Polar Express

Yes… up at some silly o’clock again – around 05.00, so I made toast and tea and coffee. And offered H a chance to go out. She took one look outside and declined my generous offer and I went back to sleep.

T remained asleep as I showered and dressed in order to go and pick up Fleur around 11.00. She made a top cuppa coffee and I studied her recent artwork, which is a set of fabulous pencil drawings of tools and boys’ equipment – eg hammers, pliâtes, paintbrushes.
She is now working on her GCSE subjects for her exams in 2024.

I dropped her in Wallingford and then headed for Waitrose where I raided the bank cash machine outside. My journey there was not straight forward thanks to congestion caused by people and cars heading for the Polar Express. Cash machines seem to be far and few around here. Apparently, there used to be one at our Morrison’s filling station but it kept getting broken into. It’s really great – they close all the bank branches and take away the ATM’s. It will be back to using mattresses again soon.

Once I had acquired some cash, I popped into the craft fair at Moulsford Pavilion. I even bought a Christmas present. Hence the need for cash!

I then returned to check T was still alive. He is not having a good day. He got out of bed and tore round the house like a demon complaining about how much he had to do. I’m not sure what jobs he was thinking of. And he called me a few names in passing. He added to that a bit later.

I ran away / escaped and took H for a walk at Cholsey where we got tangled up with Cholsey and Wallingford’s light railway and one of its kiddies’ Christmas outings as the Polar Express. The train seemed to shunt back and forth , sadly in daylight, but it reminded me of our own trip around 10 years ago, across Dartmoor. In the dark. In a monsoon.

H had to be attached to the lead for her own safety.

H and I paid a quick visit to Didcot to Cook for a few sundry items. Notably Chana Masala which is an extremely delicious chick pea dish.

T was back in bed upon our return. I put together a savoury meal for him which he then told me he was going to take/send back to the kitchen. I enquired why and his response was that ‘I’m not eating that!’ I thought was nicely polite of him! Not sure why I bother. A few minutes later, he then actually tucked into it all telling me it was very tasty.

So, two episodes of unpleasantness which morphed into something of nothing. But there have been a few times lately when I have been unnerved because I been concerned a loss of self – control was imminent, on his part. Another downward spiral.

About 10 years ago, as a family, we took the Dartmoor Polar Express train on an evening jaunt. I remember saying that it was then or never because Frankie would be too old. It was dark and the organisers had recreated all aspects of the story down to bonfires outside and hot chocolate and cookies and a silver bell as a memento. And we sang Christmas Carols.
There was some doubt about whether the trip would go ahead due to the weather conditions which were particularly vile – seriously heavy rain and wind.
Travelling back by car was extremely hazardous, especially between Exeter and Aylesbeare. Deep floodwater filled ( yes, filled) the road and I remember passing people who were bailing out their houses. Back at the house, I cooked moules marinières à la crème for everyone then T and I had a B and B to negotiate our way to. This involved an uphill drive through a waterfall. The following day revealed widespread flooding round Exeter.

Anyway, I fell asleep but finally made it to bed.

Thought for the Day