(no subject)

My words are written. The rest of the day suddenly looks almost possible. I can't gloat yet, but I only have ten things left to do from my impossibly long list. I shall report back at about 10 pm, at which stage (if all goes well) the list should be reduced to almost zero.

Right now, however, I'm due a break.

(no subject)

You'd think, after all these weeks, that I'd stop finding things done by the burglar, but I found something else today.

I hadn't actually emptied out the whole of my teaching box for food history. I did that today because Donna's borrowing the box and it will be much more useful to her without the wherewithal for cooking snails or serving Pernod or heating food at the table (an Eastern European method from pre-electricity). A couple of things are missing from the box, but nothing of value sufficient to bug the insurance company. The 1930s perfume was tipped over but fortunately the lid was tight.

Besides, the presence of something that shouldn't be there that's about equal in value to the missing things makes everything even. All I'd be doing is asking the insurance company to replace one item with two worth about the same amount.

One single Medieval reproduction for teaching had obviously fallen out of the bag it was in and into my teaching box when the thief had the box open. I knew he'd opened it, for the tin of spices was on the chair looking unloved. Some of the spices were in the bottom of the box, so I'll give the whole thing a big tidy when the box returns home. The big thing is that I have the brooch.

I need to investigate my toy box soon (full of folkthings and toys and replicas of historical board games), for that is another place I haven't yet ventured. I don't think the thief even noticed it, as it's in an old sewing machine box under the table, but you never know.

I predict excitement in my future. All this exploration suggests it. Today's quiet catching-up turning into "I still have the brooch!" also suggests it.

I'm coming to believe that this is nothing new. I'm not fated for a tranquil existence. There is a giant wrongness in this, for all the novels I read tell me how dull life is for the single woman over 50. Dull, unfulfilled, wasting time and space...but tranquil.

For those helping me count, it's 23 days until Ms Cellophane is available on iTunes.