Whatever

With being so involved in the process of heavy gardening , im barely visiting the internet and im more reading then falling asleep at some early hour . This week the end is visible in sight one more big bonfire should do it . Then i can settle into mounds of replanting and just routine maintenance ..in theory .    Mr BH had his 80 something aunt and uncle staying in the area this week , they had rented a cottage , i was informed that the whole family was going to the pub to meet for lunch , Covid rules obviously dont apply , i wasnt told till the last minute , i literally had just took off my wellies and picked the leaves out of my hair and thought i was just popping to the coop for bread .  Anyway after a small discussion over this , with me getting the whole killjoy lecture from my other half  he discovered that because i dont have a smart phone to scan the QR code they had to summon the manager , the steam was visably rising from his ears by that stage , much discussion was had and they compromised by using the QR code of his niece who works at the pub in question .  So we got the pleasure of sitting outside in the pub garden as a party of nine on three separate tables .  I didnt want lunch as i had literally had it before we set off for the coop , so i just nursed a drink  and listened .  It was interesting to say the least .  Aunty Bountiful  was busy looking down on everyone and supplying her wisdom.  BIL had got his adult kids with him , i was getting the death stairs from his son  because i have grassed him up for drug dealing a couple of times , i was trying not to chuckle as Aunty Bountiful was complementing him on doing so well and working so hard and how he had a lovely car etc etc, shame hes never had a driving licence and used to be in the local paper court listings most weeks , gossip tells me hes got dozens of cases pending due to Covid and will be going away for a state sponsored holiday shortly. Then Aunty started on my Brother in Law , how if he had tried harder he wouldnt be stuck in a council house and taking her tax payer money , i was getting kicked in the shins by now , MR BH is well aware that i think the world of his brother , he does more for other people than anyone i know , he will help anyone and hes becoming more and more crippled by arthritis every year .  Hes recently gone back to work part time because hes bored if hes not doing something , he works with a couple of young lads who provide the muscle hes the brains as hes been in  the building trade all his life.  having minced and denigrated everyone else she turned to us .  

So your professionally disabled these day ? 

now my other half is very visibly disabled and hes on a bit of a rough patch at the moment where the right hand side of his body has visibly dropped and it looks as if hes had a stroke, hes on crutches all the time or his wheels more and more . So there is no missing the fact that hes disabled and thats just the visable side of it . 

So its because your fat is it ? 

Well hes looking at me for rescue and im thinking sod it theyre your aged relatives you deal with them .. So this went on and on about scroungers on disability benefits . Then she turned to me .

I shouldnt think youve ever worked what with all the kids and now being his carer .  

My Brother in Law staged an intervention at that point , because he said i was smiling at her and asked if we could us pop him to his doctors appointment............   

Sunshine

 Ive been up since sunrise , needed a cuppa im afraid so literally up with the birds , its given me a couple of hours to catch up on a weeks blog reading . Barely been online its officially heavy gardening season ,  so nursy duties and household chores of a morning , then out in the garden once himself has been fed and settled for his siesta or crap custom car TV  , we are building bonfire number 3.  Son has for a change being helpful and the munchkin has grafted his way through the school holidays . I do think that himself has threatened them that if i injure myself he will hold them responsible , dont know what he means , my problems are mainly that im short and cant reach stuff  and my shingles damaged arm is taking its time settling down , once you have them as many times as me you know that one day its like a switch has been flipped and the pain goes just like that , the trouble is that it can take months , 18 months is the record ...lol.  So  the garden is now a barren wasteland that will recover once we get some rain , taken out 2 huge rambling roses that i couldnt keep under control  , just need something to replace them . Took the brambles at the bottom down to the ground they will recover in no time and they are needed to keep the cattle in the meadow behind us , working on cutting a section of hedging out so the four huge wheelie bins can be near the gate and be accessed by the path , just to make my life easier and save me having to cross the grass to get to them .  Relocating the strawberry bed to somewhere where its easier to net it . Everything just leads to another job...lol  Found a huge block of foam in the old wendy house along with loads of pots and planters i had forgotton about , may try to salvage the foam for a knackered sofa cushion i need ,depends if i can fit it in the washer ...lol   Other half is getting very annoyed with me , im going to repair his workshop that he hasnt been in for 3 years , he wants a new one but we dont have the money , hes claiming he cant find the keys but it doesnt matter as im planning to replace the door so  i will just saw off the padlocks. 

