Well DS1 came back ok from Uni and barely had time to sit down before I started him on decorating. We started decorating in DDs room. She wanted another wall painted in the dark purple/grey she'd already got on a couple of walls. I'd ordered another tin of the paint at Easter thinking we might get chance to do the painting then but there was no time then. It was nightmare as the paint is very thin and drips everywhere...and I really mean everywhere....it was also a distinctly different shade to the previous paint, much more grey and less purple. I got another tin so I could repaint the initial wall for that to be yet another shade! I phoned up and complained and got my money back...a real consideration given the premium cost of the paint.
DS1 and I then went to the Dulux paint centre and got some paint....and then went back as the first paint was a vibrant pink, not at all like the swatch on the site. The eventual colour was perfect, realistically the original colour but without the very nice chalky effect that the premium paint had. On the plus side the Dulux paint was a doddle to use as its a good thick consistency so doesn't drip everywhere.
We then had fun as DS1 needed to fix a tv stand to the wall so DD could have a tv in her room over her bed. The original tv stand I'd ordered was massively too big and weighed more than the tv. I got another, much smaller one and even that caused problem fixing it to the wall. DS1 manged to sort it by attaching a piece of wood to the wall first and angling the screws down. The tv hasn't come off the wall yet so it appears to be working fine. Having a tv made a real difference to DD as she can distract while laid in bed. It was particularly useful as the day we'd finished in DDs room we went on to decorate the living room which was a major job and involved laying cork tiles as the floor, which was stained floorboards and was just a mess and looked grubby and annoyed me. We managed really well and finished the work in five days...five long days but it all got done. We even put window film on the windows...a major undertaking as one of the windows is the width of the room. Luckily DS2 was really sensible and helped so we managed without any traumas. Having the film makes a real difference to the amount of glare in the room and really helps DD, not that she's spent much time in the living room. All the hassle of decorating and having the house a mess has been hard on DD who spent most of the time in bed watching tv and napping.
We had fun one night when a mouse got into the house. Renata caught it immediately but didn't kill it. Instead she decided it was the best toy ever and brought it into my room to play with and proceeded to play for an hour or so...from 1.30am...until she lost it! DD, who was in my room as her room was still being sorted, and I got NO sleep that night. The mouse made a break for freedom mid morning when DS1 was in my bedroom. He is utterly phobic of rodents and freaked. Renata caught it again but was still playing. I went up armed with a broom and managed to corner the little bugger and crush to death. We also found where we assume the mouse got into the house and filled the hole up. Renata sulked for days, partly because we we messing up her house decorating and partly because I took away her toy!
We still have my bedroom and the halls to emulsion but we are having a break from decorating. We could only do the living room as DP was away in Australia and DS2 was still in college. DP is off for a week at the start of August so we definitely won't be decorating then...anyway we all need a rest. DD and Renata in particular need for the house to be calm for a few weeks.
Anyway the beginning of August I'll be getting a new car. I'd already planned to sort one that week as my car is getting very elderly and I thought it worth replacing before the MOT at the end of August but its become more urgent as a total dimwit pulled out of a junction, from a a standing start, and hit the side of my car. Luckily DS1 was with me so he could take all the photos we needed and I spoke to the insurers as soon as we got back home. I could have had a hire car through the insurance but that would have needed DP to be home so he could sign...not possible with him being in Australia. I sorted my own hire car and will need to make sure the new car has insurance in my name in case I have any problems in future.
Unsurprisingly the insurance decided to write the car off, not because there was a lot of damage but the car is old and not in great condition. The damage was a minor shunt to the passenger door and wheel arch but even that amount of damage was more than the value of the car. It worked in our favour as the price the insurance offered us was twice what we'd have got from anywhere else.
Now we just need to sort a new car. We then get to finish the decorating, DS1 needs to sort his CV and portfolio and get himself a job. He is back in London next week for a couple of days to graduate...I'm gutted neither DD or I can go and see him get his degree but there is no way DD is well enough for us to go.
