A woman's work is never done

Rob is gone. He's going to call once he's safely past security. He has a haircut, his beard is trimmed, his suit was drycleaned, and he remembered to pack his toothbrush and deodourant. I can look his mother in the eye and say "Yes, I picked up where you left off."

Linnea and I are up and dressed and breakfasted. The laundry is in the machine. There's some washing up to do... But Rob did get the major furniture moving done last night and this morning, so at least that's out of the way. I have to babyproof the spare bedroom this weekend, and of course dust and hoover it, because it is now accessible for the first time in forever or possibly longer, but I can manage that much, I think.

At least the two downstairs rooms are a little bit tidy. Enough for now, anyway.

So now we have to go out and play in a friend's garden with a trampoline and a trike and buckets and all sorts. Then we'll have lunch at Sweet Masala, and then we'll go to the library and return some books.

I must write about Glamourmom Maternity Fit Nursing Tank Tops some day soon. I love 'em. they are much better than Mothercare's version of the same thing, and furthermore they come in more colours. Though I might get Louise to dye some for me.

Today: before 2:30 pm, visit friend, get lunch, go to library.

After 2:30 pm, hoover upstairs, drag hoover down, hoover downstairs.

Wash dishes, cups, cutlery, mountains of things.

Cook delicious nutritious dinner for self and Linnea (plan is eggs, because that's easy).

Read a book. I haven't read a book for weeks - well, not since I read Libby Purves "How not to be a perfect mother" - and that's just plain outright wrong on all levels and then some.

So I'm off to suncream up myself and my daughter, pop her in her shoes and then the sling, drag her round to the friend, and relax there for a bit. Wish me luck. I'm far too tired to have a to-do list.

It was very hot and we stayed very still

I got everything planned for the early part of the day done.

Then I came home and vegetated. We had dinner, I washed the dishes, tidied up a bit. The groceries were delivered while we were out so I cleaned the fridge in a very perfunctory way (why do we always have gallons of water at the bottom of the fridge, under the veg drawers?) and put the groceries away.

Over dinner we played mirroring - mainly tilting our heads to one side, but some headscratching and armfolding - and saying "I love you." We also talked about Monday. On Monday Daddy comes back, and L and O arrive. Daddy is in a plane - where's the plane? "It's white," says Linnea, but she obviously doesn't know where it is. Baby Doll sat naked on the table for most of the meal, until Linnea said "Baby Doll like a nappy." "I'll get one soon," I said. "Oops," said 'Nea, knocking the doll over so her toes were in the air and her bottom clearly visible. "Baby Doll made a poo!"

I fetched the nappy.

After eating, Linnea and I played a bit, and then I gave her her bath. During her bath I read some of my library book, The Swish of the Curtain, which I read as a child and enjoyed greatly. It seems a bit stilted now. And after that was ended by a small flood and a big giggle as the sopping facecloth, three ducks, a teapot and a toddler all jumped out of the bath together, Linnea watched some Teletubbies on DVD.

At 8:45 I took her onto my knee for milk. then we read Where are Maisy's friends? four or five times, and A Piece of Cake (A book about the Large family, who are elephants) once, and then I said it was bedtime. She negotiated one more reading of Maisy and then we went upstairs.

She didn't want to go to bed but she didn't struggle, she just complained. I put her to bed with lots of quiet praise and a kiss and a tuck in, said "Goodnight," and then said the key phrase "Nighttime - time for bed."

She didn't try to get out once. She talked about getting out, and there was a moment when I almost broke down when she asked where Daddy was, but I persisted, said nothing other than "No, nighttime, time for bed," and she was fast asleep in less than 11 minutes. I noted the time before going upstairs, and again when I came down, having detoured slightly to fetch the baby monitor. We've done this four nights now; just over 30 minutes, 25 minutes, 14 minutes, and now 11 minutes. I'm astonished.

Now I need to feed the cats, take in the dry laundry from the line, do a quick tidy-up, and have a cup of tea and Something Nice. Rob's plane is supposed to land in an hour.

The day went very well indeed. The evening could not have been more pleasant or smoother. I feel bereft. Rob better call as soon as he lands.