"LOUNGIN AROUND AN SUFFERIN"

The hectic pace of the past few weeks has finally caught up with me, poor Pa has been in a state of collapse for several days and even my son is lacking his usual energy. Today it was my turn to bite the dust.

Six thirty this morning saw me downstairs mending the fires as usual. My task it is to open the flues, heap on some logs and coal, open the curtains and, in the winter put on the lights so that a cheery aspect awaits the later risers, it is a time of day I love.

Another part of this morning ritual is to give our dear little Moth Cat her first cuddle of the day, a. pleasant interlude but one which this morning had unusual consequences.

I made the mistake of sitting (for a moment) in one of the big cosy armchairs while stroking the cat, many sleepless nights, the soft chair, the warmth of the fire and the soporific effect of stroking the cats fur took effect, I fell asleep.

Loud ringing of the doorbell jolted me back to consciousness, the postman, with packages needing to be signed for and tired of waiting was leaning heavily on the bell push, the noise was deafening.

Cursing roundly I stumbled to the door and took delivery of yet another pile of reference books for my son from a postman grinning like the “Cheshire Cat”;it was not until I looked in a mirror half an hour later that I realised the cause of his amusement: Boy did I look rough!

Now an hour late waking my son with a morning cup of coffee I mounted the stairs with what passes for haste these days and switched on the coffee machine in my room. After presenting the coffee to my sleepy son with apologies for my tardiness I returned to my room, made a coffee for myself, sat down and promptly fell asleep again!

Breakfast was much later than usual.

After our morning meal Pa who had slept until eleven loaded the dishwasher while I raked the ash from the stoves ready for my son to carry them off to the ash heap. Hot from tending the twin infernos I sat for a moment in the conservatory to cool of and…..you guessed it…. I fell asleep again. This time it was the arrival of a courier which disturbed my impromptu nap, I jumped up, headed for the door and fell over the cat. It was some time before I managed to regain an upright position.

Realising by now that further resistance was useless, I made haste to finish up my outstanding chores and then subsided into the same easy chair which had tempted me earlier in the day and within minutes I was fast asleep again; this time for several hours:

My boys had taken pity on me and left me to doze before the fire for the remainder of the afternoon. Snug and oh so comfortable I caught up on some much needed sleep and for once the pain of arthritis did not wake me after a short time.

I drifted back to consciousness as daylight was almost gone, the room look lovely in the lamp light and for two pins I would have gone back to sleep but there was dinner to prepare so off I went to the kitchen followed by the cat who had kept my company all the long afternoon.

We tucked in to beef stew, made yesterday and reheated, and suet dumplings, freshly made, it was the perfect meal for a wild wet evening and we all enjoyed enjoyed it very much.

Now we are all ready for bed, after chatting awhile over hot cocoa three sleepy people are hoping for a good nights rest.

Although I have felt ghastly for most of the day, it was lovely to have an excuse for sitting quietly by the fire with the cat for company and doing…..nothing. Even so I hope to be back on form tomorrow in time for baking day., which I love.

A NIGHT WITH THE TROLLS.

After another night of high wind and torrential rain, we were not in the least surprised when tonight's BBC weather forecast for the next few days promised more of the same. Nor were we cheered by the severe weather warning for our part of the world, although it must be said that we are becoming used these alarming messages.

Throughout the day the trees at the bottom of the garden thrashed about to such an extent that I began to wonder how the big fire tree could survive such a buffeting, as it appeared to tossing several directions at once. Our silver birch spent most of the day at a forty five degree angle, and the old apple trees creaked like old sailing ships tossed at sea!

As promised our cleaning lady appeared, bright eyed and bushy tailed at nine O clock sharp. Since Pa and I had barely a couple of hours sleep last night and my son little better it was a very rusty set who sat down for a breakfast of toasted cheese and a pot of good strong tea at around ten thirty!

During the night I had been in considerable pain and had resorted to the internet for amusement, armed with a bottle of “Jack Daniels” and a packet of digestive biscuits I amused myself with my favourite game, Troll Busting!

