N's "eightes reject hair "

I post this picture from yesterday and these thoughts at 8 30 am on Monday morning when I should be packing to go away as so far all I have done is get breakfast and put out my phone charger and the camera . The duvet cover will be next on my list . D meanwhile is doing all the mundane stuff that I would forget ....I would be thinking of food but I see he has started that particular collection whilst I was still asleep . This probably says something about me , that my phone and camera are the things I want with me the most ... and my pile of books of course was done last night .

CatCalls keys are handed over to Laura who is taking over here and will be looking after Deb's cats and attending to the watering of their fabulous cottage style garden . Hoping there will be no dead baby mice brought in by the cat-who-looks-like-an-owl . Mr Upstairs was at home yesterday( relief) but was not amused by us and our attempts to ingratiate ourselves . Sitting hugely on a sheepskin rug he stared blankly at us and refused to engage . He is not a cat who humours cat sitters , and I've found in previous times that if I try too hard he simply moves out for the duration and goes to a neighbour who feeds him cat crunch ( not permitted as he has kidney troubles ).

I post this picture of N and Harvey yesterday though I fear N will make me take it down as she looks so unlike herself when her hair is naturally curly like this . Laura and I are completely struck by how like my sister she looks . Laura also has dark hair ( N s is much lighter than this before the hairdyeing phase took hold ) and though N doesnt have our bone structure there is something about her that is so like my sister when we were younger .

Odd experience yesterday morning . Laura and I had been out to Deb's and were walking back in the sunshine deep in conversation when we saw a girl walking towards our house . Not realising who it was till she spoke " Hi Mum " ....a shock to realise I had not recognised my own daughter and a growing recognition that she is no longer completely a part of me , but that she has a whole other life elsewhere . If I'm lucky I get to peep into that world sometimes , when she tells me things she does with her friends or she has a rant about the things that get to her , or just evenings like last night when she got into the car with us all so full of everything that she talked nonstop half the way to Seaton Delavel . When I turned to D at one point and said " youre very quiet " and he said , simply , yes , then a few minutes on added " It would be hard to get a word in really " and I realised what he's up against with me , Laura and N and H all talking loudly and often at cross purposes and in counter conversations against the noise of the radio vying for air space against N's mobile phone being used as MP3 player .

It will be strange being away from it all .....

To the packing .....