Struggling to stay awake

 

It was a long night.  I was still awake at gone 1 a.m. and then woke at 6.10 a.m. for the day.  In between I woke for the loo twice.  I think I should sleep tonight.

    Quite apart from the lack of sleep last night, I have worked hard all day (well, we all have).  I started the day by stripping, vacuuming and remaking our bed.  Then I made a tentative start on cleaning the oven.  I have done the floor of it with Bicarb. of Soda and vinegar.  Then soaked and scrubbed the drip tray and the shelving.  Whilst that was soaking I scrubbed the glass door, and left that damp for a while too.

    Upstairs next, where I went through some more drawers and various bits have been burned, put in the charity box or kept.  I stripped the single bed in the blue bedroom and put all the bedding to wash.  Then back down to carry on with the oven, then the drainer got a scrub, then the sink.

    

    In my office I then filled 3 big Banana boxes with archaeology books.  I will take most of my collection with me and sort them out at my leisure once we have moved.  Next week I will contact my old University and see if they want any good archaeology books for their Library - I am sure that the PSAS year books would be welcome.  (PSAS = Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland - I am a lapsed Fellow.) 

    A dry day called me outside to help Tam and Keith to carry on taking wood and rubbish to yet another bonfire.  A sobering thought that we have - of necessity as our buyer wants it gone before he arrives - burned a winter's worth of wood.  I think he would be the sort of buy logs ready to use, unlike us, who cut our own home-grown wood.  

Whilst T & K moved wood, I got out all the cans of paint to go to the Tip next week.  Which reminds me, I must book a 2nd visit for the end of the week as there is still a lot of junk to go.  Heaven knows why we hung onto it so long.  I wish I didn't have to get rid of useful quantities of paint but I am sure they will want to change colour schemes when they get here, so no point in keeping cans of what we have used.

    I had a bung-it moment with some strawberry runner babies on the principle that I can't take everything I have in a pot and small things have to go.

    Then we had a nerve-wracking time getting the wood down from the mezzanine floor in the Cart Shed.  Tam has no head for heights and from the rung she was happy to stand on, couldn't reach to pull down the old floorboards that used to be in the attic.  I offered to go up, but no-one seems to trust me on a ladder (!) and despite our pleading to him NOT to go up there because his shin injury is still healing and just the wrong part of his leg for leaning against ladder rungs - Keith went up and then climbed ONTO the mezzanine.  I was NOT a happy bunny as his balance has been affected by the medication he's on.  Anyway, he coped perfectly well, although my nerves were shredded.

    I came indoors before them and Tam came in and said, "Dad's leg is running with blood".  Of course, I had an instant moment of panic, then saw her grin and Keith walked in grinning even more! Ragbags the pair of them!!

    Tam and I, after a long deliberation, decided to keep the dusty and unrestored top of a writing desk.  It must be mid-Victorian, ebonized solid mahogany, with inlaid brass boule work filigree (SO pretty) and little hand-made handles with terminals like ivy leaves.  Two handles are missing but I hope we can find something to suit.  I'll give it a wipe down tomorrow and take a photo.  Though it needs a bit of imagination in its current state!

    I have clocked up over 15,000 steps again - without even going out the front gate (except in the car to get the Saturday paper).  

    There is wine but I have the feeling I will have one glass and be out for the count . . .