Strange days as these...

Yesterday I reached another important milestone in the preparation of my memoirs. I have begun the "read out loud" draft. For 2 painstaking hours I worked through about 2000 words. It is proving to be amazing fun, as the reading brings a new insight somehow not noticed before. The correction process is quite beautiful really. I have calculated it will take 100 hours to complete. And of course I will be left with a much better book than I have now.

I was interrupted in my revision by an anguished phone call from a dear friend. It seemed the poor dab had gone totally over the top in a public place and been arrested. She was then transferred to the local bin, where they signed the necessary papers. Would I go out and see her ? What could I say? I agreed, of course, and set a time for the afternoon.

The phone call made me a little late starting to get to my dental appointment at 9.55. I missed the rush, and made it on time. There followed the usual minor series of discomforts one must endure in penance for our laziness hitherto. The stakes are going up in my case. Having all this valuable merchandise in my head these days, I'm obviously going to want to protect my investment. But God, it's a lot of hard work, ain't it?

I am on time for my afternoon liaison at the bin. Nuff said. I did my duty, stood there in solidarity, but it wan't easy.An upsetting business all round, I'd say. After 45 minutes I had to get out of there, and extricated myself with some difficulty. Then in 1 bound I was free, with time enough to get myself a trim from the the lovely Peter. He is a wonderful conversationalist. We were discussing suicide: how we might do it, why we might be driven to it, and today I asked him how well he looked after his teeth, and damn me, there he was, hygienist on the dot, every three months, careful brushing for 2 minutes x2/day, daily flossing. I take my hat off to him and the fairly low, I suspect, percentage of the population who are this diligent.. To complete the experience, he trimmed my eyebrows.

A relaxed dash over to M and S next, in order to secure provisions for the meal we will prepare for my mum this Mothering Sunday. Before going home, I popped into the bank to pay a couple of cheques in, and on an impulse signed myself up for online banking. I tell you, I'm getting a bit modern, believe it.