The Strand

With just under five weeks to go until my boy's scheduled first appearance his nursery is looking close to completion. The furniture has been bought and built. The walls, shelve, skirting boards and ceiling have been painted. The carpet has been laid.

It's a nice soft carpet, made of two intertwined threads of blue, which is pleasant lie, walk and hopefully crawl on. The carpet had already been fit a few days before I was building the furniture and it was thenthat I saw it; I shrugged and smiled at it, to all appearances dismissing what had set my mind racing in outlandish and unfounded directions. It was a strand of carpet. Mixed in with the strands of winding shades of blue was a single strand of carpet which was made of two other colours: red and pink.

What are the odds that of all the square footage of this carpet in the world that that section of carpet would be bought by a retailer which Michelle and I would visit, and that we would then buy that particular section of carpet which contained a strand of red and pink within it for our baby's room? Are they the same odds of mistakenly being told that you will be having a boy? Probably not but still; makes you think. This was not as random a thought as it may seem either. Michelle had been told recently of two (TWO!) women who were told that they were having one gender by their midwife (or whomever does the scans) and ended up having the opposite gender. Both of these stories were told to her, I believe within a week, specifically the week before I found this symbolic strand of carpet.

In case you are interested, Google tells me that medical professionals will most often advise that there is a 10% margin of error when being told the sex of your baby.

Either way, whether we have the expected boy or an improbable girl, Michelle and I will be happy. Clothes with be exchanged, blue furniture will be adorned with pink flower or the likes and the world, as ever, will keep on turning.

4 weeks, 5 days until due date.

'Till then (or before).

THIS WEEK

I Watched: Land of the Lost, Nurse Jackie - Season 2, Southland - Season 2

I Read: Pronto by Elmore Leonard

Planned to a Tea

Today is Michelle's birthday and I had planned to make her a nice New York style breakfast, of pancakes and bacon with Maple Syrup, all week.

Naturally, I had forgotten to buy any of the ingredients until the last minute. so I was off to Morrisons running about to pick up what I needed. I left the checkout three times because I'd forgoten one thing or another before I was finally satisfied that I had everything I need.

When Michelle got home she asked if I would make her a cup of tea. This reminded me that I hadn't picked up a special mini teapot with cup at my parents house. The cup/pot hybred was perfect for breakfast in bed so no sooner had Michelle stepped into a shower before I had vaulted over our viranda and sneakily over to my parents and back before she even knew I was gone. I am ninja.

So:
Food - CHECK.
Teapot - CHECK.
Magic.

I've been a little under the weather this last week or so and as a result I was kept awake all night. This gave me plenty time to mix up my pancake batter and prepare the perfect breakfast. Everything was going to plan: The pancakes were cooking nicely, the bacon was sizzeling under the gril, the kettle was boiled and the pot/cup was sitting ready for the tea. The tea... Where's the... Oh, it's okay, the tea bag container is empty but they are still some tea bags left in the cupboard... Maybe the other cupboard? The fridge?! No tea bags.

Okay okay, not the end of the world she can have a coffee. She's not really allowed coffee because she's pregnant but one small cup won't do any harm? Will it? No, it definatly won't. It'll be a treat. A birthday treat. Better than tea? Yes I think it might be. What's that smell...

Gah! The bacon! Aw look at it! It's all... well I wouldn't say burnt... But not really not burnt. Definatly more burnt than okay. But edible... probably.

Right I just need to get this coffee ready and... When did I put that pancake on? Ah! Too long ago! Is it... yes it's fine. Mostly fine. Less burnt and more okay.

For the the want of tea bag the pancake was overdone.
For the want of a tea bag a heavily pregnant woman was over caffinated.
For the want of a teabag the bacon was lost.
For the want of a tea bag a sleep deprived and overly self critical man was harassed.

All for the want of tea bag.