Moving on Swiftly..

I'm still fuming about Derek Conway and Sons, though real life does seem to be catching up with them a bit. Today I was furiously clearing and cleaning - I'm feeling as if my life has taken a new turn, and I'm delighted. I have emptied yet more files, and shredded another sackful of old paperwork. In between times I feel very tired, but it's so good to be shedding the past - shredding and shedding!

Daughter seems very happy still, although she is having some difficulty in applying for Primary Schools for Grandson. (He is due to start school in September.) She has been told by the local Education Authorities that she is too late to apply for some schools - yet the Sunday Times last Sunday said that the final date for applications is this Friday (tomorrow). I don't pretend to understand why there should be different deadlines for different areas, but I do think that she should be able to send him to the school of her choice. I remember that when we moved to Cambridge there was a place for Son at the local Primary (which was literally 5 minutes away round the corner), but they were doubtful about fitting Daughter in. As Son was nearly 8 and Daughter nearly 6, I held out and didn't panic - we had only moved to the area in July, so I was beyond late as far as applications were concerned. In the end, they found a place for her, and they were both very happy there until they were 11. And then that was another story. I don't envy Daughter starting on that awful education merry-go-round.

Last evening my Gay Friend came round for a video evening. We haven't had one of those for ages, but were just about ready for it. He had a tale to tell, which I'll pass on to you. He had been to the Dentist for a tricky filling in one of his front teeth - and the Dentist had said that it might involve root canal work! Anyway, it didn't, but the Dentist asked him if he ever took recreational drugs (!). "Why" I asked? Well, apparently Cocaine users sometimes rub the stuff on their gums - and I guess this must cause decay? I then said "I think I've seen that in films!" Naive or what? And he laughed his loud and distinctive laugh and said "I've seen it in real life." Ah well - I didn't know what to say, so we just sat and watched the film (and ate the rose-flavoured chocolate he had brought). It was "Iris" - a very sombre and tricky movie. Judi Dench was wonderful, as ever, and Jim Broadbent was utterly believable as the husband who couldn't cope with the horror of losing the person he had always loved. The Tyranny of Youth was what came to my mind - if the film was to be believed, she had always dangled him on a very long piece of string which meant she could do whatever she wanted, sleep around etc, and he would always be there as her "terra firma"- at least while she was young and lovely. Old age is a very different kettle of fish. Scary...

PS. This is my 150th post. Just noticed when I pressed the button. What a cause for celebration!