Quite a Quiet Weekend

I have been pretty much incommunicado since Thursday afternoon when my phone was suddenly cut off. I had been to collect Grandson for a long weekend, and walked in expecting to be able to have the usual chats with family and friends during the evening, only to be frustrated by a dead and silent telephone. I expected it to be a small hiccup, over soon, but here we are on Sunday evening and it's still out of order. I should have gone out on Friday and topped up my mobile, but Grandson didn't want to go anywhere (he was pretty tired) so I didn't venture out - and it was a foul day anyway. If I had known that I'd still be sitting here in silence, I would have forced myself out! But no. Consequently I ran out of mobile credit some time on Saturday, but having reported the phone fault on Friday, I foolishly expected it to be put right subito. Ho, Ho. Still no mobile credit. Still no Landline. And yet my Broadband is working. I don't get the logic of this (if there is any). So here I sit Blogging into the void and hoping for re-connection tomorrow.

I had Grandson here because Daughter was off on some business junket for her new job. Her Company had taken over the Rembrandt Hotel in Kensington for a Conference, and she was part of the hospitality and administration team. It all sounded rather posh, and she arrived back here yesterday afternoon looking very pale and not having had much sleep, as a result of all the entertaining they were doing. She didn't want a glass of wine either, so I imagine there was some over-indulgence involved. After her drive Daughter decided to stay over, which was lovely for me. So she caught up on her sleep and I had another cosy cuddle with Grandson. Plus I had a cup of tea in bed this morning. A rare luxury...

Anyway, we had had a lovely relaxing time, and Grandson was so pleased to see his Mum. He has been rather reluctant about eating his food at school, so his wonderful Teacher has devised a "smiley face" reward scheme for him; every time he eats his breakfast and lunch he is awarded a smiley face on the chart, and 8 smiley faces equal a reward. His chosen reward this week was "a muddy walk with Nana", so that's what we had on Saturday morning, and he couldn't wait to show Daughter his chart with no less that 12 smiley faces on it. I must say he ate every scrap of his food while he was here at the weekend, but I think the real object of the exercise is to get him to try a few new things when they are on the school menu. He has been refusing unfamiliar dishes without trying them first, and that's not a good habit to get into.

Students are thin on the ground at the moment, which is no bad thing really after my last experience. One of my Brighton BFs has just had her first student - a Chilean called Rolando whom her husband insisted on calling Ronaldo (he's a great football fan). I haven't heard the gritty details, but apparently he was both charming and a pleasure to have around. She only took him on a Bed and Breakfast basis for her first experiment, and it seems to have been a success. He has gone home today, and she was expecting her next two Students to arrive this evening. They are on half-board, so last week we worked out a rota of recipes in order to prepare her for cooking suppers as well. Then she learned that she would be having her Grandchildren over Half Term too, so she really is in at the deep end. For at least one of the weeks, there will be six of them sitting down to both breakfast and dinner every day. Let's hope she comes out of it smiling.

Yesterday was a black day for Spurs supporters. Tottenham Hospur were playing Manchester United in the FA Cup fourth round. It all started well when they scored a goal in the first 5 minutes, but it was downhill after that. In the end we were all shouting at the TV in frustration.
Even Grandson joined in because he couldn't understand why our team in the white shirts kept passing the ball to the red-shirts. They lost their get-up-and-go, stopped tackling the opposition, and strolled around the park as if they were winning, when they were actually losing. Sister phoned me (on my mobile) this evening and said she could hardly bear to watch it either. I haven't yet talked to Son about it, but I'm pretty sure his opinion will be unprintable...

Country Pursuits...