DD has a list of photos she wants to take over the summer and beyond. She has taken a break from blogging as it was getting too hard for her and not fun anymore, but she missed all the excitement and the reason for getting dressed up so she is now back blogging. Her photos are getting better all the time and we are now moving into the realms of props and 'concepts'....definitely makes for better photos.
DS2 is being a total arse already...aggressive, floppy, entitled, rude...just basically unpleasant and had to be around. Hopefully he calms down and starts being the lovely child he can be.
So not a relaxing summer. Especially as DM is back in hospital, another trip via ambulance just because her oxygen was low. I'm pretty sure she could have got to A&E by car, but an ambulance is so much more dramatic and DM sure likes to be the centre of attention. DP, DS2 and I went over to York to see her on Wednesday evening and that's it as far as I'm concerned. I'm just waiting for her to die....even DF is talking about her bed blocking and not needing to be resuscitated, so he is getting sick of her endless dramas and illness.
Anyway the summer will, hopefully be productive. A newly decorated house, a new car and hopefully DS1 with a job....anything else is a bonus. I would like to see DD coping with all the photo outings she's planned and not having a flare! I also want to see DS2 calming down and being his sweet, charming self! I'd also like to have DM dead and DP leaving...a girl can dream!
Update: well we have managed to get the decorating mostly done before the end of August, my bedroom still needs some bits finishing and the hall and stairs still need to be painted but the main work is all done. Its so good KNOWING that the floor in the living room and my bedroom are totally sealed...wire mesh and panelling with a pile of filler in my room! Its also just so much cleaner and tidier as I've taken the opportunity to clear out a load of junk.
The new car is another Honda Jazz as I liked the last one so much, its even red which makes it easy to remember which is my car in a car park.
DD got one of her photo sessions sorted and we all set off for Whitby at 2am to be there for the pre-dawn 'blue hour'. Unfortunately the photos weren't quite what she'd been hoping for but it was still a lovely day and the photos are more than usable. Instead of resting following the day out she pushed herself too hard while DS1 and I decorated my bedroom which did lead to a mini flare and she was in bed for a week in lots of pain.
My parents came over on afternoon on their way back from Tong, their stated reason was to see DS1. Not a good day as we were in the middle of decorating and really busy. Anyway they did get to 'see' DS1 when I made him go down but they didn't actually bother speaking to him! Strange. They also failed to notice I had a new car, but DP took them out to show them his new car...in fact he spoke pretty much all the time they were here, dull but better than me having to try and cobble together any conversation, and lets be honest, they have no interest in anything I say or do and may actually find DP's rambling of some interest.
Other than that DS2 is still having real problems regulating his behaviour...he is working through some difficult stuff from his past in therapy which is stressing him and he's anxious about his last year at College, non of which is an excuse for his behaviour but it does make it understandable.
Last night was fun as he and DP had a massive argument. They had been out to a rugby match which was impossible to find, stressful for both of them but no excuse for either of them to behave so badly. I gather DS2 said lots of rude and unkind things to DP...mostly 'true' if with a spin on them...basically how no one liked DP. Not unnaturally DP was not overjoyed and because he's a prat he totally over reacted, as he always does, and was nasty in retaliation so the situation escalated. It took hours to calm DS2 down enough so he could sleep. DS1 and DD helped talk him down...we all, independently, stressed to DS2 that its not okay to say unkind things...non of us was going to tell him off for lying because we all basically agreed with his honesty even if his delivery was unacceptable. DP had been going to work from home rather than driving into the office...not something any of us wanted as its always horrid having him at home, but after last night he decided to go into work so people there can tell him how amazing he is. He is never going to get that at home that's for sure! Now we just have to survive through next week when he's off all week!
Thursday 20 July 2017
Sunday 2 July 2017
Summer is here
After a week of VERY hot weather...so hot I caved in a bought myself some shorts...we had a couple of weeks of cold, wet weather. So cold I actually put the heater on in the kitchen. Its now back to warm and sunny which is fine as long as it stays warm rather than hot!
