Sunday, February 19

Home, 13:30

The two teenagers have been very good: tidy, sensible and inclined to sit around talking. Roosa phoned her father who suggested that they arrive at the station at 16:00 when he will be able to collect them. I am now plugging in the car heater to warm it up before we leave.

The cat we call Starlight is sitting in the eaves of the car shed where it has made its home looking don at me. It has lived here all winter, snuggling into a pile of old blankets and sleeping bags to keep warm at night. It was a stray kitten last year and it seems as though it might have decided to become our permanent lodger.

The snow has blown so hard and the wind has been so strong that the entire car is covered in snow. Before we leave, with the car unplugged and the engine switched on, Naa will walk around the entire car cleaning the windows with a brush. I will still be barely able to see as I take them to the metro station.

I will spend the rest of the day, and late into the evening, writing. When I get bored or frustrated I will switch to a displacement activity and, by this means, the remaining php for this site (which I had been procrastinating over for far too long) will miraculously get done.