T & J are here tonight - hurray- a pit-stop on their way to a short pre-baby break in Herefordshire, in a quirky place with character. I am envious. Oh how I wish I could have a break, but no chance. I treated myself to a book about Devon Churches last week - I am still trying to work my way through it but there aren't enough hours in the day. The daily paper seems to get read the day after it's been printed now, books - well, a couple of pages at bedtime if I can stay awake long enough. My family history mag might take me a week to get through. I've been trying to fill out the form for carers for the last fortnight, and keep getting stuck having to go and search for the necessary paperwork and figures they require (it's means-tested). I hear about folk who work in the morning, and then the rest of the day is theirs. I always seem to have worked all day!!!
I have been fielding phone calls from various NHS departments, who wish to help Keith with his infirmities, which is wonderful, but all the phone calls and appointments take up time, especially the ones going to Llandod - perish the thought about the Hereford ones, which seem to take all day.
One mealtime here seems to drift into the next one and afternoon is the only time I might have some "free" time. I made a start on a crawler quilt for the baby yesterday - just a test patch to see if what I had in mind would work. Just as well I tested it as I realized the central block (it's a log cabin) was taller than it was wide but I hadn't noticed that and of course it was "out" at the end. Many of the other motifs for the central design were wider so I will have to make myself a "window" to centre the pattern up before I cut. I can see once Danny & co are home, I shall have to set the alarm so I can get up early each morning to work on it before everything gets extra busy.
I have a very stressed cat guest upstairs too - he smells our cats and becomes SO anxious, not helped by the fact he is in a strange house and his people have disappeared (they're back from Pembrokeshire tomorrow). Yesterday Pippi managed to get past me and up the stairs and straight into his room, where he was in instant kill mode and I had to fling him on the bed as I made a leap to rescue Pippi. That reduced my nerves to shreds. Last night, when I came to bed he came into my bedroom and I made a fuss of him, but then he was sniffing around the bed, and his tail was whipping from side to side and at one point he looked at me and a subterranean growl came from him and I could tell he was about to have me. Since I was divulged of my clothing at that point, on the way to bed, I swiftly grabbed my dressing gown as I knew I would come off very much the worse if he launched himself at me! He settled down next to me later, purring and then went off to his room, but today I have ordered a Feliway plug in and some drops which smell like the mother's milk and calm anxiety. Let's hope they work - and quickly. I have also ordered a medium size pet playpen, a sort of cat-tent. So if he needs to be contained, he might feel safer in there? He's a big lad and the last thing I want is a set-to between cats (Ghengis, Pippi or Lulu wouldn't stand a chance). I cannot prevent our cats going upstairs once D & co are back, as "I" will be upstairs and downstairs and doors left open.
I am still working on the form (will get Tam to help tonight, as she's good with that sort of thing), and I managed to somehow bake Chocolate Raspberry Brownies (procedure a bit at a time as I did other things like hanging another load of washing up and did washing up). Keith has some for pudding through the week. I even got outside and topped up/filled the outside planters (staggered across the yard with the one I had to fill, the only ceramic one too!) and they finally have some spring bulbs very belatedly put in. Just two lots of big Alliums to put in the main long bed now. I hauled out grass around an overlooked rose on the bank and gave it a good tub of muck heap. Many more to see to though, and prune.
Right, now to finish making the curry for T&J tonight (I began it after breakfast but didn't add the cooked meat - that soon reduces to shreds so I want to put it in once the sauce is heated up then minimal cooking. Don't know what I am eating. I seem to be on 2 meals a day now (breakfast becomes lunch) and have got into the 10st something region again. Need to lose a couple of stone more, ideally.
So good to hear from Danette this morning - your call cheered me up no end!
