It’s funny how we fill our lives.

When I first moved here, I felt as if I had gobs and gobs of free time. I had no commitments, nobody ever phoned me, and when I wasn’t working I could please myself.

It started slowly. I took Rachel to enrol her in Cubs, at the urging of my neighbour, and got talked into helping as a leader. So that’s Tuesday night every week, plus a planning meeting (where we giggle a lot and don’t plan very much) about once a month.

Rachel began sleeping over at one particular friend’s house every Friday night, and when I went to drop her off I would be invited in. Now I’m pretty much expected, over there, for ‘tea’ every Friday night.

When the man who cleaned the detachment left the community, I agreed to clean the detachment for a while. My boss was going on holiday, and didn’t want to deal with the lack of cleaning staff until he got back. When it went out for tender, I bid on the contract and got it. So now I’m committed to that. Which means I have to, when I’m working somewhere else as I am at the moment, either get up early or go in there after supper and clean bathrooms, wash floors etc.

I went for ‘tea’ one Friday night a few weeks ago, (and there was brandy, I think) and after two glasses I was persuaded to allow my name to be put forward for the District Education Authority. They needed seven members, seven of us let our names stand, and we were acclaimed. I should mention that I have a very hazy idea of what the DEA does-- but I guess I'm about to find out. I know that there are issues that need to be addressed in this town, but I don't know how much power we will have to make any changes.

And church. I have mentioned this before, the fact that since the minister left and the congregation’s been doing a lay-reader rotation, I’ve been a regular attendee. And then we all go for coffee afterwards. And today we finished coffee at one lady’s house and then went to another lady’s house for her Christmas Open House.

I can’t sleep tonight. The staff Christmas party for the detachment was tonight. I think it was really sweet of them to invite me, since (although I do the cleaning/ guarding/ transcribing) I had to relinquish the clerk job when the maternity leave girl came back. I ate too much. (It was all so good!) And now my stomach won’t let me lie down.

I accomplished a lot of packing this weekend. A bit too much, I think, given that we still have 10 days or so to live in this house. When I went to wrap the Christmas gift I was taking to the staff party I realized I had packed all the scotchtape, and had to rummage around in boxes looking for it. The kids have packed a lot of their stuff too, Ian didn’t get up this morning, because he’s packed his alarm clock.