Diary Update..

These are very interesting times. Since Christmas we haven't really moved far, but so much has been going on under the surface that it doesn't seem to matter. My house has gone from lovely, pristine, cosy and welcoming for Christmas, to overstuffed, very untidy and full of plastic bags with their contents spilling out all over the place. It hasn't helped that my lovely occasional cleaner, Monika, has been more absent than present, as she made a trip home to Poland for the Holidays and hasn't been seen (by me at least) since then. She has phoned a couple of times, so I believe that she is back in the country, but only to say that she can't come because of one drama or another. Her next ETA is Friday afternoon, so I have everything crossed because I'm slowly but surely losing the battle with dust bunnies and washing, bedlinen and clothes etc.

Daughter and Grandson are pretty settled in, and we are rubbing along nicely at the moment. There is a lot to sort out, as you can imagine, and we have been somewhat hampered by the snowy weather, as everyone has. In a way it's a blessing in disguise as schools have been closed and people haven't been able to get to work either, so this enforced containment has helped all of us to come to terms with the new state of affairs. We are investigating local schools, all of which are full, and will be
putting Grandson on a couple of waiting lists once we have looked at them. As he is only 5 and a half, I'm not terribly worried about a bit of waiting, but he is definitely missing the structure of going to school and Daughter is anxious about him missing out. It seems to me that it's probably more important to wait and for him to only have one lot of adjustment; moving schools once is bad enough. Finding somewhere to live is another priority, but it's all going to take time. There are plenty of flats for rent in Brighton and Hove, but apparently it doesn't help that she has a child (?). And our estate agents are a slimy lot on the whole. One in particular keeps phoning her and saying "Oh, of course, you've got the five-year-old." As if she might just have mislaid him since the last phone call. Bastards.

And then there's her job situation - she will have to leave and find a job closer to home, now that Brighton is home again. She is dealing with it all in a calm way, mostly, and is sure that she is on the right path. Watching her, I can only say that I'm proud of the way she is coping. And Grandson is mostly so happy to have his Mum back again that it is going to be well worth all the upheaval.

What about me? Well, see above. I haven't had much chance to do anything other than help with the re-settlement process. And I expect it will go on for a fair few months before we can say that everything is sorted. Poor Daughter has also got to go through the real separation with the (now ex) Boyfriend; sorting their stuff, packing up and moving, hiring a van, putting things in store and then moving herself and Grandson into what will hopefully be their happy new home. I'll drink to that - in fact mine's a very large one!