   Oh and on a plus note we are going to be reassessed for his disability payments despite them saying it would be next year and nobody being available within the help industry because this isnt happening due to Covid ...ho hum here we go again yet more DWP Wars for the sin of living with a disibility for more than 3 years , two months since i finished paying off the debts from the last fiasco with them . 

The Great Escape

 So we are free!!!! well free to go for a pint and do a bit of none essential shopping ..lol  ..we celebrated by fetching a pint of maggots for other half to go fishing with his brother today , cant see that a visit to a pub or shopping will be on my calendar, the road to the coast had a good mile long tailback so had to come home via the scenic route .  managed to get the only parking spot in the little tourist town we live near when a huge camper van pulled out , so a trip to the butchers , he was saying the same as me , here we go again .  Dozens of visitors from the depths of the UK descending , lots from the local plague spot Mansfield , the latest jolly wheeze seems to be Lateral Flow testing for all and sundry three times a week , known for not being particularly reliable ive been supervising grandson doing his all week , his school has had a couple of year groups shut down with false positives a couple of weeks ago , had to chuckle that they come with a packing slip printed in Chinese . 

Good old Prince Phillip has popped off , hed had quite a rich and varied life . Just think of the thousands of times hes sat through endless displays of national dancing , walked three steps behind , personally think he was desperate to leave before his 100th birthday, he wouldnt have liked the fuss .  Its to be hoped the Queen stays around for a bit but with devoted elderly couples one often follows the other .  Most seem more bothered that Eastenders was cancelled , very sad for his family .  Even sadder that all the klingons and hangers on are coming out of the woodwork turning him into a saint 

Over Egged

Well thats the Easter excitement over , one day of warmth and sunshine then a sprinkling of snow and arctic winds .  I notice the press didnt publish much about everybody heading to tourist destinations but the volumes of traffic say otherwise and the tourist town we live near was heaving . Havent been anywhere im munchkin sitting , hes moved in for the holidays his mum is not to well and she needs a break , plus he has Covid tests twice a week even during the school holidays . Hes suitably impressed that he has just as many as grandad . I suppose i should stop calling him the munchkin now he can look me straight in the eye, as my gran would say hes growing into a right lanky streak of piss.  My garden assistant is having a great time chopping stuff down , so im well ahead on the garden front , the fence treatment has arrived and im planning on showing him how to fix the large shed it needs half a dozen new boards around the bottom where they have rotted . Mr Bah Humbug went off on a whole i need a new workshop rant , bear in mind he hasnt set foot in the shed for 3 years and is unlikely to have a sudden recovery . It is however packed with thousands of pounds worth of tools and equipment that need to be secure and the repairs dont need me to be able to get into the shed so its happening with or without his cooperation..  Another problem ive spotted is he has squirreled dozens of tyres in various spots around the garden , you now have to pay for these to be disposed of , so in the event thats another huge expense , its fair to say that if i didnt stand up to him some of the time he would turn this place into an episode of hoarders in a matter of months .  his delivery's turn up nearly every day , fortunately its mainly fishing related now that the season has begun . Brother in Law is only working part time now, so hes available most of the time to take other half this year .  So its monthly shopping day today , at least ive someone to carry for me for a change ...... 

Plague of Pussies

 Of late i have pussy problems , we have a Tom cat haunting us small fluffy and a lovely grey and white specimen, well fed and looked after but someone has forgot to take off his balls . He sings all night and gets a good threshing from our female pair and third cat from next door they have all being sterilised , but my little tortoishell is very nervous so shes pulling out her fur and generally a pissy basket case . Its been a bit of a baffler till the other day i noticed a small cat in next doors bedroom window .  So i figured that must be the female whose drawing the Tom cat , now next door keeps themselves to themselves we speak in passing etc theyve been here years . but animal welfare isnt a strong point she has two dogs something of a Staffie type that she has never walked all the time shes had them , when she had cats before they were always moth eaten and flea covered , i managed to trap one and mange bath it , it had a full coat of fur for months and promptly spent the whole of one winter asleep on our boiler ...The story gets better yesterday i spotted three little cats in the bedroom window watching me garden , im hoping shes just cat sitting but ive a feeling shes planning on breeding them for a bit of extra cash . So it looks as if we will never be rid of Tom Cat , guess its off to order some calming plug ins , has anybody had any success with them ?