Tuesday 31 August 2010

Men

I really wanted to go shopping for food for our camping trip on the way - making it a part of the holiday.  "No." J said flatly.  "I always do the shopping, I know what I'm doing and after all it'll save us time on the journey.  I'm going the day before and I'll make sure I get everything."  After that diatribe I gave in - albeit reluctantly.


We got to our camp site about 7ish in the evening and after unpacking and settling in I asked what was for tea.  "Sausages" he said.  Unfortunately they were still frozen in the cold bag. 

Plan B - we'll have pasta instead.  This is when we discovered you know who had forgotten to pack the pasta. 

Plan C - tuna then, you guessed it he didn't pack a tin opener.... though I did have a Swiss Army knife but the bread he'd brought was a huge home made loaf - we had nothing to cut slices with. 

Anyway us girls really wanted something hot to warm us.  Ho hum, off to the local supermarket with tail between his legs. 

Will I ever, ever listen to him again?

Wednesday 25 August 2010

Life changes

It struck me the other day when Him Next Door took G9 out for a body boarding session at the beach.  They'd both acquired new wetsuits, G9 for her birthday and Him Next Door... well any excuse. He also had to get a body board, after all G9 had one!  They do say men never grow up.  This picture was made all the more pertinent as Him Next Door and G9 might never have met; when I was pregnant he ended up in hospital and had a triple bypass.  It was a worrying time for us all. 

The plus side of his heart attack for G9 was that when he was recuperating he had more free time to spend with her, right from the moment she was born.  They used to go off walking with G9 stuffed in a 'back pack' gaily being fed cold mashed up food.  (She still likes cold cooked food now).  It is only because of Him Next Door does she love swimming so, he religiously takes her to the pool every week.  It is one of his favourite activities and he has passed this love on.  He helps with her violin practice too as he can play the organ; reading music is something neither of G9's parents can do.  They are so very close.  I think she is now his excuse to try anything new and he can back slide into childhood unnoticed and without comment.  All this activity keeping him fit and healthy, whilst in return G9 gains a wider breadth of life's experiences.

What a special relationship that benefits them both, one that will live on in G9's heart for all time.

Two peas in a pod

My Gran on the other hand is finding things more difficult.  Every day now she seems to regress a little more and needs a bit more care. Little things but it's always in some way detrimental to her quality of life. She has always been physically active and is very alert but has just announced that she no longer wants her hair permed as it takes too much out of her and she avoids her weekly bath - tending to coming up with lame excuses.  Gran now gets very, very out of breath so doesn't go further than five feet with her walking frame and although she takes her water tablets her feet are still ballooning and are very hard.  Her Next Door really needs help and has asked for it.  Lets hope she gets it and any help available isn't on the hit list of the local authority cuts.

Tuesday 10 August 2010

Time management and working from home

The trouble with working from home on a beautiful day is that the pull to go outside and potter round the garden is immense.  I sit behind a large picture window where I can watch the birds bathing in the bird bath and butterflies flitting about.  The sky is a perfect blue today too.  It's made even more tempting as yesterday was not a lovely day, so you really want to treasure the sunshine all the more.  Perhaps I'll take my coffee outside for a beak, within earshot of the phone.

Blue skies through window.
I am very fortunate as my 9 to 5 tends to be anything from 10ish to 5, luckily J my other half prefers the mornings and I don't mind covering the back end - so J finishes between 4:30 to 5 and he gets to watch Star Trek in peace.  Unfortunately my late starts are not to do with long lie ins but more often due to domestic chores.  J also gets some time out in the working day to do the weekly shop.  On the up side we don't have to do anything over the weekend that we don't want to, the time is utterly all our own - which means we get to play. 

There is no rush hour for us - wasting our lives sat in traffic.  It is difficult for us both to take time out for a holiday when it is not either a weekend, public holiday or the Christmas break and that is the biggest issue.

On balance I would not change what I do though, nor who I do it with.  I don't get that Monday morning feeling and that's worth all the tea in China.

Wednesday 4 August 2010

Visitors

After moving to a new place and not knowing a soul, I do miss being able to pop into someone's house for coffee.  Trouble with living here is that we get an awful lot of visitors, which we LOVE but I miss being surrounded by my old buddies, where I could just drop in unannounced and snaffle their coffee (or wine if the sun was over the yardarm).  Although I am building up a new network of friends it takes a while to gain that easy comfortable history together where you can truly relax and be yourself.

Our last visitors, Kay and David
It is like we run a hotel - people drift in and visit at all times of the year.  We have to make the beds, cook the meals, drive people round the countryside.  So although it's great to see everyone, (it really is and please keep coming), it's very hard work! 

This weekend I'm seeking my revenge and I'm going to camp on my friend's floor... so for once the tables are turned.  I can't wait. 

Its just struck me though that I'll have to pack an overnight bag and drive for three hours to gain this little luxury.  Hmmm, maybe it's not so bad having people visit us after all, I take it all back.
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