Jean’s Cot (by sarah)

Well this week dad was supposed to be working on Jeans 'real' cot but what with the flood and all it hasnt been finished. This has not been helped by the fact that he had lost my original design and there was a few techniqual things we had to sort out - like how to put it together in a safe non wobbly way! Also we had to by a router which still doesnt go deep enough for the female part of the joint therefore progress has slowed dramaticallt as dad finishes the joints of with chisels and Als rubber mallet - this is time consuming and difficult to make neat but dad is doing a fantastic job as always!

Al also saved me and dad from a headache earlier in the week by knowing of a special bolt thing neither me nor dad had come across before - called tee nuts - these are lots of fun!

This cot is going to be Jeans first bed to which is one of the special design features along with sides you can drop so I can get her in and out of the cot without hurting my back! Yes yes it should have been ready about a month ago but what with me being ill and the move Dad hasnt had a chance - still Jean has her travel cot which is fine - I would just like her to be in the nice cot I designed!

Silage and Endless Mowing (by sarah)

Mowing the 'grounds' is a fall days job pretty much and it really needs doing every week - obviously this doesnt really happen but Al still seems to be spending much time mowing and I taking the cuttings in the wheel barrow to the compost heap so they can cook the compost and ferment into silage.

Unfortunatley for me yesturday Al ask me if I wanted gloves to put the grass cuttings on the heap - I asked wh would I need those - he said so I could throw it all on - I pointed out that I just dumped the whole lot from the barrow. He was interged by this and decided to follow me and watch - I got flumaxed cos he was watching and manged to step straight into the 'bog' (this is the area around the compost heap that has flooded due to all the rain) a foul stentch arose and to make things worse - I was wearing sandels! So I squelched over to the part of the stream that has steps in it - moaning at Al for watching me and washed my foot in the freezinbg stream!

But the comady of errors got worse for me as I realised a) my foot was painfall and going numb and b) my stupid body is still too broken to allow me to step out of the stream by myself so Al had to rescue me - yet again!

Still all good fun!

Almost Clapping and Definatly Giggling! (by sarah)

Jean is now ticklish!

Its so much fun - all you have to do is to run your finger along her neckline and you get giggling and scretches of joy 🙂 She still has a cough but the illness seems to have passed, once again she is the smiling fun baby who has waitresses cooing over her and trying to teach her to clap even though they are now closed and should be chucking us out!

No More Crutches!!!! :) :) :) (by sarah)

I have experimented and have recently managed to go round the supermarkets and things without the crutches and this week I've even walked to places in the village with Al unaided! 🙂 This has given me a senses of self and independence again - something I have sorely missed! I have taken all the supports of the loo and bed and shower etc... now all I need todo is find the number for social services so they can come and take it all away - that will a) stop me wanting to smash it all into little peices everytime I see the things (irrational I know) and b) give us more room and make the place look tidier and c) someone else who really needs them can have them and order and balance will once again be restored to the universe! 🙂 Pilates starts again next week so hopefully with more mobility and a gentle excersice ragime I will get fit and loss the pregnancy weight which is still lurking!

Day Three of the Flood (by sarah)

The house now smells faintly of damp dog disturbingly though not suprisingly 🙁 - we are hoping that it will all be ok. We've had fan heaters on (though on fan rather than heat! as its been a scorcher) they dont seem that effective which is a bit depressing when you work out the cost in electricity and start to think of the environment :'( On the plus side I have the kitching table back and have temperaroly stoed all the tins and cartons that were on the floor of the ladder cupboard. The house is still in complete disarray though much to the horror of Al's Step Mother Lynne who is visiting us at the moment. She was expecting to see a great improvement on the choas of boxes she left me with in September but lo! Sigh - this place is never going to be straight at this rate!

p.s. we cant take the carpet up to dry it as that would involve ripping all the kitchen cabinets out hence our desperation for it to dry otherwise I might just cry!