RANDOM JOTTINGS


A blog about music, sports, theatre and rants





Random is back from London where I have been with the gorgeous Florence. Totally knackered as I stayed over the night before and at 7am heard thundering feet down the landing 'Knock Florence Knock' calls Helen. Florence knocks and crashes the door open in one fell swoop and is in. I am still curled under the duvet. 'Bammer bammer read it read it' and the Hungry Caterpillar is stuck in front of my face as it emerges from under the bed clothes.  I haul her in and snuggle her down and tell her to wait a minute until Bammer is awake but of course, hopeless, so I give up the fight and sit up, reach for my glasses and we are off.   Lovely day with her but shattered this morning.  There is a very good reason why older women should not have children and nothing to do with principles or morals, it is because it is totally and utterly knackering.

A very good year ahead because now that the thirteen weeks are passed I can tell all Random readers that I will be a grandmother again in September. All is well and though I have told a few people privately, I have had to keep this secret until now and as I am bursting with joy and utter delight, it has been difficult.   With elder daughter Kathryn coming home on holiday this summer, you can forget the Olympics and the Jubilee, 2012 is My Family Year and I am just so happy about it all it is difficult to put into words.  

Driving home last night I was stuck in the backlog of an earlier accident on the A12 and though I was simply dying to get home and get into bed, there was that lovely warm glow and feeling one gets when you know that something wonderful is lined up in the future and I just sat back and relaxed. Switched off the engine, overhead light on, book out and sat and read for an hour. Don 't suppose many people can say they have done that.   A few years ago I was stuck in a jam on the M11 for seven hours and did the same so am thinking of writing a book on Best Motorways and Roads for Reading but don't think I fancy the research somehow…..

Daughter Helen as well as being a super mother is also a Historian and Lecturer in same as you already know. Well, this morning she was on Woman's Hour, taking part in a discussion on National Woman's Day with Mary Robinson, former premier of Ireland and Polly Toynbee who I know mostly for her articles in The Guardian (usually disagree with most of what she says but not this time) and sat bursting with pride as I heard Helen's voice coming out of the radio.  I am so proud of her.

Heap of books awaiting me when I got back and the word has certainly spread that Random likes Mysteries and Thrillers as there were a few gems there in that genre, some I know, some I don't and will be posting about those soon.   At moment am going to spend evening with feet up and catching up on last night's episode of NCIS which I simply adore, the last two episodes of Whitechapel which I am also finding fascinating mainly because I love watching Rupert Penry Jones (very easy on the eye) to see if he can really act.  The jury is out on that one at the moment.  Keanu Reeves is another one who falls into this category but I have made up my mind about him.  He can't.

Tomorrow, after ten years of fruitless efforts since moving into this block of flats, victory victory and we are having Sky installed.  On Monday they come to fit out the individual flats and I will get The Men to explain it all to me very slowly and in words of one syllable and will have a note book to hand to take it all down as I find technology a tad worrying to start off with. Once I have the hang of it I will be OK but I know my limitations.   The joy of Sky is the Sports Channel which I am paying extra to have, for one year at least.  I shall be able to watch Cricket again and simply cannot wait for the Test Match series in the summer when I shall be glued to it all day and every day.  Not sure that the team of Nassar Hussain, Ian Botham and David Gower are really for me so may have the radio on while watching as Test Match Special is simply superb and not to be missed.

So a Random Ramble today and back tomorrow with all the crimfic to come and to enjoy.

Au reservoir

Posted in

21 responses to “Random Thursday”

  1. Elaine Avatar

    Oh Anne rest assured you will hear all about it on Random. You know how I love to share

  2. anne Avatar
    anne

    congrats on the impending grandbaby #2 :)
    It does sound like 2012 is going to be quite a lovely family year. Enjoy it all, and don’t forget to take lots of photos, and perhaps journal about all the lovely happenings!

  3. Elaine Avatar

    Hi Col – always a pleasure to meet a fellow cricket lover. Also a fellow thriller lover too, and in Essex!! Yay!
    Sky was installed today and so looking forward to watching the Tests this summer. Oh how much I loved dear Brian Johnson. Who can forget the day he and Jonners collapsed into giggles when Agnew said that Botham didn’t quite gethis leg over when he was out hitting the stumps with his thigh? It was played at his memorial service and everyone was helpless with laughter. Such a joyful man.