I have been away again, this time to stay with my Aristocratic BF who, you may remember, broke her hip last March. She is now back on top form (I know this because she is continually complaining about her ill health - when she was really ill, she never murmured about it!). Anyway, I went last Thursday and stayed until Sunday, which was great. We caught up on all the latest news of families and friends, nearly completed a fiendishly difficult jigsaw puzzle (I left her with all the really impossible pieces), went for a couple of walks on sunny mornings, and spent the last day making marmalade. This entails endless squeezing of juice, chopping of peel, peeling of pith and boiling of pips etc. I had never made marmalade before, so it was both instructional and rather enjoyable. In all, it took about 4 hours of pretty constant effort, which was well rewarded by the row of lovely shiny jars lined up in her kitchen afterwards. I think I should try and join a local knitting, sewing or crochet group; this may seem like a non-sequiteur, but actually all those home crafts are connected, and they do bring a surprising amount of contentment and satisfaction. Plus, you have something to show for all your effort. I brought a jar of marmalade home with me, and can't wait to give it to friends and family with their breakfast toast. Come to think of it, I also have an unfinished patchwork and a half-done tapestry lurking somewhere in my cupboards. And if only I could remember how to crochet.
This may well be the start of something interesting..

Before going to my ABF, I had driven to East Grinstead last Wednesday for a Treatment which was part of my Christmas present from Son. The lady Therapist in question practises many alternative therapies, and I was keen to try something new. So I chose a combination of Health Kinesiology and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), and she also threw in some work on my Chakras and my Aura. It was a very intense two-hour session, and I came away feeling rather punch-drunk. I have spent the time since trying to remember exactly what happened, with very little success. I remember bits and pieces. She asked a lot of questions and I supplied a lot of answers. We went back through my history, and I remember I talked about the children quite a bit ("what a surprise", I hear you say!) She ended by saying that I had a wounded heart and a damaged Aura - both of which were fixable. And she gave me some homework to do. I have felt lighter, as she said I would, and inexplicably happier and more positive. I remember a little more each day, and intend to talk to her on the phone to clarify just what she actually did.
I certainly felt very emotional at the end, and she advised me not to drive for a while - good advice. I sat in a cosy cafe and drank a lovely cup of tea with a toasted sandwich. I don't actually remember much about driving home - even though I waited an hour before attempting it. It's certainly mysterious, but in a nice way. I intend to go back again , and will keep you posted.

Still no news on Daughter's results. She both looks and feels well, so let's hope it's good news.
Grandson is fine - full of beans as usual - and was very pleased to see me today after school.
We went home for tea and then he helped me to make a big pot of vegetable soup for his Mum when she came in from work. He stood on a kitchen chair and chopped garlic, onions, carrots and parsnips. Then we added some vegetable stock, a sprinkling of herbs and pepper and salt, and watched it bubbling away for a while. "I'm a good cooker" he said, and I had to agree. When Daughter came home, she couldn't wait to try it, and pronounced it delicious. My Little Chef...

Thank u Suzy Soo

It's about time, I know, but many thanks to Suzy Soo for my award - I surely haven't deserved it of late, but hope to be worthy of it in future...

Time Out

I have been feeling so very lost of late, that I don't really know where to start. There's not much doubt that it started with the stupid business with the Wee Git - quite why it affected me so much I don't know, but it did. I suppose I have been very lucky with Students in the past, and didn't expect that sort of difficulty. Anyway, that set me off, and although Christmas with the family was lovely, we were plunged straight into Daughter's Hospital visit, and then Grandson's grommits. It's no wonder I didn't feel much like celebrating the New Year.

As it happened, Grandson had an OK time in the WaterPistol. I wasn't actually there for the operation, because they had to have him at Epsom Hospital by 8am, but Daughter gave me a blow-by-blow account, and he was fine except for one ghastly moment when he fought to stay awake (of course he couldn't have understood what an anaesthetic would be like), and that upset her a bit. It all went very well though, and he was soon back in the Recovery Room, a bit groggy and staggering around as if he had had one too many whiskies. After he had been checked over and had something to eat and drink, Daughter brought him over to me in the afternoon. He seemed alright, but I couldn't help commenting on the green tinge to his skin! Bless him, he was pretty well, though very tired, and was happy to snuggle down in my bed with a hot water bottle and a couple stories. He spent the next couple of days with me and we chilled out. We went for gentle walks, visited the donkeys, and he ate and slept heartily, so he was much improved by the time I took him back home. He now tells everyone that his ears are protected, and that he can hear much better, which is good news.

