores while Ollie spent all his spare time removing our old flooring and also deciding to replace the downstairs shower cubicle, which is not going well! Tried putting my foot down and telling him bluntly: you are not a plumber! But he still wants to give it a go, arghhhhh.

My sanity has taken a good kicking and I've had some depressive spells over the past couple of months. I never want to come here to write when I'm down, though I do think of beloved DLand (and Anna, Jimbo and Pete especially). The work/childcare juggle is the hardest as I've been covering so many one or two-day jobs which require hours and hours of prep beforehand, usually after Leo's gone to bed. I think once the floor's done some of the stress will go. Also next month should be better as I'm job sharing a two-month long trial (which I will only need to prep for once) which should be very interesting. More on that another time :)

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