Pink Jobs & Blue Jobs

This weekend hubby has booked a long weekend which I am pleased about as he normally only has Saturday off, just a day to cram in those jobs to be done, the blue jobs as I call them. In our house we have definite pink and blue jobs at times they can be purple such as cooking which can be done by either of us.

On the whole most of the jobs in our house are pink. Hubby when he thinks he's being helpful will say "I have done the washing for you" mmm thanks for that but why I was stupid enough to separate the clothes in to three different piles, you know whites, darks and coloureds as clearly there is no need, you just bung them all in together. Recycling is a pink job, putting the bins out a blue one.

The make overs of the bedrooms, wall filling, sanding and painting is a blue job, the picking carpet organising for it to be fitted a pink one. After waiting nearly a year for kitchen to be finished I am quite impressed at the speed of him getting stuck in and so far completing T's room, just the finishing touches to be done, a pink job. He is really on a mission and is now on with A's. We ordered her new Stompa bed on Thursday and hubby is way more excited about it than A is. They went off earlier to pick the paint for her room as this is A who loves all things girlie she has chosen pink. Me and hubby currently in the middle of having a "domestic" as I have a habit of moving things which drive my husband and son mad. See the thing is I forget where I have moved them these unaesthetic looking things that are apparently crucial for the job in hand.

In other news A at the moment is really making me laugh. I remember as a child always wanting to break my right arm, imagining loads of signatures on my pot, so I kind of get where she is coming from. Two kids at school have had a break, one an arm another a ankle, also the little girl next door is on crutches. This must have appealed to A in some way as after hurting her ankle in the week she has borrowed Wan Wan's walking sticks, put twelve socks on one foot and insists where ever we go she needs the sticks. Looking out in the street it's like a Dickensian scene from Scrooge.

I'm off to do a purple job, the food shop, hubby prefers to do this as he moans I spend too much and we then have the "what's for tea"? conversation, but that is a whole other post. I will leave him to his blue jobs and searching for whatever it is I have moved.

Tiny Tim can come with me.


Sha X

Rear Window

Now I'm not wheel chair bound and nor do I believe I have witnessed any murders, I am though as I have said in other posts a compulsive people watcher nosey bastard, so obviously I like to keep an eye on my neighbours (I'm good like that).

We live in not quite a cul de sac but if you slow down near my house you are going to one of the houses nearby. It is a quiet street and I am often like a Meerkat looking out of the front window. We have four gardens backing on to my garden and three houses facing me, to the right is a huge field that is used for dog walking and a cut through to the main road.

The neighbour that backs on to my back garden is a young mum of two, we borrow sugar and cigs and stuff, on occasion she will mind my kids or I will mind hers for an hour. Her car is parked outside her garage at the  side of mine, we mainly meet on a morning packing the kids in for the school run. On occasions I will receive a text, can I go round to hers, I will often ask is this a bottle of wine job, which it usually is as I am the old sage who she will cry to when she has fell out with her boyfriend, thankfully for her this is less frequent at the moment. She's a nice kid, I say that because she is the same age as my daughter.

The couple that moved in to the house to side of my garden I call the "Garden people" even a chink of sun and they are out there. A young couple with no kids they like to socialise in there garden, a lot. They never speak to me, the young man obsessive about everything being neat and tidy. I am a little concerned about them at the moment I haven't seen any washing out for weeks, the grass is well over due a cut, very unusual. Hubby has seen his car come and go so they aren't on holiday.

Next to them is another young couple with three young boys. There is always loads of washing on the line and lots of kids paraphernalia in the garden and rabbits. I often exchange conversations with the little one through the fence and equally as often return footballs. The mum amazes me as I never hear her shouting at the kids...ever. Her bloke is great for rounding my dog up when she has decided to do a Steve McQueen.

The lady next door to that I don't see that much at all. She was married with two young boys, the marriage has ended and the young boys are now young men. At times she will hand me 40% discount vouchers for Peacocks which are welcome. I once overheard her boyfriend asking who she was talking to she said, her at the bottom of the garden, I felt like a gnome.

Opposite they have just had new brown fascia and soffets done, I'm not sure. The other house opposite is a divorced dad who has his kids alternate weekends. One of the boys who is A's age calls for her when he's here.

