Purge deleted. That is what one of my webmails asked me if I wanted to do today. Doesn't it sound great? Like washing away all your mistakes in one big bowl of Ariel. Reminds me of a bible verse about washing our clothes whiter than anyone in the world could launder them, the way God deals with our 'deletions'.

Friday was Bitternetastic. We went for A's swim lesson, and for 6 luxurious lengths I was alone in the big pool. I felt like a princess. By the time we had been to the library and eaten a packed lunch 'pac', as A calls it, we got the bus home and had 15 minutes before we got H from school and got on another bus, back to the library and then to H's swim lesson. It dawned on me that I am doing this every Friday till Christmas.

Saturday was a big adventure. I got a train at 6.47am, which I sat on till it stopped in Cardiff. There I met Claire, another friend of hers and Claire's mum for our spa day, pre wedding. I had never done anything so indulgent before. It is a peculiar and intimate relationship that you have with your beautician or whatever the person is called doing the treatments. You wear almost nothing and have stuff rubbed in all over, then a shower and a back massage and then a facial. It was great. I really enjoyed going in the steam room and swimming too. C and I had a meal and then got trains home, I got on the wrong train, not realising that there were 2 trains on the same platform, and gaily jumping on the one I saw at the top of the steps. I got to spend an hour in Newport which I would not have done otherwise. On the train home, I sat opposite a mother and her teenage daughter, and I was struck by how they hugged and seemed so comfortable together. As I was about to get off, I told them how I hoped to emulate them one day when my daughters were teenagers. Fiona, the mother, and I chatted a bit and I asked to share their taxi home as they were going to Botley, and I am on the way. She agreed and I was blessed with meeting interesting people and a free ride home. Another lady on the train had a trolley, which I think was full of Fosters, or maybe it had been before the lady drank it all. I helped her off the train but she fell on the platform and a train company operative rescued her. She said she had buried her mother that day. I don't know if that was literal, figurative or alcohol. If I wanted to get so drunk I fell off trains, I would not use Fosters as my method. I would have to spend my whole time in the train toilet. Surely spirits are a better option, even if purely in not needing a trolley to carry them around?

Last night I met up with some friends who I rarely see in a group, we have known each other for over 6 years now and the only thing we had in common was the birth dates of our firstborns coinciding enough for us all to be in the same antenatal class. I was struck by how different we are, how different our lives are and yet how we stick together, somehow. We have lost 2 of our number along the way - one moved away and one works very long and hard and is rarely spotted at our little socials. From our conversations last night, it seems that everyone is suffering their marriage breaking up or is having an affair, if not several. Not my immediate friends, you understand, but their wider circles of friends and families - don't want to name names, obviously... Roger and Penelope. Maybe it is a life stage thing- but I don't have time to spend time with my own husband as much as I want to, let alone with someone else's! How do these people find the time? I am very struck by the goodness of my husband and my family and the love that they have for me right now.

In a similar vein, I had the -ck grapheme as my phonics lesson focus today. I managed to avoid the 'Who can give me some words that rhyme with duck' line which trips up so many infant teachers with their classes who happily repeat the language they use at home. Steered clear of 'uck' and went for 'eck' and 'ick' and 'ack' words instead.