not waving but drowning

It's been ten months, nearer eleven, since my father died and all this time his ashes have been sitting on a shelf in the undertaker's cupboard while my mother decided what she wanted to do with them.
My mother and I do not have an easy relationship: we don't 'do' feelings, for example, never have. This week, sherang up and announced that she and her large and weirdly-behaved dog were coming to see us. Oh the…

Here's my daft husband last year in his daft hat (with feather). The hat looks much more disreputable now. The offensive weapon in his hand is a walking stick he was given as a retirement present in 2008 (in case anyone was alarmed).

This was in January on his 16th birthday. I think he's grown yet again.

He's a good lad and I HOPE he manages to get the apprenticeship he wants.

Random, or what? (They were very good but we still don't know WHY).

Had a strange but pleasant afternoon with mah boy getting him Prom-ready. Cost more than I had hoped (i.e. more than £20: I live in a parallel universe) but he will look fantabulous so who cares...

J took Dog to be clipped so we had to bath him (the dog) in the bath first. He was very good and submitted to showering and blowdrying, and is like a white teddy bear now, with his short, velvety hair.

THEN (of course…