The other bit of good news is that Daughter and the Boyfriend are buying a house in a village near where they have been renting. I guess the Credit Crunch is good news for some, and they managed to negotiate a good price on a house which has been on the market, without any offers, for 10 months. I hope that it all goes through without a hitch, but they have had a really hard time getting a mortgage, despite having jobs and a good deposit. The Banks, those greedy buggers, are still refusing to lend to people, despite having been given huge amounts of our (the taxpayers) money. They obviously think that Golden Brown wanted to make up their profits for them - poor devils - because they weren't making quite as much money out of us as usual! The whole thing stinks, and though I feel heartily sorry for ordinary people who are in financial trouble at the moment, I don't feel one jot of pity for the big earners and those financial institutions who have been making obscene profits for so many years at our expense. I hope they actually experience a bit of hardship - maybe even a bit of anxiety about paying their gas and electricity bills- just like the rest of us.

I think my malaise is a lot to do with not being a hands-on Mother any more; if I think back even to this time last year, I was in the thick of it, trying to sort out Son's Flat and Daughter's move. Lucky me, it was a full time job really, and now I miss it. I know that this is what happens, and that it's normal and healthy for my two grown-ups to get on with their lives without me. I just didn't expect to feel quite so redundant. I'm sure I will get used to it, and I'm resolving to get back to E-bay selling, and to enter some more writing competitions. My Horoscopes for the year are very good - apparently I have Jupiter in my sign to bring me good fortune, new directions and brilliant opportunities. All I have to do now is grasp them with both hands. Here goes...

Very Terry Wogan..

Well here I am again, turning up like a bad penny, as my Mother used to say! It's New Year's Eve and I've decided not to go out to yet another party. Frankly, I'd rather gaze at my log fire, and occasionally glance at the TV. The nearest party is downstairs (again) but I don't want to risk getting dressed up and falling down the stairs (again), so they will have to do without me. Apparently Terry Wogan is staying in tonight too, so I'm in good company. He and Lady Helen are looking after some of their grandchildren - sadly I'm not doing that though. Daughter, the Boyfriend and Grandson are staying at home in Dorking, because Daughter had her latest Colposcopy yesterday and is feeling pretty awful today. I went with her to the hospital (and Grandson came too). The procedure didn't take long, but it was pretty painful and she was white as a sheet when she came out, and couldn't stop shaking for quite a while. We were given cups of tea by the nurses, and then I took her back home to rest. She will probably feel like shite for a couple of weeks, and of course we have to wait for the results. I do hope it will all be OK.

Before I came home we had another panic when Grandson was in the bath - lots of red spots appeared on his upper body and Daughter decided we had better take him to the Doctor. So we did: him in his pyjamas, dressing gown and slippers, Daughter wrapped in a rug, and me trying not to have hysterics. In the end it wasn't too serious - we came back with cream for the spots and some special Calpol. He had a slight temperature, the spots of course, and the Doc. could hear a slight wheeze on his chest. If he is sickening for something, it should appear in the next couple of days. And then of course he has his Grommits operation next Monday! Anything else? I drove home at about 7pm, feeling shattered, and could hardly get out of bed this morning. No surprise there!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, and I'm sorry that I wasn't around to join in all the Christmas Blogging. We did have a lovely time: Son, Daughter, the Boyfriend and Grandson were all staying here. We all enjoyed our presents, food and bubbly, and went for a walk by the sea in glorious sunshine on Boxing Day. I had my fireplaces sorted the week before, so we had lovely log fires to sit by and it was very cosy indeed.

At the end of his very first term at Big School, Grandson appeared in his first Nativity Play as the King who brings Gold! He looked wonderful in his costume and crown, and said his words perfectly: "I have got Gold." And then he turned to the audience and gave a triumphant thumbs up! It was a delight to behold, and we felt very proud. Come to think of it, that was one of the best moments of our Christmas.

The End.

The best laid schemes and all that.. I couldn't have guessed how it would all end, but it was both surprising and, I suppose, inevitable. I should have known that I wasn't going to get out of that 10 week stint without some damage - and that's what happened. Are you sitting comfortably?

