Awake

It's 3.13am. I haven't been asleep and am wide awake. I've tried reading; I've tried getting up and having a cup of tea; I've been listening to the radio on headphones - why is there nothing soothing on during the night? - and now I've got up again. There's no particular reason for my sleeplessness. I've never been a good sleeper but can usually drop off eventually, though always have periods of wakefulness as well. 

So I'm in the study, doing this. I know that screens aren't supposed to induce sleep but one has to do something. 

It doesn't help that I have to get up fairly early to go to the supermarket and was lying thinking that I must get to sleep. But the mind churns on. 

The Edinburgh family have all had a terrible cold but we've all been PCRd and it's not Covid, just a bad cold. 

We did, however, go to the Botanics on Sunday for some fresh air where we couldn't infect anyone. 

But generally there's nothing much happening. We're all holding our breath to see where the pandemic is going this time. This is our dining room - the Christmas stained glass tree box is underneath the lamp, the penguins are sitting in a row in front of the television, cards from the grandchildren are on display and various Christmas preparations are going ahead. We've been assured that things aren't exactly going to be cancelled before Christmas but then after that... well, they're not saying. 

Daughter 2 and family are supposed to be going to Center Parcs on Thursday to spend Christmas with her in-laws. Her sister-in-law and family, who live in Norway, are now in Britain, have passed their PCR tests and are ready to join them. Will Center Parcs stay open for the full week? Will Daughter 2 and her little one get up to Edinburgh to spend New Year with us? Will Son and family be allowed to join us? Ho hum.

Daughter 2 and her husband, having sold their flat in London, have now had an offer tentatively accepted on a house. In Scotland, you offer to buy a house and if your offer is accepted, that's it. Surveys have already been done, the solicitor is instructed and things trundle ahead. But in England it's all much slower and things can easily go wrong. For example, the sellers aren't taking the house off the market until Daughter 2's buyer has done the search and survey. Which he's now started to do, but on the other hand it's Christmas so nothing will happen. Meanwhile someone else might offer for the house that Daughter 2 wants. So... Hmm. 

Meanwhile we had the Edinburgh family round and we played Ludo. I can remember playing Ludo with one of my grannies - the one I hardly knew because she went to Cheltenham, quite far south in England, when I was four or five. But on this occasion she was visiting us - a very rare occurrence - and my brother was ill in bed, and we sat on the bed and played Ludo. I don't really remember much else about that granny, which is quite sad. 

Now it's 3.35am and though I'm still not in the least sleepy, I've got to that stage of feeling stupid and am making lots of typing mistakes. Back to bed. I really must get some sleep.