  4. Col Avatar

    Just found blog and was a pleasure to read your most recent posts. As I read this one I became increasingly intrigued by fact you are in Essex as I am, you love books as I do, and you have a real liking for Mysteries and Thrillers. But what clinched it for me was the additional love of cricket – you’ll love it as Sky’s coverage is wonderful. And while I also love Test Match Special and do listen to them over the pictures as I watch, I still sometimes listen to the Sky team as well and they’re good – best of them is David “Bumble” Lloyd who is just great and while he isn’t Brian Johnson (who could ever be?) he’s well worth listening to! Enjoy it!

  5. Elaine Avatar

    Thanks Gert – have been checking these channels out. If I had had Sky last week I would have watched Don Carlos from the Met but hopefully it will be repeated. Yes, I note what you say about Rieu – seems a very nice chap when interviwed and I quite like his orchestra in short doses, but oh dear the hair, the hair…

  6. Gert Avatar

    Do keep an eye on Sky Arts 2, as well. Content can be variable – too much Andre Rieu for my tastes – and lots of repeats, but some gems in opera, drama etc

  7. bruessel Avatar
    bruessel

    Such good news! And I really admire you for being able to relax and calmly get stuck in a book while in a traffic jam. I always try to do the same, but never manage it at all and sit there staring at the brake lights of the car in front of me as if I could will it to move forward. By the way, what was the book?

  8. Elaine Avatar

    Helen and James told her the other day but she wasn’t the slightest bit intersted!

  9. Elaine Avatar

    I have already indicated to Helen that I would just move in when the baby was born, not permanently obviously, and she just said Oh yes Please!

  10. Pam Avatar
    Pam

    What wonderful news. Congratulations to Helen and husband. Florence’s world is about to change!

  11. Claire (The Captive Reader) Avatar

    A very good year, indeed! Congratulations to Helen and, of course, to you!

  12. Elaine Avatar

    WAtching Florence growing up is quite th emost wonderful thing EVER. She is talking very well now and understands everything and is sheer fun – but exhausting….I need a day to recover but it is worth every moment

  13. Elaine Avatar

    Susan – be careful what you wish for!! My driving backwards and forwards toLondon in the last two years has really honed my driving skills, taught me the meaning of patience and courtesy on the roads and also taught me not to get worked up about things I cannot change. I always keep a health bar, drink and some dried fruit in the car to keep me going.

  14. Elaine Avatar

    John – it is the BEST thing in the world!

  15. Elaine Avatar

    Thank you Karen and glad you love happy posts too – I share so much with all my lovely visitors and it is wonderful to have happy news and feelings to express.
    I listened to helen on the radio and kept thinking HOW did I manage to have this child? HOW?

  16. Susan D Avatar

    Wonderfulwonderfulwonderful news. That’s the thing about grandchildren. You can get into the habit with them, and once you have one, you want to tell your kids to just keep them coming, so you can explore the astonishing miracle of another little morsel of humanity, as the older one(s) keep growing and developing.
    It’s all so good.
    Now my daughter’s had her last, so as young Ben turns 2 this month, we know that he’s on the tail end of each shining chain of childhood events.

  17. Susan in TX Avatar
    Susan in TX

    Yay! Congrats to you and Helen – what wonderful news! I can’t say I’ve ever read a book in a traffic jam, but I’ve definitely wanted to.

  18. John Zinn Avatar

    Congratulations on being a grandmother again – we are expecting our first the middle of May.

  19. Cornflower Avatar

    Have now listened and enjoyed Helen’s contribution very much – no wonder you’re proud, Elaine!

  20. Cornflower Avatar

    I do love reading happy posts like this one!
    All the very best to Helen for the months ahead, and I must go and catch her on Woman’s Hour on iPlayer.

  21. Margaret Powling Avatar
    Margaret Powling

    Glad you had such a good time with your daughter and Florence and that you managed to get home – eventually – safely, after the delay. Yes, it pays to have a book in the car!
    It is my friend’s birthday today, International Woman’s Day, so as always we called with a pressie but also flowers in purple, white and green (I usually try and buy purple and white tulips, the leaves and stalks being the ‘green’ part) but today it was stattice, gypsophilia and lisianthus (is that the correct spelling?) The florist didn’t know anything about International Woman’s Day. I soon put him right.

Leave a Reply

Discover more from RANDOM JOTTINGS

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading