Routine midwife appointment today and the 'diagnosis' is all good.
Baby is engaged comfortably, but measuring bigger than the 34 -and-a-half week standard. She seems to think Trx is more likely at the 37 week stage, which moves everything into a very exciting phase. It doesn't get any less exciting either, despite being fifth time round!
Trx has very low blood pressure tho again and is not resting enough. You tell her - I can't!
With four others at home for the summer holidays its a bit of a challenge, especially when, like me, she does set herself ridiculously high standards. I try as often as I can to give her an evening 'off' by doing all the routine jobs and leaving her in the armchair with a book and her feet in a bowl of sopay water.
At most this lasts half an hour and she's off again, dusting, cleaning, putting things away, washing tings, writing lists, planning the next days activities. Nest-building I suppose, but in this oppressive heat she is wearing herself out.

Rain looks imminent again this evening (thunderstorms last night) so I am going to postpone putting anohter coat of paint on the gate and instead replant the clematis. We might even then be able to start to plan the plantin gproperly instead of our usual piecemeal approach when we see a plant we like.
At the moment, an apple tree, some more gooseberries and a grapevine seem to be favourites.

While Tx was at the doctors, I took the kids down to a family day at the Museum of Archaeology, but for the little ones it was a bit crap. Stan enjoyed the exhibits (especially the bronze age daggers, roman armour and dinosaur bones) but LC found the whole thing too boring and was difficult to keep interested. Even the 'events' for the older ones were badly organised. A really rubbish story-teller, some mosaic making and chalk carving. Could have been OK but it was heavily oversubscribed.

I've got the sexy new A1 DesignJet working now and successfully colour matched our poster! That should represent quite a saving in the long term as they are now costing us less than £1 each instead of more than £3.
Still unhappy with the way its going, far too heavy on ads rather than events and I can't accept the Table Dancing club having such a prominent space, but it does still look well-balanced and colourful as ever. First anniversary issue, so quite an achhievement.

two more new contracts for mapping today - Christchurch, and a new Hampshire Attractions programme. VERY busy now in the office, and with the printer running its like a furnace. Already three weeks behind on the World Atlas, so I anticipate that going mad soon. The Indian subcontractors have had one 20-hour sample since 14th July and have now at last promised delivery on 31st!!!
Quite ridiculous. Turns out they haven't done this type of work before, or given a time or a price for it!
So the first installment (due in this week) will be for marginally less than BuggerAll work. Mind you - we need it. There's only a few pounds over JO's salary in the account. No bills either, but I'd like a more comfortable cushion. Still owed far too much from April and May.
I feel sometimes it will always be like this. We very nearly et there and it slips away again. Of course, on paper, everything is groovy.

So with baby now perhaps within only 3 weeks I am having second thoughts about going to Brighton on Monday. When the dates were announced I felt confident that we had plenty of time, and decided then that this would be the last outing for a while (at least during August!). Now I'm not so sure.
Tx is determined that it will be fine - she hasn't got any other plans for my birthday so is giving me the ,omey for the two albums on the night.
Lets' hope it will be fine. I don't feel nearly ready for the baby yet.
That will be years away.

When do you become a grown up?
Always amazes me this, how we are perceived to be so much more adult than we actually are. Now and then I reflect on my parents situation and remember that when my dad was 40 I was 18 and so I really should be able to remember it. Didn't give them half the respect they deserved at the time, but starting to make up for that now. And if my Dad felt then as I do now, he was hardly a grown-up either, although of course he and Mum have always seemed like grown-ups to me.
Its a funny thing.
I feel I have such a lot to learn and so much more to give, love and experience. Heaven forbid that I turn into an adult overnight.

Pass me my slippers love. Do you want some more tea...?