10 Jul 2012

Fifty shades of grey


The last few days have felt a little flat and grey.  I know that other people have going through much more difficult and painful times, but I don’t know, it just feels like Phil and I both together and separately, have the weight of the world on our shoulders at the moment.  It is not a good time in our lives.   On Friday Phil went over to the GP flat with Andy, our caravan neighbour from across the court.  Andy was made redundant from his job a couple of weeks ago and as he is a carpenter by trade, Phil had asked him if we would come and look at the steps in flat.  As I may have already mentioned, they are a right mess and we were thinking we might have to replace them.  Andy took at look but said he thought they could be saved by stripping the paint and replacing the rotten wood for new.   This is good news but we are still waiting for him to come back to us for a day rate.  In your own time Andy.  But actually, to be honest, the steps are not a priority so I guess we can afford to wait.


Andy suggested a pub in a nearby village so Phil took me there for lunch.  It wasn’t so nearby about 10 miles from Overstone but it was a lovely pub in a sweet little village overlooking a lake. It was just a shame that it was pouring with rain but when, and if the sun ever decides to shine again, we shall definitely go back and have a drink in the garden because the views were beautiful.  We had the 2 course special, which didn’t come cheap.  The service was good but my asparagus and trout mousse was a little on the hard side.  My fish pie was lovely but I didn’t really have much of an appetite when it came.  Friday afternoon was quiet, not quite a duvet day, but lazy nonetheless.


Phil went over to the flat quite early on Saturday morning and I wasn’t far behind.  We went together to Wickes for our 9.45am appointment with the kitchen designer.  The meeting went well and we were pleased with the overall design.  We have done so many kitchens that it’s quite straightforward these days plus it helps that I already knew that kitchen I wanted.  I dropped Phil back at the flat so he could carry on working and then drove to the Churchill hospital to see Sue.  I was a little worried that I might get caught up with the Silverstone traffic but it was okay and I guess I got there not long after midday.

Sue was eating her lunch when I turned up and I was pleased to see that she was looking much better, more like her normal self.  She said the hormone injections were quite painful and blood tests had revealed that she was anaemic and low in potassium.  But other that, she was in good spirits and it was good to see her.  Professor Grossman is keeping her in until the end of the week.  She had an MRI scan yesterday which she said was scary and on Thursday she will have her pre op assessment and a meeting with the anaesthetist.  Hopefully she will be allowed home on Friday with a date set for her surgery.  I had a fairly good run home from Oxford and Saturday night was a takeaway curry and some telly.

As there was so much sport on Sunday we decided to have a day of rest.   I went shopping at Morrisons having decided it was about time I made a home cooked meal. I did a very nice roast chicken dinner and Phil watched the Silverstone Grand Prix.  Afterwards we switched over to watch Murray lose; he did his best but at the end of the day it wasn’t enough.

Yesterday we went back to MK to do so more work on the GP flat.  I don’t why but I find this particular renovation so over-whelming.  It’s silly really as it’s only a 1 bedroom flat and we have worked on much bigger projects so why this is freaking me out much god only knows.  Maybe it’s because we have ripped so much out that the whole place looks terrible.  The logical part of me knows that it will start to look better soon but I am so impatient and I can’t bear the mess.  Also I am sick to death with waiting on tradesman.   

Phil worked on chiselling out the wall for the new electrics in the kitchen and I got back to scraping off the last bits of wall paper on the walls.  I managed to get the kitchen and lounge walls sanded and sugar soaped but they need going over again.   We stopped for lunch and also went over to have a look in Harriet’s loft because we are missing a box with all of Phil’s electrical stuff.   It wasn’t in Harriet’s loft and so we ended up buying some more wire and sockets at B&Q.  It was nearly 2pm by the time we got back to the GP flat.  We did another hour and then decided to pack up and go home. Just as we were getting our stuff together, Emma and her sister popped their heads through the door. They were doing the school run and Emma had spotted my car on the drive.  I have been meaning to pop in for a cup of tea in the cul-de-sac for the last few weeks but it just hasn’t happened.

Phil has already left this morning and should already be at the flat.  I have decided to stay home for a couple of hours as I need to do a bit of paperwork and make some telephone calls.  I will drop by at the flat to see how Phil is doing and then I am driving to Oxford to see Sue.  And that’s about as far as we have got this week.  Not very exciting I’m afraid.  It doesn’t matter how hard we work or how many jobs I tick off the ‘to do’ lists; the list just seems to get longer and longer.  Oh well, I’m running behind already this morning so stop complaining Clairabella and get your arse to gear.

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