My greatest joy to watch though is the lady directly opposite me. She has lived there alone for nearly ten years, she is very attractive and a lovely person. I noticed a car parked on her drive a few months ago, it was in my mind a man's car, it was a butch car. My Meerkat skills on high alert, eventually I got to see HIM. I am so chuffed for her. I have often looked over and envied her solitude, her independence, her peace, her ability to come and go as she pleases but I am really pleased she has someone in her life, she is too nice to live a solitary one.

Now and then I am very neighbourly, the chap around the corner, his wife has alzheimer's and occasionally she escapes, my Meerkat goes in to over drive to alert him so she comes to no harm.

Do tell me I'm not alone in my neighbourliness.


Sha X

Pain in the ****

This morning I had arranged to see a chiropractor. The knot in my neck which started early on in the year has now become very painful and I realised it needed more than a perfunctory massage. Stress always gets me in the neck.

I'm not sure if it stems from when I was seventeen my boyfriend and I went off on motorbikes with a group of other bikers camping. I don't do camping in anyway shape or form it's just not me, not then and most definitely not now. Being ill prepared for this camping trip and never been before my contribution was a pack of Mars bars. I fully expected there to be washing facilities, places nearby to eat, not a load of people pissed singing "Oggy Oggy Oggy" long in to the night. Not being prepared, no ground sheets or a pillow resulted on waking with a cricked neck, a motorbike ride with a striped helmet, head lolling to one side and a neck collar for a week. It was bloody painful. So I assume it is a now a weak spot. Over the years a sneeze or any awkward rummage under a bed could render me immobile for a few days.

We had one of those mornings today T came downstairs in tears saying she had been sick, this has happened three times in the last week and needs further investigation. T has the constitution of an ox and is very rarely ill. The school policy is if your child is sick then you keep them away for twenty four hours a rule that she is well aware of. I had seen no evidence of a sickie so what do you do. By this time A was late for school, a mad rush with T in tow to my appointment. My words to the chiropractor were I'm noisy as I knew this was going to hurt, her words to me were, if we are being frank I'm not gentle. She established the left side was in a pretty bad way and set about manipulating and massaging with T watching on. Her face was a picture when the lady did the swift crack of the neck and back.

Other events of the day was mums very first trip out of the house since she went home. A visit to the dentist, mum has a look of Nanny McPhee, she is in pain and finding it difficult to eat. The visit took lots of planning with carers, taxi and sister in law. I would need to get back to mums to get her out of the wheelchair and back in to her chair at home. I dropped the girls off at my brothers, went into town to the dentist to meet mum and sis in law. Mum had a prescription so I nipped to the chemist to get it whilst we waited for mums taxi back.

Whilst in town I happened to see my daughter walking across the road, at first I didn't recognise her, I haven't seen her since April. Her hair was shorter and red and like a scene from a film it all seemed to happen in slow motion, I looked at her, she looked at me, I looked away, looked back and so did she, we looked at one another, and I did something that made my stomach flip, I looked forward not acknowledging her or speaking. It didn't feel particularly nice at all but I'm really not ready.

Chippy tea dropped off for the girls at my brothers and I headed to my mums to get her sorted. Then headed to Goole to meet the the chap from Cruse. I am now officially a Bereavement Volunteer!

I felt all the good work the chiropractor had done early in the day dissipating, she has a lot to compete with. 

Sha X

New Bed & VIPs

Last weekend was my cousins 40th I decided to go alone mainly to touch base with my cousins on my dads side. We don't get to spend that much time with them. I suppose as it was coming up to the anniversary of dad dying it somehow felt right. You are acutely aware of the missing figures at such events and I am sure my cousin was wishing his Dad was there to mark his birthday. My Dads brother died when my cousins were very young.

Monday I spent sometime with my niece she is going off to Crete for ten days. We pottered around the market and had lunch, I bought some navy and white spotty trousers or trumpet trousers as an old friend would say. I decided they would be perfect thing to wear for the "torch" coming through our town in the morning, I wanted to wear something a bit loud and lairy with my red, white and blue flip flops.

Tuesday was a big day, all the school had to meet outside church for the big event of the torch coming through. I must admit I got a little emotional at how many people had come to support this once in a lifetime event. What with the Jubilee and England so far doing well in the Euro 2012, my patriotism overflowed. After school I took the girls to my brothers, bobbed up to visit Mum. Then on to baby brothers to take my  nephew his gift and cards for his 21st birthday.

At the weekend we had ordered a new bed for T it is sort of a transitional bed as this marks her growing up and in need of a desk and stuff for when she starts "big" school. The estimated delivery was three weeks, they exceeded my expectations and it was delivered today, so I quickly had to organise for a new carpet fitting.

Wednesday was memorial day. I had arranged to see my friend of over 30 years, it was good to catch up. I love that our kids and those of our family and friends let us in to their world, the young fresh spirits, are often a joy to observe and make me smile. They are the future. My friends daughter is doing a beauty course and needed a guinea pig, I put myself up for a nail job and eyelash tint on Friday, well you just have to do these things don't you. Later that night on a whim I went up to see mum, on the radio the song "Begin the Beguine" Julio Iglesias came on which was one of my dad's favourite songs, coincidence?

Thursday hubby is trying to configure new bed for T, it looks complicated. And how I notice the passage of time. I am so aware of how time seems to pass so quickly. T is becoming a teenager, A has lost her first tooth, twenty years seem like yesterday, my nephew is now a young man.

Friday I was putting myself up for treatments done by my friends daughter. I remember playing on the swings and slides with her when she was around seven, she is now a beautiful eighteen year old who is fun and someone who is a pleasure to be around.  On the way to getting treatments the song that came on the radio was "Living Years" Mike & The Mechanics. I cried.

Saturday spent at my nephews party has been really good fun, what a lovely bunch of young people. Spending time with the young adults in our life does the heart good. It seemed fitting the end of this week was spent with my sister and brothers.

Sub-consciously I think this week I have surrounded myself or sought out my VIP people. because family and friends are indeed just that.

Sha X

Keeping Abreast

Having always being an avid reader, in a previous post I did mention a seven day holiday would mean seven books read, chomping on the bit for the one book hubby would be reading. Since getting A and now having two little ones my reading has been intermittent to say the least. Most of my reading matter over the last year has been peoples blogs which I love to read all different kinds of genres. They are perfect when time is short, some post daily, some pop in to my inbox, others I will catch up with on a Sunday.

On holiday I managed to get to read two books and was pleased to discover amongst the books left behind by previous occupants a little book called The Wedding which was a sequel to The Notebook I had read earlier on in the year. This was a love story over the decades, the wife eventually getting Alzheimer's, a very touching book which I believe was made in to a movie. I'm glad to say my reading mojo was back. I suppose it is somewhat like writing this blog, sometimes I am at a loss as to what to say as I don't want to write just for the sake of it, I always hope my writing is worthwhile reading.

One of my friends always likes to read the last few pages of a book before she starts, I do laugh as I really can't see the point of that. We do all have our little quirks though and mine is once I start a book I have to finish it whether I like it or not. There has been two exceptions to this, both books lauded. The Lovely Bones I couldn't read after a few chapters. On hearing all the hype about 50 Shades of Grey, everyone seemed to be talking about this trilogy, I had to download it on to my Kindle. Oh how I love this gift from hubby and son. Go on to Amazon and immediately it is there ready to read. For some reason I only decided to download just the one as I managed to get to chapter 14, that was me done. I prefer to put my reviews where the purpose is designed, it is after all my opinion, all I shall say is the characters of this book were a little "one dimensional" and leave it at that or else I could would get a little ranty. My new title for this book is 50 Shades of S***.

This book was the topic of conversation at the school gate this afternoon which evolved in to what names we had for our ladybits (for the purpose of those with little girls), quite a range it seems, which resulted in raucous laughter, moved on to the merits of getting a boob out on purpose in public at age 53 to how could you leave your child behind in a pub. I love these young women.

Two more books have been downloaded onto my Kindle and whether it is the latest gadget, read, Madges boob or the state of affairs in the political world, ok that is a stretch. Pardon the pun, I do like to keep abreast of things.

Sha X

It's That Time Again

It's funny how a comment or conversation brings a sharp realisation. My sister and I were talking last night and she mentioned our nephews 21st birthday coming up on the 21st of this month. She had asked what he might want for this special birthday. A family party had been planned for our nephews first birthday. My sharp realisation it has been twenty years since the day my dad died Saturday June 20th 1992.

