I've had a bit of a strange week this week, some good stuff has happened and something bad has happened, so I'm sort of "middling". None of the events is particularly massive although one of them - unfortunately on the bad side - is going to be a bit difficult to cope with in the short term.
But the thing about this week is that it's left me feeling odd, rather than good or bad. Sometimes we think that we know exactly how we'll react to any situation in life but then something happens that we couldn't anticipate and it throws us off balance and we don't know exactly how to react.
And I have to admit that's sort of how I feel about the election. I don't think that anyone, a couple of months ago, could have anticipated how the tv debates have affected the election and really brought it to life. I have to admit that I haven't been able to watch any one debate right through - I hate listening to party policitical sniping and however well structured the debates have been or well organised, every single one of the PM candidates has made their fair share of sniping at each other. I wonder if they realise just how much that puts people off?
Mind you I suppose that Gordon Brown couldn't have anticipated the events of Wednesday and his now infamous toasting in Rochdale. Looking back on it, it all seems like a bit of a storm in a tea-cup. Sadly I can't help thinking that his off the cuff comments about Mrs Duffy reflect exactly what a lot of politicians think about most of the voting public most of the time.
As far as Mr Brown is concerned, I have some sympathy for him being caught off guard - I suspect every one of us thought "there but for the grace of God...". But I've always thought that he lacks a certain political "nouse" to be PM and his petulant, irritable comments make me wonder if he is savvy enough to be PM. After all he never won an election to be leader of the Labour Party or PM before and I can't help thinking he got there simply because of his own doggedness rather than political abilities.
Anyway that's for the electorate to decide, not me. I imagine though that Mr Cameron will be moving into No 10 this time next week, but of course a week is a long time in politics.
In the meantime, most of us have the benefit of a long weekend and I certainly mean to relax in the next few days. Hope you do too!
Marie