Friday, 10 January 2014

Mums, dads and failed NY resolutions

Life has been fairly quiet since New Year but that it is the want we intended.  My detox hasn’t gone quite to plan but I haven’t done too badly seeing as my dad snuffed it.  It has helped eating at home and not going out for meals but I am afraid that I have substituted food for the wine.  Do you know one afternoon I ate half a pack of Jaffa cakes and well my bread intake has gone up 100%.  The bottom line is I’d rather be thin than have a healthy liver even though I know it’s not good for me.  To be honest I have seen so many old folk suffer that I really don’t think old age is for me. In fact I know it’s not; live fast, die young is my motto.

I did get Phil to the health club last Saturday and I was very proud of him, he managed an hour’s workout without seemingly any problems.  In the afternoon we went to see ‘Lost Vegas’ at the cinema, what a brilliant film, it really made us laugh.  It wasn’t Phil’s first choice of film, but Sue & Ian had seen it the day before and thoroughly recommended it.  I said when we came out that Jim & Shirley ought to go and see it as they both love Las Vegas and Shirley likes gambling. 
Unfortunately Phil had a really bad neck pain on the Sunday after the gym; I borrowed some strong pain killers from Sue, I rubbed ibrufen gel on him and put on a heat warming patch but I was worried because it was obvious he was in a lot of discomfort.  Thankfully it was much better on Monday but still not quite right. 

The telephone call on Sunday morning from my sister Julia, telling me that dad had passed obviously upset me but I still feel numb and have yet to shed a tear.  I don’t know why, maybe it will come out at the funeral.  There has been so much sadness over the last year or so, that I wonder whether I have become immune?  I don’t know, my dad wasn’t a bad guy, but he didn’t do much for me in my life.  I take pride that I never asked him for anything.  He didn’t like kids much and I think when I turned up on his doorstep at the age of 16, it probably made his heart sink.  I am dreading the funeral which is on the 24th of this month; I have agreed to speak at the service, it’s fine now but I wonder whether I’ll be able to pull it off on the day.  If I do, I do, if not then I guess it shows that I am only human or else otherwise, I am phobic when it comes to public speaking.

Phil went back to work on Tuesday which was a huge relief.  We have spent every minute of every day together for the last 5 weeks, and don’t get me wrong, it’s been fun, but the holidays are over and I was looking forward to sometime home alone. But it was not to be; Rexam had no work for Phil to do and have laid him off, temporarily.  He doesn’t have to go back until the 21st of Jan.

I feel very intolerant of people at the moment, namely Phil’s mum. Don’t get me wrong I love her to bits and normally I have the patience of a saint with her, but the last couple of weeks she has been a pain.  We take it in turns to phone daily but then she phones sometimes in tears or hysterics with the stupidest of things, the fridge freezer saga being the latest.  I guess she is lonely and this time of year probably just highlights it.  Note to one self, I must try harder.

One of my NYE resolutions is to eat out less and cook at home more and I have done this and made some heartily sound meals.  Chilli con carne and beef in red wine with onions cooked in the slow cooker which done us a couple of days.  On Wednesday evening I cooked lasagne, with homemade garlic bread and salad.  I invited Janice & Mike (mum’s friends) and I also asked Sue to come along. God knows I owe Sue so many meals.  Mike & Janice are good people and obviously miss my mum like crazy.  It was a nice evening, although it’s not easy entertaining in this tiny little flat.  Thankfully Sue organised me and the food and also drove the guests home. Thank you Susie Sue, love ya!

On Thursday morning I went to Melton to spend the day and night with mum.  She did me salmon for lunch and then I drove her to Grantham to see Aunty Phyllis.  Mum’s cousin John and wife Sue also dropped in on their way back from Sainsbury’s so that was an added bonus.  After tea with Phyllis we made a quick trip to Aldi, then it was back to the bungalow before dark to get ready for a visit from mum’s new neighbour, Melanie.  The bungalow next door to mum has been empty for well over a year so it’s nice that she now has somebody living next to her.  Melanie, or Mel as she likes to be called, is a nice lady, just a shame that she is 30 years younger than mum and also works full time.  She has a heart of gold though and gave mum her mobile number and said that she could call her any time of night and day.  What a star, although she may live to regret this act of altruism.  That said though, it does give me peace of mind that she has a nice neighbour.

I stayed and did some domestics for mum this morning, had lunch and then left for MK at just after 1pm getting back to MK just after 3pm.  Duty done, god, if there even is a heaven then I am going there lol!!

Tomorrow we fly to Marrakech for another one of Phil’s cheap getaway breaks.  I have always wanted to go to Marrakech but I wanted to go in the spring when the weather is guaranteed.  I have hastily packed, I haven’t done any research but who cares, it will be an escape and anyhow, a breakaway is as good as a rest.  Be warned though folks, Philpot has already written several boring posts already to publish. I am not taking my laptop as we have only paid for one bag in hold and hand luggage, so more from me when we get back, sometime after the 15th.  Until then my friends………



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