It’s just as well I didn’t do the ironing yesterday.  Making the mince pies and emptying the dishwasher was quite enough. I was actually a bit tearful, I was so tired. It’s the M.E. that does it, I really have to pace myself.

So I did the ironing today. 11 tops and 5 pairs of trousers and it took me an hour. Needed a long sit down afterwards. But it’s done, thank goodness. Washing is in the machine ready for Vic to start off tomorrow. He has to bring it downstairs, I can’t carry the basket full. I can tip it over to get the washing out, and sort it into loads, but that’s all. Then I leave a note out for him to start it off in the morning, and it’s usually finished washing and he’s hung it out before I even wake up. He does his own ironing, I do mine. I simply couldn’t cope with his too, and anyway he’s done his own ironing ever since I’ve known him.

Then after lunch I went for a walk. I togged myself up in my red knee-length parka and new red wellies with two pairs of socks, hat (photo to be supplied when I’m brave enough) and gloves and timed how long it took me to walk to the bus stop. I’ve cancelled the nail appointment for tomorrow, it would have involved a bus and a taxi. But on Wednesday, assuming the buses are running (which I can check online) I’m going to catch the bus into Solihull. I’m meeting an ex-colleague, Fiona, for lunch, then am having my hair cut. If the buses aren’t running, I’ll have to cancel it all.

I’m also a bit worried about Christmas Day. My mum is coming over from Droitwich, where the snow is quite bad as well as here, and it’s a 35 minute journey when there’s no snow. She’s not in the first flush of youth, you might say, so I’m going to talk to her tomorrow or the next day and sort out how we’re going to manage it.

Vic has assembled a Heath-Robinson-type contraption so that we can walk up to Tescos (which is our nearest, though not preferred, supermarket). It’s his rucksack attached to his golfing trolley. Excellent. We’re going to schlep up together on Thursday morning, so that if we can only get a frozen turkey it will have time to defrost before Saturday.

Have found my ex-boss on facebook. He was my boss when I was medically retired, and has a wonderful sense of humour. Really good to work with, and such a good laugh. Excellent.

So tomorrow I have an unexpectedly free day, and am doing Tom’s pc with him. He’s bought a new hard drive and Windows 7, so that’ll be good fun to do. Always very satisfying when a broken old computer is refurbished. And he’s interested to see how it all goes together too.

Well. Time for a little bowl of cereal and then bed, I think. Electric blanket has been on for long enough. Until tomorrow.