On Thursday morning I went into the en-suite bathroom that the Wee Git was using (as a favour and a privilege, since it is attached to the double bedroom and he was in the single bedroom) and noticed at once that a large crack had appeared on the base of the toilet. I examined it closely, and saw that the crack had come from an impact point just above it (where the outside of the toilet bowl curves out) and had spread down to the floor. Quite some damage, and probably unfixable, though it hasn't yet affected the toilet bowl, and isn't leaking. I wasn't best pleased, because that bathroom is (was) perfect, and immediately went downstairs and 'phoned the Language School to speak to the woman in charge of Host Families. I told her what I had found, and that I wasn't at all happy. She suggested that I should talk to the Wee Git about it when he came in. I went back upstairs and looked around for the piece of porcelain which had been chipped off - no sign - so I eventually emptied the small waste bin onto the carpet and there, nestling at the bottom, was the missing chip. It fitted perfectly. I now had a piece of evidence to the effect that whoever had done the damage had obviously decided to hide the evidence! I replaced all the rest of the rubbish in the bin and (luckily) kept the white chip in a safe place. I 'phoned back to the School and gave them the latest info. I had already called my plumber, only to be told that to supply and fix a new toilet (and remove the old one) would probably cost about £300. I was bloody furious by this time, and decided to go out and clear my head a bit.

When I came home, the Wee Git was already back from School, I asked him if he knew anything about the broken toilet. I was calm and perfectly polite. He denied all knowledge, and first of all said that it had been done when he arrived. Absolutely not. I knew this because I always clean the bathrooms to within an inch of their lives when I have guests or students. Then he said "Perhaps your Daughter?". That was as far as he got. Next " Perhaps your Friend?" I was livid that he should immediately seek to blame someone else. I told him that I was absolutely sure that it hadn't been cracked before HIS Friend stayed for one night a couple of weeks ago. He still denied all knowledge. Next I went to show him the contents of the bin - only to find, to my astonishment that he had emptied it!! This was the first time in 9 weeks that he had done any such thing! I asked him why he had done it and he blustered that surely I wanted him to empty it since he was going next week (?). I then showed him the perfectly-fitting chip which I had happily saved. He looked pale, but still denied all knowledge. I refused to speak to him for the rest of the evening, and over breakfast next day, told him that the woman from the School was coming to examine the damage. I could go on indefinitely, but suffice it to say that for two days he denied what was perfectly obvious, until I had had enough. And the opinion from the School was that he had pretty obviously done it, or knew how it had been done, and just wasn't telling. He kept on changing his story, and yet insisted that he was telling the truth. I won't bore you with all the details and the conversations, but in the end, yesterday, I'd had enough, and told him to go. He cried. And then, finally, offered to pay for the damage. I told the loathsome little creep that it was too late for that. He couldn't believe that I was actually throwing him out. He went off to spend the weekend in a Student House. This Student House is crowded, grubby, and he will have to cook for himself. He will also have to share a bathroom. He will hate it and, who knows, it may teach him something. Goodbye and good riddance. It will cost me probably £300 to fix the bathroom, and I'll lose this week's rent. I don't care - some things are more important than money. The End.

Crutchless Knickers Anyone?

Oh how naughty, but don't blame me, it's all down to my friend MOB and her suggestion for getting my own back on The Wee Git. I think it's a great idea, but it has just occurred to me that I'll have to go out and buy some if I want to stuff them in his unsuspecting suitcase! Now this would be fine for some of my younger Blogging friends, whose intentions might be said to be thoroughly naughty, but I'm a Grandmother.. What do I say? "Oh, I'm just buying them for my Daughter." Or do I just stuff them in my bag and try to get out of the shop without getting caught? (This brings vivid images of Grandma Giles, if any of you can remember that cartoon, she would definitely have been up for it.) I know there are some saucy ads in even the Hove local paper for "older ladies" who are prepared to offer a "good time", but come on, that's not me. (Sorry, Billy, not even for you :-)

So now I need more suggestions. How on earth do I get hold of the crutchless knickers without getting into a really embarrassing situation? In fact, where do I find them? It's rather a long time since I was out there, if you know what I mean, and I'm not telling you how long it is since I last had sex. This is turning into a rather more complicated exercise than I had imagined. That Wee Git has a lot to answer for...