Part 8 (1/2)
Wednesday, October 25
Williaht Jauarding the cars of the social workers visiting the estate
Friday, October 27, Ashby-de-la-Zouch Ivan Braithwaite is home from the mental hospital and is now confined in the box roo as his nurse I say ”acting” because she ison the phone to her brother, Pete, who lives in Norwich It was a self-pitying ives me no pleasure
”When I e As you know, Pete, Ivan is upper-lower-middle-class and he promised to stretch my horizons, but the only horizons I've seen lately have been the view from the fourth floor of the arden I've blown it, Pete I've turned into a bleddy nurse after our Adrian's kids as well, while he's at work
[Pause]
”No, he's not paying ht and then coets and oven chips for their tea instead of the stupid health stuff he'd brought round in thelads, Pete They need more than a few beansprouts and a luo I'm sorry we've not spoken for over 20 years, Pete, but Mum did promise me her charht to claim it and wear it on her fat wrist at Mum's funeral
[Pause]
”No! Mu]
”She hated Yvonne She used to call her Nixon
[Pause]
” because of her five o'clock shadow, that's why!
[Pause]
”Oh, I'm sorry, Pete, I didn't know that Yvonne had died recently How recently?
[Pause]
”Yesterday! Oh, my God! Oh, Pete That's awful!
[Pause]
”So, you'll send me that charister it” At this point the call was disconnected at the Norwich end
Saturday, October 28, The Do for Glenn and Willia tiested an alternative - that we visit the Prayer Zone, which did not have a single visitor - Glenn said, ”You go in an' do a prayer, Dad Me and Will'll catch you later”
The boy is getting to be more assertive by the day He has already taken over the cooking at ho I found a note in a milk bottle on our doorstep: ”No milk today Gone to the Do has Glenn had a double-barrelled name? And why is ”Mole” second? Glenn Mole-Bott has ato it
The Prayer Zone was still erateful to see ious views I told her I had recently becoanisation I could join She looked through her index of the Book Of World Religions, without success before saying, ”The Liberal Democrats may be your best bet”
Sunday, October 29 The scenes at St Pancras Station were pitiful last night, as desperate East Midlandersoff on their detours around the broken rails of Midland Main Line
Monday, October 30 I woke at 330a down our street Several wheelie-bins were overturned and a lousy, stinking tree demolished my shed
Tuesday, October 31, 2000 Ashby-de-la-Zouch Pandora's weekend hoe, on the banks of the river Severn has been flooded out She had to be rescued by a fireman in a Canadian canoe The rescue was filmed by Midlands Today Apparently, she and a 19-year-old youth called ”Scottish Sandy” had beento her, Sandy had been stacking sandbags against her doorstep when the torrent overtook them and they were forced to flee upstairs When asked by Julia Snoddy, Midlands Today's weather correspondent, why Pandora had not alerted the eency services earlier, the controversial MP replied, ”I kne busy they were and did not want to add to their workload”