It's a Baggy life.: Seriously struggling.

Note to readers (my lovely Baggees): For the avoidance of any doubt - every character in this blog is me!!! No Baggy was harmed in its writing.

Baggy's daily state!
Depression (Black = really bad/Grey = not great/Blue = okay/Yellow = sunny day): Black
Anxiety (From 1 = barely any to 10 = gibbering wreck standard): 9!!!
Tears: From nowhere.
Pancakes (Yes/No): Nooooooooooooooooooooo.
Syns (Baggy is allowed 8-15): Not counting.
Weight in her terrifying naked state (Stones and pounds): Well put it this way: the four pounds that Baggy lost last week - back on.
Overall day: 😬

Today was "go to the solicitor's" day. Baggy did not sleep well. Not surprisingly, she woke with a black cloud again. Calum was woken by a phone call from a friend. Very sad news. The friend's brother, one of Calum's closest old friends has died. He hadn't wanted anyone to know that he had cancer, so it was a shock. Not surprisingly, Calum was rather upset. Calum too then felt down. So neither of them were in the mood for a confrontation.

As they drove into town, Hormonal Hannah's anxiety level had shot off the Richter scale. Baggy was in that spaced-out, out-of-body state, where the world is a distant but terrifying reality. Calum appeared to be in a similar place, except that Freda Fretter could see the underlying anger simmering.
"Please be polite when we walk in Cal, or we won't have a hope of seeing him", muttered Hannah to Calum as he marched through the entrance doors into reception.
"Can I help you?" asked a receptionist, glaring daggers at Cal.
"We would like a meeting with XXX solicitor", said Calum indicating their solicitor who was sitting at a table in reception reading documents.
"Well that's not possible. When did you want to see him?"
Clever Bird was getting cross and felt like saying, "You just said it wasn't possible". But she kept Baggy's mouth shut.
Calum said, "Today".
The solicitor looked up, instantly on the defensive and quite short with them.
"I can't possibly see you, I'm much too busy and about to go on holiday. Which is why I've handed your file to XXX solicitor".
"Yes, that's why we need to see you," growled Calum, "she's clearly incompetent".
"What do you mean?" asked a now angry solicitor.
"Well the letter she has sent us contains mistakes and is asking £750 fees, which is a joke, and you'll be charging £100 for sending the letter", stated Cal, menacingly.
"Well that's our standard conveyancing charge".
"But this is not standard, Penny has done all the work, measured everything out, drawn the plans".
"Well that's our standard charge. I can't talk about this now, you'll have to speak to XXX solicitor".
Baggy could contain Hormonal Hannah no longer.
"So you think it's reasonable that we will be paying about £5,000 in solicitor's fees for £2,750 of land?" asked Hannah.
"Well, I've done an awful lot of work on this already".
"No! This is on top of whatever you are planning on charging us, it says so in the letter!"
"Let me see".
Baggy handed the letter over.
"She couldn't even get the price we are paying for the land correct", said Calum.
The solicitor glanced at the letter.
"This is our standard conveyancing letter".
"Yes", said Calum, "for a house purchase".
"Well it's true, you won't need searches done".
Hannah had had enough!
"Well no, and certainly not twice! Two lots of £750 plus VAT conveyancing charges; two lots of £380 searches that we don't need, ON THE SAME PIECE OF LAND; two lots of land registry costs. That lot alone comes to £2,700. Plus you're acting on behalf of one of the seller's to save costs! Will you be charging him that too, bearing in mind we have to pay it? That's another £900 plus, before we pay the other seller's solicitors! And the letter says there may be further charges if she has to spend extra time on it", squeaked Hannah whose blood pressure had shot up and was trying not to make Baggy cry.
By now the solicitor was looking extremely uncomfortable. "Good", thought Hannah.
"I don't have time to discuss it. Leave the letter with me and I'll look at it and get back to you".

With that they had to be satisfied. A fuming Calum and a numb Baggy left the office. They decided to try not to think about it again, until they hear something back. Creative Clara needed to post her latest parcel off for Realuv so they headed up the High Street.
"Shall we spend the income on a cappuccino?" asked a very subdued Baggy.
Cappuccino and croissant (hopeless woman), but slightly less bad than the cheese scone that Calum had. Next to the table were a bunch of self-help books, that Calum pushed across to Baggy: How to Stop Worrying; Dealing with Depression; How to Handle Panic Attacks; Coping with Stress etc. Baggy managed not to throw them at him and started to read the depression one. Hmmmm! One of the first things it said: "Anti-depressant tablets can make anxiety symptoms worse".
"Urmmm, Cal, am I worse, better or the same since I've been on the happy pills?"
Silence. No response from Cal who was gazing out of the window.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I was just thinking about my childhood and all the hours I spent in my Grandma's launderette over there", he said with tears in his eyes. Hannah instantly started to cry as well.
"Are you worse or better? You don't want me to answer that".
"Why? Yes I do" said Baggy trying to hide her tears.
"Well I don't want to influence your choices. Are you okay? Did I set you off?" he asked noticing Baggy's tears and handing her a paper napkin.
"Yes you set me off. I do want to know. You see it. I don't know what I'm like".
"Well you're sometimes better, sometimes much worse".
"Worse? Really? How?" Baggy was blubbing by now.
"You're much more anxious than you used to be".
Cue proper meltdown.
"You're right. I hate it. I used to be so capable".
"You still are".
"No, I'm not, I can't even confront a solicitor".
"You can. You did".

"Can we buy the book on depression please?" asked Freda Fretter.

It was still early when they got home. By now Baggy's black cloud was threatening full on thunder. Clever Bird decided to keep her outside. Time for Gloria to attack brambles.
Before: