Skip to main content

Heatwave

This week has definitely been an improvement on last when I was a bit doom and gloom, albeit every way I turn at the moment it's all a little more stressful than I would prefer.  Glenn has his big 350 mile ride next weekend so we are into the last minute panic / resignation of the fact that it's going to be long, boring and painful.  Having just checked the weather forecast it looks like it will also be wet - oh joy.  At least this time next weekend it will all be over (hopefully) and he can relax while soaking his bottom in a vat of recovery cream!  The next layer of stress is our house renovation which continues to crawl onwards, seemingingly one step forward and two back.  This week we got confirmation that the structural engineer (as now expected by everyone given the time that has passed) has messed up our RSJ calculations. On the plus side better to know now than when the house falls down, but its still a real pain and it means more mess, more making good and more time before we get everything finished. Ho hum, at least the company responsible have accepted liability and we aren't arguing that one.  The final stress is work, which was better this week - I know it will just take time.

As ever our antidote to all of this is our girls who have made the transition to summer holiday mode with ease and are now pushing the envelope on bedtime as well as everything else. We've definitely slipped and it's noticeable so I've spent the entire weekend repeating "tonight will be an early night" and then failing miserably.  Last night we promised them camping in the garden so of course it was never going to be an early one.  Despite all of the excitment we did manage to get them into the tent and asleep by 9pm which isn't that bad. Amazingly they then slept until gone 7am - much better than we thought and so we are inspired to take them camping proper when we have a spare moment.

We are in the middle of a heatwave at the moment and this coupled with the brilliant coverage of the Commonwealth Games means they have been recreating various events in the garden. Yesterday it was triathlon after watching the Brownlee brothers win gold and silver. I had to laugh as I timed them 'swimming' through the paddling pool before racing round to the back garden to ride round on their bikes and finally a quick change over to run round the same loop. Cue tears from Izzy "I'm always last" and shouts of joy from Abi so we had to put them into different classes to make it fair. We have tried giving Izzy a head start but it still doesn't work as she hasn't yet learnt to cheat as well as her sister. She'll learn!

Their other big joy is their new ride on buggy which was (almost) thrown in as a freebie with Glenn's new ride on mower.  They spend hours driving round the garden in it, picking things up, dropping things off etc etc.  I have to hold my breath as they charge under the trampoline, both ducking in the nick of time.  I did draw the line when their friends came over and they went to do the same thing - I'm not ready to explain a large bruise on the forehead of other people's children because they didn't know to duck!  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Busy, busy, busy

Full English brunch for these two! Life is VERY busy and I don't feel like we have stopped for weeks (or is that months?) It seems like the 'to-do' list is endless and while I know we don't have to do it all at once, I have taken on the unenviable task of trying to get the Muppet to finish all the work he promised / we have paid for and that has been like pushing a mountain of water up a very steep hill. We've got to the point where I think we have got all of what we are likely to get and the rest we'd rather finish ourselves anyway. The electric gates are clearly a work of his imagination based on the gates / the electric cables he spec'd and the cheapo motor mechanism - there is no way they'll work so we have decided to not bother and source proper gates that do the job and look better as well. Knowing that we are almost at a point where we sever the ties feels very liberating. Looking back this last 6 months has been incredibly stressful and just didn...
Post a Comment
Read more

Snow!

After a beautiful day of sunshine yesterday, today it snowed... but more of that in a minute. Yesterday actually felt like a day of much progress. Despite Covid we managed to arrange a visit to Taunton School to have a look around with the girls and to meet the Headmaster. This was a massive relief as I had got to the point of thinking we would have to accept a place without ever stepping foot inside the school. In the end we had a very comprehensive, if a little deserted, tour of the school and the kids loved it, as did we. There may even be a small chance they might squeeze us in if we are there by the summer term - that is of course if the kids are back into school by then. The other news was that I managed to speak to Mr &Mrs Tucker - the people buying our house - and we tentatively agreed that we will try and complete during the Easter holidays which could have us moving in the third week of April. This does require everyone to have got all of what they need done, and that of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Freya

So I write this with tears pouring down my face as I get ready to take Freya to the vets for the last time. We've just had a long cuddle and she's looking at me with those big trusting eyes - as far as she is concerned it's a normal day and I'm the person who keeps her safe, protects her from the world and makes sure there is a steady supply of porridge every morning. My darling Freya - so sweet in the house but so anxious and volatile when out of it. We've known this day has been coming for a while. We've had various run ins, all near misses because I've managed to hold her when we've met other dogs and she's gone nuts, but there are all the other things which I have tried to block out... The most recent of which was her snapping at Izzy when she bent down to give her a cuddle. Freya was asleep admittedly, but even so. I made the excuse to myself that her legs had been a bit sore that day and so it's because she might have been in pain rat...
Post a Comment
Read more