DD has been really struggling this year....lots of pain and endless cramp which has been making sleep difficult. She is slowly coming round a bit but is finding it hard as her cat is being very clingy, especially in the night. Renata had a biopsy to check if there was any particular reason for her constantly scratching the same bits of her neck till they bled...we all though cancer but no one wanted to say it. Luckily the biopsy found nothing so we just need to let the scar heal...easier said than done if you are a cat. We ended up getting her little catsuits which she hates but do stop her opening her stitches when she scratches. She is, slowly, getting used to the suit and should only need it for another week or so.
DD2 has had a rough couple of weeks. He's been really stressed in College because of exams which make him feel stupid, he's also been struggling with the behaviour of some of the other students. One of the other students is, according to DS2, trying to get people to start smoking. Added to this DS2 has started dealing with his first family in his therapy sessions and finds that very hard. All this has impacted on his behaviour a lot and he's been hard to live with. He does seem to be calmer today, so hopefully his stress is easing off. He was so stressed he was actually ill on Thursday night, massive temperature and he was shivering and his hands and feet were freezing. He was still less than well on Friday and didn't eat much as he felt sick...for a child who is NEVER ill it was a sign of just how stressed he's been.
DS1 is on his way back to Leeds as I type...DP went down to London to collect him. DS1 had hoped to get a job sorted before he needed to come back to Leeds but he's not exactly pro active and it was never going to happen. Instead he is coming back help me decorate virtually the whole house...DDs room needs repainting and a TV fixing to the wall and some other bits and pieces sorting. As she spends increasing amounts of time in her room its helpful to have suitable tech to keep her occupied as boredom is a massive problem when she's too tired to come downstairs but not tired enough to doze.
The living room is getting a new floor and the wood work repainting as the white gloss had gone yellow awfully fast and looks dirty. DS1 is also building a new filing cabinet, a cat staircase and some storage for DS2's craft supplies...so not much. We then move onto my bedroom which needs repainting and a new floor and other than that it just need a massive tidy, which it will get. Once all that's done we just need to repaint the hall and stairs and do a couple of bits in the kitchen...like new chairs...and we are sorted.
We had saved the money to do all the work but DD has just had to replace her camera which used up all our savings...that's what credit cards are for I guess but I am trying to pay them off rather than to max them out again!
The other job we need to get sorted is replace my car...its MOT is the end of August and I get the real feeling that its going to be an expensive job to get it through so it seems wisest to replace it sooner rather than later .So that's pencilled in for the beginning of August.
DP has been away for a week in America with work, came back and left almost immediately for a week in France seeing his mum and sister. He's got this week in Leeds then he's off to Australia for a week with work. Hard work for him, especially seeing his mum and sister, but makes for a much easier summer for the rest of us.
Hopefully DS1 will get his driving license sorted this summer as well and get himself a job. In travelling distance of Leeds so he can live here for a while and build up his savings would be good but any job is good realistically.
Fingers crossed DS2 will have a sensible summer and get a handle on his behaviour, which will please him as much as anyone else. I'm hoping DD gets done the trips out she is planning...sunrise in Whitby will be amazing if exhausting. All in all a very busy summer but one I'm looking forward to. All made easier as haven't seen J for nearly a month, though she did text to gloat her son got First...crap degree at a crap Uni so I wasn't as impressed as I could have been but said all the right things. I also haven't really seen my parents for ages...they did insist on coming when I was painting the panelling in the hall, even though I said 'no' as it wasn't convenient. I set dressed the hall to look even busier than I was...I was doing a final coat and touch up...and talked to them briefly outside the front door! I was proud of myself for sticking to my guns and I really did not want them traipsing through the house as I could absolutely guarantee one of them would have smudged the paint at least once. Mum phoned yesterday but talked to DP as I heard it was her and went straight upstairs to sit with DD ...so she sent me a passive aggressive email, which I deleted. I will be baseline polite but that's it. I really don't have the energy to focus on her which is what she wants.
