People weren't kidding when they said that moving house was the second most stressful event of your life - only second to getting divorced, which I very nearly thought we would be. (Well, of sorts given we aren't really married). My word I haven't been able to write since March! The giraffe print wall paper has inspired me to start blogging again, so the dishes in the kitchen sink (no dishwasher) and lunch that ended up on the kitchen floor, will have to wait.
The new house is fabulous! I can't believe how much space we have! We have a little conservatory which is the 'piece de resistance'. It is ridiculous how excited I am about the fact I am growing tomatoes in my conservatory! Ever since my Gran showed me how to 'tickle' them with cotton wool to cross pollinate them when I was younger, I have been desperate to grow them. I can smell the 'tang' before they are even growing. I also have a new rattan rocking chair from Ikea, which just fits in fabulously - this is my Ali chair, a homage to my best friend not my daughter, as she gave me the vouchers for Ikea, thanks hun!
One problem however - the shower is knackered. I noticed a stain on the kitchen ceiling about three weeks into our new home, only to realise it was the shower leaking through from above. Lovely plumber man informed me that the shower was a piece of junk, held together with practically nothing and garden hose for piping. This made me want to cry, because if there is one thing I did not want to break it was the shower. Over 2 weeks of three baths a day and I was to take away. The plumber has been back and forth and luckily has made it usable - but he is not sure how long it will last. Great.
The Garden, oh the garden - primarily it is amazing to have one, but I love it, Ali loves it and D has cut the grass in it several times already! We have a built in BBQ which we have road tested and it is very efficient. We can see all the way to the river at the bottom of the valley and the sun sets over the fence to the back right of the boundary. I can't wait to sit outside on an evening (when the weather improves) and have a glass of wine while watching the sun go down.
Currently, in general, I am high on life, as I have just handed in my assignment to be a mentor to student midwives. It has been the bane of my life and I feel as if I have spent the last month on edge, sat in front of a computer, cursing while flicking through textbooks, and fobbing Ali off with DVD's. Monday 18th I came home from work, had a glass of wine, sat on the sofa, and watched TV - sublime!
Granny is staying with us and for once we are able to offer her a proper bed, in her own room, as opposed to the sofa in the living room. She is tackling the garden for us and simply couldn't wait to get started. I on the other hand could - not being the biggest fan of gardening. But I could have swung for someone when I came home yesterday. I am concerned about getting things organised for Ali's birthday, which is not a million miles away now, so headed to collect a trampoline I had found in a Bank Holiday sale at Netto. Leaving on the understanding that we were planting everything later in the day when it wasn't so hot (it was 28 degrees!) I headed off to plough my way into Kingston Park to find the Netto store; on return I found D, MIL and Ali in the garden and they had been there since I left. Both were subtly insinuating that I had gotten off lightly which put me on the defensive, then on closer inspection I observed the state of my daughter. She was almost tomato red on her neck and shoulders, burning from the midday sun. 'Have you seen Ali?' I said to D. 'She's really sun-burned'. To which I got the reply, 'Well I can't do everything you know'. Boiling over I spouted 'well you would think your burning daughter would be your priority over the garden', abruptly, and took her indoors. Not much else was said for quite some time! I was fuming! I still am.
I think we are going down the line of holding a party at home again for Ali, given that I can't afford to hire anywhere - which is a shame because that means I have to deal with the mess too. Ali has chosen a 'Charlie and Lola' themed birthday party, to which I have agreed because I secretly love Charlie and Lola too, but I cannot seem to stop feeling guilty about the children I wont be able to invite. 26 kids all with a parent would mean 52 people in my house before you even add on family and friends outside of school. Not possible. Sardines in a tin, and mayhem & chaos spring to mind. I thought it would be hard to choose which children to invite but it's not, there are some children I certainly do not want in my house; however I feel so guilty because I know how upset Ali was when she was not invited to one. What can I do though? I haven't got the space or the money to cater for them all. I really need to get this political parenting sorted!
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