The baby I discussed, born a month ago, is now back in hospital for a biopsy. Because it’s an internal thing, it has to be done by full surgery. What an awful thing for such a tiny little chap, and for his poor parents.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, my mothers cousin who she’s very close to was looking forward to a new grandson, so excited. He was, after a normal labour, born dead. I was absolutely stunned when they told me.

All in all, I can’t say the 20’s has been great so far. I am myself going for some tests tomorrow. Although I’m not enjoying my 40’s, I had at least hoped to complete them.

And a great friend of our family was diagnosed with early dementia this year, and is now already having some very blank moments while there’s no holding the advance back.

My dad is basically falling to bits, poor man. It will soon be necessary to decide what to do for the best, as George Gissing put it.

Nightjar wrote:

It’s just very sad. There was nothing wrong with him, he just died due to some freak occurrence in the minutes or seconds before being born.

cosmictanya wrote:

All in all, I can’t say the 20’s has been great so far. I am myself going for some tests tomorrow. .

We'll all be keeping our fingers crossed for you.

Waiting.

Went to a little shop I sometimes go to earlier. I know the owner is married but I’ve long thought of him as very handsome. Usually he’s very reserved, polite but very noncommittal.

Last time I was in, he was sorting out stock and his jeans had slipped half way down his bottom, which I was admiring with my mouth watering when he turned round and saw me.

Today he was so friendly, asking me for the first time ever about each of my purchases. I got the impression he was angling for an invite to the flat. I’ll see how next time goes.

Nothing conclusive. So far. But they strongly suspect, symptoms etc, that it’s perimenopause rather than something fatal. It was nice of him to ring just there to keep me updated in case I was worried.

Is there such a thing as an honest mechanic?

‘It’ll be 400, if anything unexpected comes up it’ll be nearer 500’.

And that’s all taxes and labour included?

‘Yes, all included, 500 tops’.

It was £773.90

He even admitted that they broke something - and I paid for it.

Then he told me he’d checked and blown up all the tyres for free as a special seasonal favour.

Always demand a quote from such people before agreeing to use their services. Never an estimate.

My bus broke down today. It's the fifth bus I've been on in the last year that's broken down.

Funny you should mention that...

https://www.reddit.com/r/sheffield/comments/1862b6j/i_cannot_get_over_how_bad_the_buses_are/

It was even worse a year ago, with drivers who clearly didn't know their routes and buses turning up totally randomly.

Various problems and concerns. And I’m going on a night out in Croydon.

Well that wasn’t worth it. I don’t enter karaoke contests in suburban bars to come third. Although the winner did deserve first place.

As if that wasn’t enough, I got in about 5am to find a complete stranger wearing only a t shirt, drinking juice in my kitchen. She looked at me as if I was the unexpected intrusion, said hi to me, and disappeared off back through to my sons room. No sign of either of them yet, despite my having cleaned the bathroom and had the hoover on.

cosmictanya wrote:

Well that wasn’t worth it. I don’t enter karaoke contests in suburban bars to come third. Although the winner did deserve first place.

What song did you sing?

I was overly ambitious by going with Taylor Swift’s Blank Space, despite knowing her reedy voice isn’t as rich as mine. I should’ve stuck with a Cher number, which have never let me down in the past.

Oh god, someone’s let the Jehovahs into the building. I told them I wasn’t well thinking that might get rid, and they just kept going.