Z cracks on

 Right up until the day before I planning to leave, I intended to go to Wales.  But I hadn't contacted the people I'd meant to call on, so I knew that my heart wasn't in it, as I said in the previous post.  If I'd gone to Scotland, I'd have had my laptop and wifi, but I wouldn't have any internet in Wales, apart from occasionally on my phone.  I wouldn't get anything done and I really couldn't spare the time, though I wanted to go.  Then, on the night before I was due to leave, I felt faint again - in the bathroom as I was getting ready for bed.  I managed to sit down (on the toilet, not the floor) and I think I did faint, though I didn't fall.  It was the soan papdi that did it.  It's so delicious.  I had opened a box (that I'd had for ages and it needed to be used, I convinced myself).  I'd eaten a bit every night or two, but it doesn't keep all that long - which was why I'd resisted it for a year or so - and that night, I'd eaten two large cubes.  I think it was all the sugar.  I don't normally eat much sugar and I think my blood sugar rushed up and then crashed.  Lesson learned.  I'd also learnt my lesson from the time I fainted at the top of the stairs.  Once I felt well enough to move, I crawled across the landing to my bedroom.

Of course, driving 350 miles the next day was not a good idea, so I waited, just in case it was something more than that and I was getting a virus of some sort - and decided to stay home.  I had written a lengthy to-do list and asked Wink to enquire pointedly about progress every day.  I've cracked on, too.  I've written the newsletter, emailed and booked a couple more speakers, emailed and confirmed arrangements with next week's speakers, written up the feedback for the last speaker.  I've emptied the L'toft china cabinets and sorted out the porcelain.  I'm in the process of emptying the two big bookcases in the study, in preparation for taking them upstairs - this is going to be quite a job, I'm not sure if it's possible without sawing one in half first.  I've chosen and paid for the kitchen flooring, which will be put in the study too as I'm opening up the doorway between that room and the kitchen.  I've got the kitchen units and worktop chosen and am waiting for the quote before ordering.  I've had a quote from the decorator and accepted it.  Weeza kindly came over yesterday to help me with the listed building form.  It's not finished, I still have some writing to do, to send to her, we need some info from the woodburner firm and she has photos and plans to upload.  

There's still a lot on the list, but none of this would have been done if I had gone away.  I'm sorry to say that I didn't tell Pam of my change of plans, as I'd then have found myself offering to take her to the hospital and, as she knew she'd have to make other arrangements, I've left it at that.  I won't tell her.  It'd hurt her feelings and I feel quite bad about it already.  I love her and Peter and I'm very willing to take her, but I needed time to get on with things.  I'm also busy next week, but I'll make time for them on Thursday, after going to the dentist.  

I finally let the chickens out today.  They could have gone out earlier, but one of Wink's chooks had, we're not sure how, managed to get out and she'd vanished.  We thought a fox must have got her.  But, several days later, she came back.  We think she'd laid an egg, sat on it and then was hungry so came for some food.  So it wasn't a daytime fox - but then we had rain and wind, so I left the girlies indoors.  Today, however, I opened the door of the run.  The six chickens in the run were thrilled and came out at once and I left the door open.  Eight more were in nest boxes, being lazy.  But later, when I went to check, four of those were outside too.  All but two came in at 5 o'clock and those were having such a lovely scratch in the compost heap that I left them.  The good girls came back a while later and all is well.  Scrabble is now over 10 years old and still looking fine.  She loves being hand-fed mealworms, but joins in with the others when I feed them treats and she is never picked on.  They're nice-natured bantams and don't bully old or weaker chickens although, if you watch for a while, you see there's a pecking order.  I make sure they all get their fair share.