SOMEONE’S KNOCKING AT THE DOOR!

I am home alone today………. daughter is at college (she has another exam tomorrow!), son is still staying with friends and hubby is playing golf – no doubt dodging the showers, although it has been much drier than they forecast. Anyway……. I was sitting here at the computer a short time ago, in complete silence. (In the old days, I would never have tolerated silence, there was always a radio or t.v. blaring out , so I guess I have changed).

Anyway, I was here in the lounge with the door closed when there was what sounded like somebody knocking on a door or window with their knuckles. I crept out of the lounge and into the bedroom – but there was nobody there, at least not by the time I got there. I guess this is also something that has changed in me, I used to open the door to callers quite happily most times. My husband is more cautious and always calls out ‘who is it?’ even in the daytime and his nervousness is obviously contagious!

It has made me remember the time quite a few years ago, when broadband was first being introduced. Hubby booked up to have B.T. come to install it, but then phoned up and told them he had changed his mine. ‘Okay,’ they said, ‘That’s fine.’ But on the morning they had been due to come, they turned up anyway!

I was here, still in my nightie. ‘Don’t answer’ thought I, ‘They will just go away!’. Big mistake that….. they didn’t! Or rather, they went away for a few moments and then came back again! I was in the bedroom by then, looking out the window. The guy knocked again, then actually climbed over the little wall and peered through the window. This took me somewhat by surprise and I hid on the floor beside the bed! I couldn’t understand why they didn’t just go away!!!! By this time, I felt too indignant (and not a little stupid!) to open the door.  The phone rang in the middle of all this too, but I didn’t dare get up and answer. What on earth was going on?

That was in the days when not many people had got mobile phones – and I had not even thought of the possibility of the guy having a phone in his van! He phoned my husband at work and told him he had knocked and got no answer. Instead of hubby just telling him that he had phoned up and cancelled the order, he told the guy that I was definitely in – and could he please check if I was okay. So, he came back and peered in my bedroom window and apparently saw me down on the floor (unbeknown to him, hiding from him). He  reported back to hubby who then got VERY worried and immediately embarked on the 35-minute drive home. I was very surprised to see him, but he was equally surprised to see me fit and well! Luckily, he was so relieved I was alright that he wasn’t cross with me! I did feel incredibly stupid though!!!!

I have no idea who it was at the door just now – but hopefully it wasn’t the man from B.T.!!!!!!

STRESSED, STRESSED. STRESSED!

That title would be an excellent description of me at the moment!

Son left his flat and moved back home. Or rather, my husband moved him home, just a few weeks after helping him move him out of his flat and into the room with his (ex?) friends. It sounds as if it was manic in that house! For one think, there were no locks either on his bedroom door or the bathroom door – so the horrendously hyper-active little toddler used to not only go into his bedroom, but barge in when he was having a bath and ask to see his private parts! Not only that, but the married couple argued non-stop and one morning at 5 a.m. the woman barged into son’s bedroom in the middle of one such argument. Poor son was incredibly tired and pleaded with her to go away, but she wouldn’t – so he just stayed in bed and tried to sleep anyway! Then husband came and found her and (unsurprisingly) wanted to know what she was doing there – complete with bottle of rum, or something similar, in his hand. He then chucked the said bottle of liquor, so that it went all over son’s room! I don’t know why son stayed there even as long as he did…… he said that the bed was not even comfortable, as there was an enormous dip in the middle of it! 🙂

So he is home now….. and off work with stress. He has spent much of the time upstairs in bed, sleeping. Then, on Saturday evening, his girlfriend got a bus to near where we live. They were going for a meal at a pub just 5 mins away that does very cheap carvery meals. Next thing we knew, I had a text to say they were at the hospital as girlfriend had passed out – just as son was at the bar ordering their meals – and had banged her head. She stayed here that night, up in son’s bed while he slept on sofa. She had recovered by the next day – but the trouble is, she has no real home of her own and sleeps on friends’ floors. She was recently turned out of one friend’s flat, possibly because of the jealous girl our son lived with causing trouble for her. She has no job and no money. However, she apparently owns a flat back in Hungary which was previously let out, although the tenants did a bunk while owing rent. Bills are still mounting up, because she cannot afford the fare back to sort it out. She apparently cannot get benefits here, because she told the authorities that she owns a flat in Hungary – so it is a bit of a catch-22 situation. She has no job, no money – but a flat back home that is accumulating debts! She isn’t eating properly, so no wonder she passed out.