DD has been really struggling this year....lots of pain and endless cramp which has been making sleep difficult. She is slowly coming round a bit but is finding it hard as her cat is being very clingy, especially in the night. Renata had a biopsy to check if there was any particular reason for her constantly scratching the same bits of her neck till they bled...we all though cancer but no one wanted to say it. Luckily the biopsy found nothing so we just need to let the scar heal...easier said than done if you are a cat. We ended up getting her little catsuits which she hates but do stop her opening her stitches when she scratches. She is, slowly, getting used to the suit and should only need it for another week or so.
DD2 has had a rough couple of weeks. He's been really stressed in College because of exams which make him feel stupid, he's also been struggling with the behaviour of some of the other students. One of the other students is, according to DS2, trying to get people to start smoking. Added to this DS2 has started dealing with his first family in his therapy sessions and finds that very hard. All this has impacted on his behaviour a lot and he's been hard to live with. He does seem to be calmer today, so hopefully his stress is easing off. He was so stressed he was actually ill on Thursday night, massive temperature and he was shivering and his hands and feet were freezing. He was still less than well on Friday and didn't eat much as he felt sick...for a child who is NEVER ill it was a sign of just how stressed he's been.
DS1 is on his way back to Leeds as I type...DP went down to London to collect him. DS1 had hoped to get a job sorted before he needed to come back to Leeds but he's not exactly pro active and it was never going to happen. Instead he is coming back help me decorate virtually the whole house...DDs room needs repainting and a TV fixing to the wall and some other bits and pieces sorting. As she spends increasing amounts of time in her room its helpful to have suitable tech to keep her occupied as boredom is a massive problem when she's too tired to come downstairs but not tired enough to doze.
The living room is getting a new floor and the wood work repainting as the white gloss had gone yellow awfully fast and looks dirty. DS1 is also building a new filing cabinet, a cat staircase and some storage for DS2's craft supplies...so not much. We then move onto my bedroom which needs repainting and a new floor and other than that it just need a massive tidy, which it will get. Once all that's done we just need to repaint the hall and stairs and do a couple of bits in the kitchen...like new chairs...and we are sorted.
We had saved the money to do all the work but DD has just had to replace her camera which used up all our savings...that's what credit cards are for I guess but I am trying to pay them off rather than to max them out again!
The other job we need to get sorted is replace my car...its MOT is the end of August and I get the real feeling that its going to be an expensive job to get it through so it seems wisest to replace it sooner rather than later .So that's pencilled in for the beginning of August.
DP has been away for a week in America with work, came back and left almost immediately for a week in France seeing his mum and sister. He's got this week in Leeds then he's off to Australia for a week with work. Hard work for him, especially seeing his mum and sister, but makes for a much easier summer for the rest of us.
Hopefully DS1 will get his driving license sorted this summer as well and get himself a job. In travelling distance of Leeds so he can live here for a while and build up his savings would be good but any job is good realistically.
Fingers crossed DS2 will have a sensible summer and get a handle on his behaviour, which will please him as much as anyone else. I'm hoping DD gets done the trips out she is planning...sunrise in Whitby will be amazing if exhausting. All in all a very busy summer but one I'm looking forward to. All made easier as haven't seen J for nearly a month, though she did text to gloat her son got First...crap degree at a crap Uni so I wasn't as impressed as I could have been but said all the right things. I also haven't really seen my parents for ages...they did insist on coming when I was painting the panelling in the hall, even though I said 'no' as it wasn't convenient. I set dressed the hall to look even busier than I was...I was doing a final coat and touch up...and talked to them briefly outside the front door! I was proud of myself for sticking to my guns and I really did not want them traipsing through the house as I could absolutely guarantee one of them would have smudged the paint at least once. Mum phoned yesterday but talked to DP as I heard it was her and went straight upstairs to sit with DD ...so she sent me a passive aggressive email, which I deleted. I will be baseline polite but that's it. I really don't have the energy to focus on her which is what she wants.
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