just another morning here

… although I may yet top this – it could have been worse (but not much)! This post is as much to remind me to think of everything in italics, I’m really worried that I’ll forget something vital. AND I really don’t know what to wear on Sunday – suggestions in the comments box please!

Today, first of all: getting ready – we all have to be out of the door by 8.45. Josiah’s got a lift at 8.40 to the cathedral for an extended rehearsal due to a concert tonight. Abbie is off to the newsagents to buy raffle tickets for her Christmas fair on Monday; if they don’t have any we’ll have to fit that in somewhere during the rest of the weekend! The rest of us are dropping Steve to work before carrying on to Orchestra. Need to remember to take afternoon instruments as well.

At orchestra today I am entertaining a lady from the council who’s coming to look around, plus a new parent/child who are coming for a visit. Joe will be delivered back to orchestra at some point … and then spend the last hour’s youth orchestra rehearsal moaning at me that I’m not taking him home …
It’s the last rehearsal of term and so at 1pm we’ll be helping load all the percussion instruments into a van to take them to our concert tomorrow.

Then, on to Suzuki group rehearsals which are stretching out *all* afternoon. 1.30 – 3pm is Anna’s quintet rehearsal (during which we’ll pop out for some lunch I think, Anna will have to eat inbetween pieces), then 3-5pm is Josiah’s group rehearsal (Anna involved as well). Not sure if Abbie and I will stay or go but the traffic around town is so awful at the moment that there’s really not much point trying to go any further than a walk up to the local shops! Abbie might take her flute and join in, she has done on previous occasions, as they’re practising for Christmas busking sessions next Saturday.

At 5pm we have to drop Anna to her youth group’s ‘Pamper Party’ (the leader works at Lush!), which she will have missed half of by then but no matter. From there she’s going on to Soul Exeter and will need picking up in the evening.

Josiah needs dropping at the Cathedral for a 5.30pm rehearsal. He’s booked into the boarding house for supper (oh yes they do have SUPPER!) before the choristers’ Christmas concert in the evening.

I think after that Abbie and I are going to go home! I’ll need to cook us some dinner and prepare tomorrow’s lunch. Have laundry to fold while watching X-Factor, so that might be nice. Then there will be an evening pickup run, not even sure who’s doing that yet – whoever draws the short straw! We could go to Joe’s concert … it’s still an option – but there will be plenty more concerts over the next few years hopefully held on slightly less fraught weekends!

Sunday may start in a relaxed manner because I’m abandoning all thoughts of going to church, but Steve is heading out for the morning to move camper vans around on the forecourt – a major operation.
After that, my parents and Ben, Adam & Mim are arriving for lunch before we all (along with William from round the corner, the family who we share lifts with) go into town for evensong which includes Josiah’s chorister installation. Steve’s parents are also meeting us there for the exciting afternoon/evening. Stressing over where we will find space to park (but more over what to wear).

We think there’s a little tea afterwards, as it’s a special occasion, but in fact the children will all need to be dashing across town to prepare for their orchestra concert. Oh yes, they need to be in the right clothes for that, too, don’t let me forget to remind them to take their clothes! Might suggest they just wear black and white the whole day long with a jazzy scarf or something, it would be simpler! They might need something else to eat as well … packed tea! I’ll run them over there as I’m meant to be in charge of this concert (a job I volunteered for well before I knew about the rest of the day!).

Remaining adults will need to be over at the Corn Exchange (also in town, not very far thank goodness!) WITH TICKETS – another thing not to forget – before the start of the concert at 6pm. It will be lovely … until the end, when as chair it’s my job to stand along with Richard (the director of music) and hand out certificates, Christmas presents, say thank you to various people, and I’m so worried that I’ll forget someone!

After that we’ll all breathe a sigh of relief, say goodbye to family, help pack all the instruments back onto the van, and go home. Fortunately for me, I have the day off on Monday – an occasional day that I worked in November so I could take a day off in lieu, and I’m particularly grateful for it!

And the best news of the weekend is: the piano is arriving on Wednesday!!!

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