July 21st (Mon)

Up with the lark. It's an early start in Tring, where P is starting his intensive course. But first, it should be noted that I can no longer claim to be merely 50. There's a small cluster of pressies on the carpet for me,though the quality is, as N might say. "awesome!"
A boxed set of Laurel & Hardy, must be 60 hours of them there, the boxed set of "From the Earth to the Moon" and a French comedy I had never heard off, "Diner de Cons". Thank you everybody.
P is fine. he doesn't need thirty hours training and I have told him that , but he insists that is what he wants, and who am I to argue with a man who has £750 to give me for 30 hours work.
It all goes fine. He is intensely self critical,but should do ok.
Part two of the day is less of a birthday treat.
She's gobby, moany, spoiled, not very clever, knows far more about driving than I can ever teach her, and consequently has not bothered to listen o a single word I have said . In fact the last thing I said was "Don't take your test", but that was ignored along with all over advice. I could, probably should have refused to take her, but to be honest the probability of her failing dismally is outweighed by the thought that when she does, I can wash my hands of her.
She hasn't looked at the smtm question, quelle surprise, and I am not in a mood to labour the point.
I smile sheepishly at her examiner, pitying the woman, who I know will be in for a hard time. She disappears and I contemplate the likely magnitude of her demise. Probably not a record breaker (E was in a league of her own) This one can actually drive a car, she just sees no reason to learn to do it safely and sensibly.
They are back pretty soon I am not invited to the debrief (I didn't mention this possibility to her) an it is a very creditable disaster, 5/13. Another apologetic smile st the examiner, get her home, and get rid of her. She makes an effort to part on good terms, saying "so I'll ring you if I need you," She won't, and if she does, I won't be answering!
Birthday dinner at the CC helps to forget all this. Sophie absent due to a rotten cold, Ali not there either, so my attempts to cross the linguistic divide and drop the hint that it's my birthday come to nought. The bill is £85, of which drinks contribute a whopping £27. Later we agree the food was not top notch. I think the CC may have probs in the kitchen department. It was fun anyway.
H and I watch the french dvd and it's a fast moving off the wall thing which keeps us happily laughing for it's duration. Not laugh out loud like "les visiteurs", but fun all the same.
Holiday talk had been of Turkey, but with quotes coming in at around £500 a head, I felt my chances of heading back to France improving.
The I found a Matthews holiday advertised at £670 for the lot of us and though I might be close to clinching the deal. H is to ring them tomorrow.
Better get used to being fifty bloody one.