It always irritates me when a perfectly good site is ruined by the arrival of a foul mouthed, ill-informed. bigoted, ignorant troll. The plague is wide spread and I know that many people are put off by their behaviour, I however consider them to be fair game and treat them to the Trolls Bane treatment!

Friends have been hounded by these scummy little tykes and so a few of us have banded together to give them a taste of their own poison. No bad language is used, we attack with facts, a healthy dose of sarcasm and a degree of withering scorn, the combination of which usually has the little blighter’s on the run in a few days.

My particular dislike is for the downright nasty types who attack sites such as disabled forums, one unpleasant little tick we recently dealt with insisted that Hitler was right to condemn anyone with a disability to the gas chambers, imagine the effect that such a statement could have on a vulnerable disabled child. I know of one deaf child who one reading this pernicious trash became withdrawn and desperately unhappy. During the weeks it took her parents to discover the cause of her misery she changed from a bright happy girl to a sad recluse, refusing to play with her hearing friends as she felt herself worthless.

This was the beginning of my troll bashing activities, I do not seek them out, but if I find them I do battle, at the very least while they are attacking me they are leaving some other poor soul, less able to defend themselves alone for a while.

The odd thing is that what seems to upset them most is the correct use of vocabulary and grammar, faced with this they become hopping mad in no time….weird!

As I write the wind in screeching about the gables of the house like a demented banshee and from time to time there is the sound one of the pigeons that roost between the barge boards and the roof being blown down the slates and into the gutter some eight or nine feet below. Poor things, they are having a tough time this winter, as are we all!

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No internet for me tonight, I have laid in a selection of films to while away the sleepless hours.

I shall watch the titanic sink,”A Night to remember”, watch her brought back to the surface,“Raise the Titanic” and the if there is time I shall watch the National Geographic documentary of how Bob Ballard found the sunken ship, some years ago.

Proof positive that should the roof of our house succumb to the gale that worse things happen at sea!

HAPPENINGS, HICCUPS AND INTERUPTIONS!

It seems an age since I last sat down to write. During the past few weeks it really has been a case of “If it can go wrong it will” and we have been left reeling from the succession of irritating problems, peculiar happenings and unwelcome events which have pursued us of late.
Ranging from violent tempests(many) and unwelcome visitors who popped in for coffee and stayed all day,(numerous), to power failures (several)!
Even the relatively quiet days have been dogged by accidents, including sprained ankles, cuts, falls and my most recent, a badly scalded foot, acquired when the nozzle on my steamer broke free and shot a jet of scalding steam over my tender tootsies!

There were of course some welcome guests but unfortunately their visits coincided with the absence of our much loved cleaning lady, who, due to a set of peculiar mishaps was was unable to spend her usual one day a week sprucing up our home.

In her absence we had, of course done our best to keep the old place tidy but with both my wrists strapped up, my son embroiled in his latest novel and poor Pa suffering from a heavy cold and a flare up of arthritis in his shoulders we made a poor fist of it.

By the time the dear lady arrived this morning she encountered a daunting pile of ironing, and much dust, caused by the stoves. A shameful display of cobwebs decorated the old beams and she tut-tutted rather more than usual as she attacked them with a feather duster.

If there is one thing she detests it is cobwebs, she takes each one as a personal insult, and has been known, having loaded her armoury of dusters, vacuum cleaners and mops into her car on completing her days labours, and noticing as she was leaving one she has missed, to unload her kit and return to tackle the cause of the offence!

She attacked spots of candle wax on tables and rugs, blitzed the bathrooms, bedrooms and stairs, took the ironing home with her and announced that she would return in the morning to deal with the rooms downstairs, it felt as if a fresh wind had blown through the house. Bless her for the kind soul she is, if we appreciated her efforts before we certainly do now and I should hate to be without her.

I think that there has not been a day in the last six weeks when it has not rained, small soaking drizzle alternating with torrential downpours blown by the wind at a forty-five degree angle has kept me indoors and all work in the garden has been suspended as our gardeners have been too busy dealing with fallen trees to deal with our pruning and the rain has meant that mowing has been out of the question.

