Plans, spontaneity and frustration

It's been a funny sort of a day so far. I had plans which meant I needed to be up early - early for me, that is. My younger son, his wife and daughter (the four-year-old going on 40) were to fly off on holiday and I was to be with them by 7.00am to take them to the airport. That was all cancelled yesterday evening as D-i-L's father has suffered a severe heart attack. It doesn't help that he lives on Majorca (for the geographically challenged that's a Spanish island in the Mediterranean). D-i-L did look into flying to Majorca and then on to join the other two but it proved impracticable so the holiday has been cancelled. Which meant I didn't have to get up early. I suppose it would have been hardly surprising if Murphy's Law had kicked in and I had been awake at 5.30, but it didn't and I wasn't. Instead, I pushed the snooze button when the alarm went off at 7.00 and woke again just after 8.00. So instead of being up early as planned, spontaneity ruled.

Routine showed itself when I took the dog for a walk after breakfast (OK, it was a little later than usual) but afterwards plans took over again. I just about had time to drink a cup of coffee before taking my daughter, who has been staying a few days, to the station to catch her train back home (She would normally have driven but her car is hors de combat at the moment) and then run a couple of errands.

Back came spontaneity as when I arrived back home I found another visitor - a friend of the Old Bat's with photos from his recent holiday in Sri Lanka. Having admired them for several minutes, I retired to the office (Hah! Junk hole is a more appropriate description) and fired up the computer. (Here comes the frustration.) Zilch. I unplugged and tried again. It decided to do a disc check as there appeared to be a problem. This took until lunch time - so here I am in the middle of the afternoon trying to do what I would normally do at about ten in the morning!

(Yes, Skip, I am well aware that you dislike the word "normally" but you'll just have to put up with it.)

Which reminds me. It is at this point that I must heap metaphorical coals of fire upon the head of my erstwhile Californian friend. Skip (bless his little cotton socks) has deigned to pass on to me the Versatile Blogger Award. I mention this only in passing as I shall need a day or two (or three) to compose a suitable acceptance speech and to consider my response. You see, there are strings attached to this award. I won't enumerate them myself but anyone who might have sufficient curiosity can read them here. Perhaps it would only be fair for me to warn anyone who might consider following that link that they will need to read right through the post to find said rules.

Well, that's about it for now. I'll retire to a darkened room and lie down for a while as I cogitate - or maybe just vegetate.