Last night was a very bad night! She once again caught the bus over here and went for a drink with our son. Then we got a text from him to say that she had nowhere to stay, so could she stay here. When they arrived, hubby met them in the hall and started saying that they had to get something sorted out for her. My hubby – bless him – is not always exactly Mr Tactful himself and should have at least waited for a while before tackling them. Having said that, he never said anything terrible. Anyway, the girl (who we had only met twice before) immediately went storming out the front door, with son hot on her heels! Son said she was worried about staying here anyway, so I guess it didn’t take much to make her leave. It was horrible, as we do not want her to be wandering the streets with nowhere to stay. We hardly know the girl, but she seems nice enough. She is certainly not stupid, although emotionally I think she is not good. She has had bad things happen in her past life……. and being homeless, not knowing where you will sleep each night, must be terrible. Luckily, they did find somewhere to stay last night………….. but I was very stressed and upset about it. We do not want any harm to come to her, but I do not think any of us relishes the idea of a girl we barely know (and who has only known our son for a very short time) living here permanently. Why is it that my children always seem to attract trouble?!!!!

On a brighter note, our daughter took a practical test yesterday – as part of her course to become a personal trainer – and passed (despite being incredibly, amazingly, enormously nervous!). She also heard that she passed two written tests too. Some way to go yet though!

A BIT OF MISCHIEF ON A BORING EASTER MONDAY!!!

Have had a pretty boring Easter. I was in bed all day Friday, as had a bout of diarrhea on Thursday night and was sick once too! I tend not to like bank holidays at the best of times these days, as there is nobody to see and I remember the days when bank holidays were times for big holiday get-togethers! Today is rainy with nothing to do, nowhere to go, nobody to see and no Sandy to cuddle! 😦

Yesterday was okay, as our son came to dinner and we got to meet his girlfriend at last! She seems very pleasant, although I was not over-happy to hear that she is trying to get him to quit his job and go off travelling with her. She has (like him) spent a lot of time travelling in the past and lived in South Africa for quite a while. I was kind of hoping that if all goes well they might settle down and have children……. but, although it is obviously far to early for any talk of that, I am not sure that it is likely to happen. She does seem nice though – which is the main thing – and is into all the things he is into, including all his weirdest beliefs! :-). She was formerly a head chef and is into making jewellery at the moment. Her main source of income at the moment though is….. well, shall we say not exactly what a staid, ageing, Catholic couple like us are really likely to find ideal! I’ll say no more! It helps to retain your sense of humour in this house, for sure though!!!!!

Son has pretty quickly found himself regretting his move from the flat into his married friends house! The timing was real bad, as he met his new girlfriend just two week before he was due to move…. and the girl I mentioned in my previous post – the one who had developed a very close relationship with our son – has now become extremely jealous of the new girlfriend. Her own marriage is obviously in a very bad state (in very bad taste she was whining about the state of her marriage on Facebook the other day!) and really she sounds a bit unstable! Our son has tried to spend time with her, but does not seem to be able to please her! The latest thing is that she was screeching yesterday that she wants him out, so he is likely to be on the move again as soon as he can find somewhere. The house is a crazy place to live anyway, as the couple argue non-stop and the little boy runs riot, as the husband is very soft on him while the wife does at least try to discipline him!

That friendship did not last long then.Our son is still hoping that things will be better once he moves out, but I tend to doubt it!

As for me, I have decided I am leaving the church I go to (where the priest is very old and crotchety and, though he does his best, I do not find going there isexactly inspiring these days) and defecting to Northern Ireland!! I have been reading a blog written by a presbyterian minister from there who writes poetry  and whose congragation get to listen to interesting music in church! Just imagine that!!!….. The church life of us Catholics is so rooted in the importance of attending Mass….. and I cannot argue with that, it is the way it should be. It is just that sometimes I feel I need something a little more. I can relate so much to the Irish clergyman, because music and poetry are the things that really  make me feel close to God! So….. my ferry leaves next week! 😉

Have been listening to some nice music to occupy myself this afternoon, but here is a video for you. Why am I playing you this? Is there a reason? I leave you to decide!!!!!