Morrisons café
appears to be my go-to place when I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown, I
think. Having come close to bursting into tears again after discovering not
only woodworm but damp in the house I figured it was best to get away and find
some perspective. Ordinarily I wouldn't leave the house with Hugh the day after
being discharged from hospital but the sound of the circular saw screeching as
it ripped through the floorboards in my bedroom was upsetting him too much, as
well as setting my teeth on edge, so we left in a hurry. As it is, he is sat opposite me snoozing contentedly while his
pump feeds him a milky lunch and I munch on a cheese and onion toastie.
The platitudes that
I usually console myself with "it'll all be worth it in the end" and
"at least we found it now and not when the job was finished" aren't
having the desired effect and I had to strongly suppress the urge to scream. In
truth, I'm feeling a little hard done by. This never happens on DIY SOS.
So, in an effort to
redress the balance and stop myself sulking like a child, I'm working on some
reasons to be cheerful and I'll return home with renewed positivity.
1.
Our carpenter. Most of the people helping on this
Big Build are friends we've known for years. Stephen grew up with most of them.
Some of these friendships have lasted 40 years (yes he really is THAT old!).
What they're doing is amazing but they're fuelled by a lifetime of friendship.
Not so for Neil- he only entered our lives after the reception teacher
encouraged our sons to be friends 3 years ago. Despite knowing us such a
relatively short time, he has worked tirelessly to get our house back to a more
inhabitable condition. He's there now, while I'm sulking in Morrisons. He's
there more than I am, I reckon. And whilst he might take the piss out of me for
not making enough cups of tea and he can be quite annoying after a few beers,
we really couldn't have done this without him.
2.
Hugh's home from hospital and pretty healthy
considering. Sometimes when Hugh's had a bad run of seizures he can be groggy
and off colour for days. Instead he's full of beans and really happy. It means
I can leave the house with him quite easily. And when we need to evacuate
the house for a few hours while woodworm treatment commences tomorrow, this
won't be an issue as he's ready to go back to school anyway.
|
Happy to be home from hospital |
3.
So far (I really shouldn't jinx it like this) but
Sean's and Hugh's bedrooms have remained unaffected. Hugh's bedroom is his
sanctuary. His favourite place in the world is his bed. It's because of this
we've resisted moving out to my mum’s while the building work is carried out. (Well that and the fact it
would be a nightmare to get the kids to school in the morning from her house). He
can still chill out and listen to his music and watch his bubble tube and his
flashing disco lights. Having this space keeps him calm, keeps him happy. And
I'm grateful for that.
4.
Sean's room has bunk beds and the bottom can either
be a double bed or a settee. Lately it's been serving as our living room/dining
room. We eat our dinner in there, Sean does his homework in there and we play
cards in the evening in there. Yes, cards!!! We have no TV at the moment as the
aerial is disconnected. It's a bit like living in the olden days! It's been
quite fun actually and Sean has loved learning new card games. Tonight, with no
floorboards in our bedroom, we can pull it out into a double bed and we'll
still have somewhere to sleep. That's something to be thankful for.
|
Does this count as 'sitting down to eat together as a family'? |
5.
There's a curry in the slow cooker and wine in the
fridge. Thursday evening sorted.
So, positive mental attitude resurrected, I'm able
to face the mess and the chaos that awaits.
I think.
|
Or maybe not ... *goes off to cry* |
Oh dear, I have all this to come (sort of) as we have changes made to the house for my hubby. I'm glad you have somewhere to go, and I hope the work, still to do, isn't too horrific x
ReplyDeleteOh wow.. that is a lot of work being done! but will be worth it. Thank goodness for Morrsions cafe! Also thank goodness for slow cookers and wine! hugs
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, that is a lot to contend with! I'm glad you have your sanctuary in the cafe and that the work gets finished soon. Thanks for linking up with #SSAmazingAchievements
ReplyDelete