Feeling a little stir crazy my son and I decided that nothing would stop us from visiting the Annual Christmas Craft Fair at the village hall. This is a marvellous event as all the stalls are filled with items made by local artists and crafts men and women, and a mighty talented group they are.

Of course by the time we were ready to set out it was lashing down, perishing cold and with a wind strong enough to trash a brolly in ten seconds flat!

We fought our way up the hill like a couple of intrepid explorers, meeting on the way other benighted idiots on the same errand as ourselves, each cursing his or her stupidity at having been tempted away from a warm fireside by the promise of a Christmas bargain,though I must say that it was well worth the effort.

Each day having been fraught with problems we have now reached the point where we go to bed speculating upon what horrors the next day will produce and tonight is no exception.

The gale which has been blowing all day has developed into a storm and gusts of seventy miles an hour are once again battering the house.

About an our ago I distinctly heard the sound of a slate sliding down the roof above my bedroom. Candles have again been deployed about the house ready to be lit in the event of any further power outs. We are, in short, prepared for the worst!

A RAINY NIGHT

All day the sky has threatened rain to come, but although the sky was dark and portentous the weather remained dry and the air still. The change came at dusk, with a steady drizzle which soaked the garden in a matter of minutes and sent our cats running for home, and a dry place before the fire.

As I write rain is falling heavily, streaming down the sloping roof outside my bedroom window, pouring into the gutters and gurgling down the drain pipe.

As this torrent hit the roof of the conservatory it makes a noise like and express train and is loud enough to cause cats to wake from their slumbers and stare stare balefully out in to the dark garden.

Now that most of the leaves have fallen I have a good view of the old church tower, lit by spot lights it seems to float above the tree tops, indistinct in it's shroud of rain.

I n the gap between the dormers sheltered from the worst of the storm I can hear a faint scratching sound, made by small birds who always roost there in bad weather. Last winter a rat managed to invade the loft and the sound of it's pattering feet almost drove the cat Twiggy to distraction.

So long as I can remain indoors I love nights like this, when I can cuddle up beside the fire or snuggle into my cosy bed and drift off to sleep listening to the sounds made by the rain.

I revel at such times in the quiet comfort of home, in sharp contrast to the wildness of a rainy night, the warm lamplight within while outside all is dark and forbidding. A cup of hot chocolate is even nicer under these circumstances, the pleasure it gives heightened by what is happening outside.

On nights such as this I do not mind being unable to sleep as there is pleasure to be gained from the sense of comfort and well being as I listen in my candlelit room to the soporific sounds of a rainy night in the countryside.

When we lived in London and my son worked all night in the city I hated bad weather as I though of him battling his way to work through the dreary streets, or working at his desk tired and with the prospect of a long journey home in the morning rush hour.

Now I can enjoy rainy nights knowing that he, like myself is safe and warm

These are small pleasures, but I am thankful for them.

TROUBLE WITH THE SHED!

A few weeks ago after a very rainy night, I opened up the shed for Twiggy, who uses the place as a refuge when the cleaner is vacuum cleaner the house, and to my dismay discovered that the interior of the shed was soaking wet.

Close inspection revealed that the cause of the trouble was the roofing felt, which had slipped down the roof exposing the bare woodwork. The resulting deluge had left Twiggy's cushioned hideaway in a soggy mess, so that she was obliged to spend the afternoon in the green house (definitely second best!)

We dried out the cushions and the next day did what we could to make the roof sound again, effecting a temporary repair which would hopefully last long enough to give us time to make more permanent arrangements.

Today we got the all clear from our agent to get some estimates for the work. Since the roof timbers are unsound and the rear wall of the shed is rotten it seems likely that a new shed will be needed. The existing shed is a large one and as well as our cat it is currently housing a large garden swing, several padded garden chairs and a small table; not to mention a splendid array of wellies, hiking boot, hard hats, goggles and masks:

Past experience has taught us that getting the owners of the house to part with money for repairs can take quite a time, but we hope that on this occasion he will bite the bullet and get the job done sooner rather than later.. I shall not be holding my breath!