My dad died very suddenly of a heart attack, he was 57, I wrote about that day here The Living Years. With the passage of twenty years you become a little more familiar with how you and your loved ones have feelings of something you can't quite put your finger on, you feel a little out of sorts. Your subconscious is noting the season, the flowers and shrubs that are out, the same ones that your subconscious  somewhere deep within you were aware of back then. You then have an aahh moment, this melancholy is stirred as it is coming up to the anniversary, your senses very aware.

The cliches are true, things do get easier, the pain doesn't dominate the heart and mind.... BUT I still miss him dreadfully and think of him often. I miss my wonderful protective dad. He always made me feel safe, secure, supported and most of all loved. I'm not blowing smoke up his arse, putting him on a pedestal, I'm a realist, he could be a bloody nightmare, he was though, our nightmare and he was very loved. I miss the dad I was lucky to have for thirty years. He was a relatively young man, I wish he had got to meet all of his ten grandchildren and his four great-grandchildren, seen their achievements. I often wonder if my daughter would be doing what she does if he had been around, he was a great influence on her, his death had a profound affect on her. Most of all I miss having an adult relationship with him, yes I was an adult married with two children when he died, ironically I think you grow up when one of your parents die, I would love to be having conversations as more of an equal, maybe that is a fantasy but I like to think this would be so.

Often now I am with my brothers and it hits me like a sledgehammer, they both have mannerisms, characteristics and now they are in their forties a resemblance to our dad. All four of us have many of his traits, the good and the bad.

His legacy lives on.

On my dads gravestone are the words "To the world you were one, to us you were the world" and he was/is.

Sha x

Holiday-Part 3

The last few days were spent around the pool, the kids didn't want to got to the beach. It was hazy lazy days, don't get me wrong all was not tranquil, girls squeal and scream at the slightest thing, I was glad we were not near anyone else as I could scream back. The girls were however very good when we went out for a meal on the last two nights.

The restaurant we we booked for Friday night was somewhere we discovered near to our previous villa two years ago. It was delightful, all about good food, good home made wine that was like chocolate, a very simple menu, no chicken nuggets here but the most beautiful caterpillar/bee design in a sauce on the girls plates. The owner paying a great deal of attention to the food on offer and service. On the next table were two Portuguese men, a woman and a boy of around 10 and a 5 year old, same ages as the girls, they got to playing together whilst we got chatting to their parents. The older man had apartments and a golf course in Vilamoura, I love getting chatting to people who in the general course of your life you would be unlikely to meet. The last night we spent in a little fishing village opting for a restaurant overlooking the sea, the eatery with a Kenny Rogers lookalike possibly from Bolton we gave a miss.The girls were fascinated when someone ordered lobster as there is usually the big ritual of getting it out and who ever has ordered it having pictures taken.

All packed up and ready to drop the car off on Sunday morning, we go around checking all is clean and tidy and that nothing is left behind, I hope Natasha's other half may have appreciated the substantial amount of beer left in the fridge. At the airport I looked to buy my perfume, something I always like to do get myself a treat, they didn't have it. The girls were pleased to see on the plane the cute 3 year old that had sat with us on our flight there, she made me laugh when she said the plane is "wanding" and looked frantically at me when she couldn't see her dad "He's got off" she squealed.

We arrived back to temperatures not dissimilar to those we had left behind in Portugal which very nice, collected our dog Jasmine on the way home and in typical Labrador style was very pleased to see us. I love going away but do so love my own bed too, we were home.

Since back we have quickly settled back in to home routine, I have checked on holidays for September/October, it will all get a little more difficult taking the kids out of school as T starts high school in September. Hubby wants to go to Thailand next year now the girls are older, and I got to reflecting why someone who never wants to do the same place twice has now been to Portugal four times and I realised these holidays remind me so much of the 70s staying in villas with my parents. What ever you believe, I always can "feel" my dad is around but more so when away from home. Dad must have had a cracking three weeks as my sister said she felt him whilst in Cuba. The holidays we have in Portugal make me feel close to him, he would have loved it there and in some way I hope the girls feel the same in their adulthood wanting to recreate childhood memories.

Opening the post I received my assessment from my Cruse course which was really good and made me so chuffed, and the right arm mobile well did I laugh when I had two text messages and two voice mails, one of them being from my mam. Pft.


Sha X