Since my last posting various things have happened.

My internet connection went up the spout, again!! We had the most horrendous storm. I was shaken out of the bed by thunder (not the God Thor unfortunately!) and I rushed downstairs to turn off the modem… too late, it was done in. When I phoned our internet provider the next morning I eventually got through to a very ‘exhausted’ sounding young man who said “just post it to us we and will send a replacement today, let me know the cost of sending.” Methinks there were a lot of modems blown up overnight!

We also went back to the UK to help our eldest daughter and her husband celebrate their 40th birthdays..

What joy! Not only seeing our lovely daughters but also seeing our lovely grandchildren, who are so affectionate and polite.

The youngest, Georges, bounces!! We saw him on the Friday night and he ‘bounced’ into the room and ‘bounced’ around it. He ‘bounced’ into my arms for a kiss and cuddle, he also did the same for his granddad. He was ‘bouncing’ back and forth in all directions. He is the only grandchild of ours that has done this, absolutely full of joy and ‘bounce’. I would dearly love some of what he is having!! (isn’t bounce a funny word?)

We also went to see my dear Mum, she is coping very well, albeit with the assistance of my older sister. Mum is determined not to leave her 3 bed house ‘it is the only home I've had you know!’ she says. I appreciate her feelings and thoughts, she never had a home with family in her infancy and youth. She has lived there since 1947 – may she never be taken away from the place that she has loved and in which she has brought up her children. She is an amazing woman my mother, almost 91 years on this earth….

So we took a trip to the UK… what fun. The car kept slipping out of gear, and we had it serviced a week before!!! Got to the ferry port early and were allowed on without any problems so we got to our daughters before the grandchildren went to bed… They were so pleased!!

The weekend progressed well. We caught up with friends and family, just love it! Did some shopping and lunches and dinners… Much too busy for Himself though!

The return journey was as traumatic as the leaving.. I think that once this house is sold a new car is on the cards! I know we bought this car as a stop gap, but at the moment a new one would be a good idea, I would just love comfort and reliability. When we got home we were both so tense we could break in half.

A very tense journey and we had other 'stressfull' things to contend with once we got home.

Dog was ensconced with a friend and was so 'waggy' to see us home, the cats did not give us 'cold' shoulders at all, but the house was absolutely freezing!!

I will arrange for some Feliway for when we move - apparently it helps cats settle when their are 'things' going on. Maybe there is a human equivalent?

Our ‘buying’ agent had arranged for the electricity and plumbing to be checked for us, good girl! Electric meter read and switched on. Plumber in to check central heating, Ooops we need to put some oil in the tank! We arrange for oil company to fill said tank, done this morning at a ‘silly o’clock’, at least we will have heating.

We went to the telecom shop to arrange new phone and internet. What a lovely young guy! He was so helpful, so we now know that the engineer will be there on 1st December to connect the line and also sort out the internet for us (I have the modem in my hot sticky hands waiting!!).

All is going to plan at the moment.

Youngest daughter is coming out with her partner and the bouncy child for the signing next week. Yes she was worried about the loss of pay etc… but she was reminded that she will be quids in afterwards….

Will update after 1st December… I am still thinking POSITIVE!

Moooving

Not long now, at the end of the month we sign the acte de vente. One problem though is that our dear daughter and her other half will not be able to come and sign for their property, (too expensive to travel, got to bring kids, losing money at work etc.). So now stops need to be pulled out to get a power of attorney for their signature. I am getting really fed up with the child’s attitude to it all, she has been given plenty of notice. I am quite tempted to sign for ours and let her sort her ‘bit’ without my help.

I have been bending over backwards to accommodate her and she has yet to say ‘sorry mum for putting you through all of this and thank you for doing it all.’ even himself is in the shadows and doing very little to help matters.

Stress is rearing its ugly head again. I thought that I had it beaten – no!

I think I will take a holiday when this is over and done with.

And, I still have to see another orthopaedic surgeon for my elbow. Saw the original guy and he has referred me to his colleague who is fluent in English and is good at the ‘minor’ stuff. So I get to see him in another couple of weeks, just before the ‘signing’.

Life is not good at the moment.

It will get better though.

Just got to be positive.

Not sure where to start, just type and see where it takes me I suppose. Thank heavens for spell check, it tells me where I have gone wrong!

Have had a few ‘bad’ days, not sleeping, feeling fed up, wanting to have a change from this life of sorting, cleaning and packing boxes, I suppose I am getting a tad impatient.

‘Tad’, now that is a word that I never knew existed in general conversation (Tad Williams the author yes!) until around 8 years ago. Never encountered it before but my husband started using it and I exclaimed ‘what??’, he said that he used the word all the time – ‘not in my presence’ I said ‘maybe at work, not in front of me!’. ‘Hmmm’ was the reply.

It seems also that at least one of our daughters used the same word.

Now this set me to wondering, was I living in a different time, were they living in a different time?

A parallel universe that met only occasionally.

One wonders, well at least I do!

So the sorting, cleaning and packing continues.

I think I am getting it all under control but I must admit that today I did give himself a bit of a ‘talking to’ to put it mildly. I think I used the words ‘lazy’ ‘indulgent’ etc. Anyway I told him that I was fed up with doing all the necessary on my own without any input or help from him. Now I was talking everything from sorting laundry, doing laundry, sweeping floors, mopping said floors, preparing meals, cooking meals and all the other ancillary things that go on in daily life without him lifting a finger to help. And this is not including packing boxes prior to our moving.

I think he is living in a parallel universe and just visiting me occasionally!

Tomorrow he will be getting reminders.

Yes I have had a few bad days…

Feel better now.