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The Bad, The Good and The Sailors


The Bad
1. Mil has become one of those domestic accidents stats that get trotted out at the end of the year; the ones where slippers rear up to savage their wearers and trousers lay traps for the unwary. The ones that sound funny but end up in a trip to casualty, if not worse. Poor Mil woke up to see a spider on the ceiling, directly above her head and couldn’t go back to sleep knowing it was there. Rather than wake Dil in the next room, she trotted off to fetch a broom to coax it down herself. Now Mil is a fan of the Marshmallow Bed, very high and very squashy, so you know what happened, don’t you? One minute Mil was swatting a spider and the next she was on the floor, slammed up against the wall, wondering if she would ever walk again. Fortunately she doesn’t seem to have sustained any permanent damage, nor even, it seems, any broken bones but she’s terribly shaken and needs a lot of ‘‘phone’ support at the moment. We’ll have to see how she goes and hope her confidence returns soon.

2. Ma has had a nasty bout of cystitis. ‘I thought you only got this if you had too much sex,’ she grumbles. ‘Well, ease off a bit,’ I suggest, to mutual sniggering. But once we’ve got beyond the rude jokes I find she’s actually been quite ropey and hasn’t breathed a word of it to me. She did the sensible thing and went to the doctor’s but with her and Mil both in the wars it raises all the old concerns about living so far away from them both.

3. On Sunday I took my eye off the ball for a moment, panicked and inadvertently downloaded a malicious software programme which, as Purplecooers know, pretty much trashed my ancient laptop. I’m very grateful to Wizzard who offered advice on how to start repairing the damage but the laptop is still poorly. Ok, it was my own stupid fault but whoever started that little wheeze, thanks a fricking bunch – you’ve really made my week and will probably cost me a load of money I haven’t got.

The Good1. We had a visit from my lovely cousin and his wife who are house-hunting up at Caernarfon. They’re a very gentle, level-headed couple and we enjoyed having them to stay. I have to admit that it also alleviates some of the guilt I feel about leaving family in the south east behind when someone else is doing the same.

2. Tom had an OU seminar in Cardiff on Saturday which gave me the chance to catch up with Lily. Yippee! Lily and Russ are settling nicely into their new flat so we took some time out to visit the Food Festival at Cardiff Bay. The sun was shining and the pancakes with strawberries and chocolate sauce were superb. One glass of chilled cabernet sauvignon was so good that I had to have another and nearly lost control of Mrs Hyde who got over-excited with Russ’s mates turned up. Phew! That was a close one!

3. Not long now until the Ace Gang arrive for their annual visit! Hurray! We met up, ooh, more years than I care to remember now, at ante-natal classes and we’re still together. Can’t wait to catch up with them.

The Sailors
The boat went back in the water last Wednesday. Tomorrow we’re off, we hope, for a mini-cruise. Not quite the extended tour of the Irish Sea that Tom was hoping for but it’s a start. I’ll let you know how it goes.

And finally
I’ve just finished Sadie Jones’ ‘The Outcast’. It’s teeth-gnashingly good and deserves all the hype. Well done her.

The image is a print by Tom Tomos, ‘The Sea’

Comments

Elizabethd said…
Hope the cruise goes well, watch our for sharks.
Poor you with M and Mil unwell, not to mention a virus in the PC. Let's hope all will take a turn for the better now.
Cait O'Connor said…
You remain upbeat as ever Chris, whatever life throws at you. I hope you have a lovely time out on the boat. Thanks for the Outcast recommendation.
mountainear said…
Bon voyage. I'm wishing you fair weather. Perhaps out on the ocean wave you will be away from all of the 'little difficultis'.
Aging parents are such a worry - I'm so sorry to hear about their trials. You mustn't beat yourself up about being far away, though - it's impossible to be just around the corner from everybody - life's just not like that - and communications and transport are so much faster than they ever were in days gone by when people barely ventured further than the end of their street.

Wishing you godspeed and fair weather on the boat - it's obviously such a huge part of Tom's life - so many of his paintings seem to be about the sea.. And looking forward to hearing all about it on your return -
Frances said…
Chris, please let Tom know how much I do like his paintings, and The Sea is a beauty.

Hoping that mothers and mother in law will be in recovery mode soon.

I know that you must be writing all the time that these unexpected bits jump out into your life from that of others. It is lovely how you are able to keep calm ... you are very good in uncalm waters!

xo
Flowerpot said…
I sympathise about your Ma and MIL - getting older is no bunch of laughs is it? But we won't go there. Have a good trip and I hope teh weather is clement for you!
Pipany said…
Ooh lovely catch up Chris. Sorry to hear about the mums - very hard to be far away. Great that you got to see Lily too - my gorgeous Lauren is back from Thailand next week...hurray!

Have a great time on the boat and hope the weather is kinder to you than it has been to us! xx
Maggie Christie said…
Poor Mil, Ma and laptop. I hope they're all better soon. Good luck with the mini-cruise. No sharks round here, but apparently there's been a killer whale from the Hebrides on a visit to the Pembrokeshire coast - so keep an eye out for him! Have a brilliant time with all the visitors too. xxMags.
Zinnia Cyclamen said…
It's particularly hard when both lots of parents need support at once. And distance doesn't help - but you can't live your life around their needs. Hope you have fun on the boat.
Eeeeeek been bit of a bumoy ride for you and your nearest and dearest . . . ie your computer . . .LOL Hope MIL and Mum are on the mend soon.

Um I hope you enjoy your sea trip - this is said through gritted teeth - my idea of hell . . . the boat trip, not the gritted teeth . . .
Milla said…
keep smiling Chris dear, life is cyclical and proper good will come again. Am saving The Outcast for my hols - but incidentally had mentioned it on your thread in teh common room - synchronicity, non? xx
Milla said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said…
I hope the 'mums' improve rapidly and the weather improves for your trip :-)
Exmoorjane said…
Am SO with MIL on spiders and not being able to sleep with one on the ceiling poised to drop on one's face. Bad luck indeed.
You're brave, heading back out on the water- hope it all goes well....jxxx
Glad mil didnt break anything. My mil has had a dreadful two years with a couple of breaks and it has been dreadful for her.

Hope the cruise goes well and that you have a lovely time.

Sorry about the virus, I'm just catching up after hopefully having mine sorted out. They are a nightmare.
Blossomcottage said…
I am here to tell you that I have tagged you!! Little Veg Patch tagged me and now its your turn!
Instructions on my Blog.
Blossom

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