An S day

An S day? Substitute chauffeur, stroller sans children, sisterly car parking, silly access, scrape goes the post, + speech therapy!

Today was a BIG day. Lots and lots done and lots and lots and lots still to do.

* I dropped Georgia and our neighbour Bianca to school this morning as I do each Monday morning. Georgia really wanted Daddy to take her as it is his first day of holiday. But he was running a little late so she had to put up with me. Apparently I was a reasonable substitute chauffeur.

* I came home, packed up the car and headed into the City to run around like a crazy chook and deliver the Entertainment Books. Ok, maybe not run as in really run but I certainly wasn't dawdling and at the end of 2 hours, I was dripping with perspiration, felt absolutely exhausted and probably looked as scruffy as if I'd run a marathon.

* How to carry 20 books, weighing nearly 1kg each around the City? With my dodgy back? Enter our double stroller. A box of 10 books in the top, a box of 10 books + book bags + bonus vouchers + + + in the bottom. Ok, so I looked like an idiot pushing a stroller sans children but it gave many people a laugh as I ran (ok, not really ran but very briskly more than walked) past.

If I had $1 for each time someone in a lift, standing at traffic lights or standing in the checkout line at Big W (book delivery + buy 2 pairs of jeans + other NZ essentials while in the City!) looked at the stroller, looked up at me and said 'Where is the baby?', I could retire. Functional, effective and much easier than carrying. But who would have thought our City had so many uphill stretches in it?

* Parked in a car park in the City, loaded up the book-mobile stroller, went to head out and realised that I'd parked 3 car spaces along from where my sister's car was sitting. What's the chance? Many City car parks, many levels within this car park, four parking areas on this level and yet I end up 3 car spaces from Margaret's car. Spooky! The Lawson girls obviously have similar tastes in parking.

* Found the only way to get a book-mobile stroller out of the carpark was to walk up the car ramps up onto the street. A lift is in the process of being installed but currently wheelchairs and strollers have to dice with the incoming and exiting traffic traffic. Not impressed.

It is less than 3 years since Georgia started walking and the thoughts of 'but, what, if' she wasn't ever able to walk are still far too clear in my mind for me to accept anything less than clear access for those unable to manage steps or a rickety old and narrow escalator.

* From the back, the X-Trail looks like a very well loved vehicle. In its 5-1/2 years to date, it has had quite a few scratches, scrapes and marks applied to it that make it look like it has had a 'join-the-dots' things going. Well, add one more after an unnamed person (hint, it wasn't me - for once!) backed it into a post this afternoon. Upon hearing the timber on metal grind, I sauntered on down into the garage to have a look at the alteration to the tail panel.

The unnamed person said that at least it was their first mark on the car. Oh yes, I commented, but at least my marks are many, varied and usually quite small......other than the one where the wheelie bin jumped behind me. The one applied today is quite large......and doesn't size matter to the males of this world? At least only a bit of paint is missing and fingers crossed the rest of it might polish off? Or we might win Lotto and take it to a panel beater and get the marks erased? I can only live in hope!!

* And then there was Georgia's speech therapy session this afternoon which wasn't too good but you get that. Some weeks are great, others aren't.

Tomorrow is the wash-a-thon and pack-a-thon day. Won't that be fun?