All through the day the same thick fog which shrouded the valley yesterday has hung in the tree tops and drifted around the church tower. Now that darkness has fallen the effect of the street lighting on this thick haze is eerie. Looking out over the garden the light seems to be spread out across the lawn and the white mist, now drifting just above ground level looks very spooky indeed.

We have drawn the curtains and built up the fires, soon we shall be safe in our beds, and I am glad that none of us are travelling in such conditions.

Many years ago we often had to drive for mile in thick fog on one memorable occasion was so bad that I was obliged to perch on the bonnet of the car in order to keep us on the straight and narrow. I even had to clamber up sign posts in order to find find the right direction. Now that was scary.

THE HALLOWEEN PARTY THAT ALMOST WASN'T!

Last nights Halloween party was a huge success, and from dusk until quite late a steady stream of children and adults trooped though our door in search of the various treats on offer. Mountains of cookies, cakes and other party food vanished quickly and we began to wonder if we had enough to last the night.

In fact there should have been several more items, however a crisis occurred on Friday which not only prevented me to doing any baking at all, but also caused us to miss breakfast, and lunch and made dinner very late indeed.

We were up early on Friday morning which promised to be a very busy day, the grocery delivery had arrived and been packed away and we were about to cook breakfast when a knock at the door heralded the beginning of a strange and frustrating day.

We opened the door to find a neighbour who was obviously very upset and so, of course we asked her in, sat her down, made coffee and tried to help.

Her story was a long one and although I cannot give any details, suffice it to say that she had every cause to be unhappy and so, although bust we were not inclined to turn her away.

Over three hours later with her tale told, my son agreed to go home with her and attempt to sort out her immediate difficulties, this was a generous offer as his next book must be finished by Wednesday and he had reached the stage where every moment counted.

We had begged her to stay for breakfast but she was too upset to eat anything, so it was that at around one thirty my son, armed with laptop, note pad and pencil and went to view the mountain of paperwork which seemed to be, in part the cause of the trouble.

During her time with us the meat delivery had arrived and needed to be stowed away in the freezer, having first been split in to manageable portions, for use in the weeks to come.

This done and the kitchen tidied the was little time for baking and I was obliged to shelve the job until the next day.

At five my son returned, he had invited the damsel in distress to dinner, after which the two of them would retire to the study to complete their deliberations.

She arrived am our later and being by this time absolutely ravenous we all tucked in to our first meal of the day at six O clock!

Pa and I cleared the kitchen while my son, continued his night errantry and I must say that by now the lady appeared much calmer and more cheerful than before.

She left at ten, and although her problems were not entirely solved she could at lest see her way through them fog to a, hopefully favourable conclusion.

Well of course all of this meant that on the morning of Halloween I still had all the baking to do, the mini quiches, sausage rolls, witches fingers and cupcakes, not to mention all the decorations. indoors and out to be done. I was literally cooking against the clock.

Unfortunately the cupcakes and witches fingers had to be left, along with a bath of ghost shaped cookies. These were replaced by a large tin of sweets, a huge bowl of crisps and large bowl of chocolate eyeballs.

It was well that we had made these extra provisions as the number of visitors far exceeded last years numbers, at one point a party of thirty children arrived together, with adult supervisors. Apparently their had been a party at a neighbours house and from their the children had been taken around the village for “Trick or Treat”

We had laid out a large party table in the conservatory which was decorated with cobwebs spiders ans coloured lanterns. Serving such a large party took a little time and the adults chatted, with some of our other adult visitors over a glass of wine. It was great fun.

For the rest of the evening children in smaller groups arrived at regular intervals, quite number for the next village more than a mile away...all were welcome

Many of the adults were in costume and even I wore a grey kaftan embellished with a black cat!

By ten thirty the last of our visitor had left and so, armed with a very large Scotch, I made my weary way upstairs to bed.

It had been a wonderful party, what could be better that to spend an evening with a house full of friends and happy children/