Writing

I was up early for Ellie's drop-off. She burst into the house, full of the joys of spring, and after giving me some breakfast instructions, charged upstairs to see Nana. Her chirpy mood lasted, and we deposited her at the classroom, eager to enjoy another day of school. Diane headed home for breakfast, and I went for my walk.

After breakfast, I set about some admin tasks. I have started to develop a document "Oh Shit, I'm Dead". This will, hopefully, provide the family with all they need to know to handle matters when I shuffle off this mortal coil. (Not that I'm planning on leaving anytime soon). The first task was to create a template that I could fill in over time. Then I had to try and dig out the details of the contacts that need to be informed at IBM and our pensions administrators. Emails were sent, and I await the response. Further sections and sub-sections were defined and embellished. It will take a while to finish it (and get it right).

While this was going on, Diane was on the phone to Pauline. I offered to bring her lunch, an evening meal, and even a duvet and pillow as time would demand. She declined but gave in when I offered tea. I made myself some lunch and went out for another walk. It was delightfully warm, and the sky was punctuated by a few high clouds. I didn't go far, but it was nice to get out and stretch my legs.

Back home, I settled down in the Orangery with my Kindle - soon to be joined by Diane. It was very hot in there - just as she likes it, but a little too warm for me. I managed to consume all but the last chapter of my latest book before we had to go and collect Ellie.

It will come as no surprise that we stopped at the park for her to run about, and then we headed home for a snack and drink before Zoe collected her. She will be back later as she is staying with us overnight to accommodate Zoe's early start tomorrow.

A Bit of a Change

 There was a bit of a change to the day's typical agenda. There was no need for an early start, but I did get up and clear the bathroom by a few minutes past seven. Diane had an early appointment with the hairdresser and I had agreed to provide the transport there and back. This meant that I would not be a participant in the school run. Despite that, I still found that I had to walk around to Zoes's to drop off some bits for Ellie's packed lunch.

I ran Diane to the hairdresser and came home for breakfast. Then I dug down into the admin that was required for the day - focussed on the data needed for the development of the latest Will. I also used the time to scan and file the data received from Saga regarding the river cruise.

Di called. She was finished at the hairdresser. I picked her up and went straight to Sainsbury's to complete the weekly shop. By midday, we were home and soon after, everything was stowed away. After lunch, I set out on a walk (after all, I had missed my usual morning ramble). Then, back home, I settled down for some Kindle time until Zoe, Ellie, and Diane returned from the school pickup.

Late in the afternoon, I sent copies of various documents to the legal consultant dealing with our Will. All of today's planned admin was complete, so I started on dinner while Di phoned and chatted with Denise.

Trust

Zoe had today off so there was no need for me to get up early. It was well after seven before I sprang out of bed and greeted the day. It was another cloudless morning, but the sun was still hiding beneath the rooftops. After some coffee, I wandered around to Zoe's for the morning trek to school and having left Ellie in class, set off for my morning walk.

Back home, I managed to finish breakfast before Zoe summoned me. She had a couple of trellises that she wanted mounted in the garden. I grabbed my drill, some screws, and saw and presented myself at the door. The trellis frames were too long, so I cut them down to the right size and then mounted them in the bottom corner of the garden. Then I helped Zoe move her desk back into the living room (we had moved it for Ellie's party).

We had a legal consultant call to see us at lunchtime. It was time to ensure our Wills were up to date and addressed our requirements. He was with us for a couple of hours but we received some excellent advice and have started the process of a major update to our Wills and Trusts.

Diane needed some meds from the pharmacy so I took this as an excuse to squeeze in another walk. By the time I arrived home, Diane had gone to collect Ellie with Zoe. I settled down with my Kindle for about fifteen minutes before they all trooped back and quiet time was at an end.

We have a river cruise scheduled in a few weeks. It was nice to receive all the boarding documents and itinerary through the post today. It starts the countdown.

Cured

 I was up early to greet Ellie as she was dropped off at 6:40. It was a crystal clear morning but the sun hadn't quite arrived at work yet. Ellie was looking sorry for herself and Zoe explained that she was complaining of a tummy ache (and had been since last night). Though I had prepared her breakfast, she wasn't interested and went upstairs to see Nana. It was a very quiet couple of hours but Nana had convinced her to try going to school. We walked her to the classroom and explained how she was feeling to the teacher and that we could be contacted if needed. 

Diane headed home and I set out for my morning walk. My accompaniment is a Jonathan Kellerman book featuring Alex Delaware. The book chatted away in my ear as I followed my usual morning route around the developments. Forty-five minutes later I arrived home and set about making some breakfast and reading the overnight news. By now, the sun was in full swing but a breeze prevented the temperature from climbing too high.

With a new month starting, I updated the accounts. I then returned to the installation task I had tried yesterday. The software package was installed, but some of its features (and ease of use) are still eluding me. Unlike yesterday, I have left it installed and will return to it later.

I went for another walk to clear my head and then returned for some lunch and to enjoy an hour with my Kindle before we collected Ellie. She had perked up during the day and bounced out of class asking if we could stop at the park on the way home. I think the school day distracted her and things have settled down.