Friday, July 25, 2008

Another day begins...

Yesterday, Barney's day began with a house full of smoke and ended with a blocked drain.
Mine, on the other hand, began with a hair cut and seems not to have quite ended yet.
The night before last it was so deliciously hot that I opened all the windows, blocked all the doors from blowing shut and went to bed surrounded by cool breezes from every direction.
Very early next morning (If not in the middle of the night - who can say) one of our further away neighbours had a fire lit. They are only neighbours in the sense that they are next but one along the road. A mere half mile or so away. the fire was to burn a large amount of tree branches they recently had cut down with a lot of green wood in them. So a lot of smoke. And the wind blew it across the field straight into our windows! All open invitingly :)
Barney was not amused! (But I was asleep and missed it all)
But after shutting all the windows, he went off to work and then when he came home (fortunately before he'd had his shower), he discovered that our drain was blocked. There followed a good deal of grumpy and hot and sweaty stuff involving bent pieces of metal and hot water and all my washing up liquid. That's life in the country for you :)
Anyway, I got up, rushed off and got the haystack trimmed and then spent the day spending vast amounts of money on food (to be consumed on Saturday when the family all descend. Later I came home and opened all the windows again, since the fire across the valley had now declined to a trickle of vertical smoke instead of a cloud billowing across the countryside. And did a few bits and pieces of cleaning and tidying. All very civilised really. Such also is life in the country :)

We had a conversations last night which went like this.

"Is there anything you want me to do tomorow, I'm writing a list."
"I don't think so, I've got my list here and mostly it's stuff you won't have time to do, Besides, your list looks enormous"

" Well I get up earlier than you so I have more time to do things so I get more done"
"But things have a way of taking longer than you expect"

"Yes but as I'll be getting up so much earlier than you I'll still get more done"
"Ah" biting tongue "Right then. Well it's true you get up earlier than me"
And "Well you could go into Thatcham and collect the glasses and check out the fish shop if you like".
I noticed that he didn't actually put these things on his list!

For some reason, I forgot to put on my list 'spend the first two hours helping Barney to do the things on his list'
Wasn't that silly of me?
So I got up about an hour after him and promptly spent the next two hours helping him put up tents and marquees and things. As I said, things have a way of taking longer than you expect.
Later he was distressed to discover that pastry for the chocolate tart had to spend a whole hour in the fridge before he could do the rest of it. .....As I said......
And he was quite taken aback to learn that he had to go and collect the glasses, wasn't sure if he'd have time for that. What? And go to the fish shop too? ..... What was it I said?....

On the positive side, we have found the perfect way to get the trailer tent up. Hardly any poles fell down and it took rather less time than it usually does (though rather more than he expected)

Oh I am such a smartass :) But a smartass surrounded by a clean tidy house so that makes me a smartass bathing in reflected shininess which is very very good :)And there has been some sun shine too which is also very good :)
I shall go and sleep the sleep of the just. (The just too damned smartass to live)
Good night :)

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10 comments:

At 1:26 AM, Blogger Sorrow said...

heaven loves a smart ass with a happy hubby and a clean house!
so dang jealous!

 
At 12:03 PM, Blogger Betty F said...

I LOVE it. They always think they have ALL the answers. Nothing shuts Paul up faster than to learn he's wrong! AFTER I told him so. Love the post. Hope you have a wonderful time with family.

 
At 1:32 PM, Blogger Mel said...

*chuckling*

I hope you find some lovely list paper JUST for him.....cuz......LOL

What silliness, eh?
But the tent's up, the house is readied.....and the chocolate tart stuff--oh boy!
Mig's having a big to-do at her house with lots of noise and food and fun!

<--happily awaiting photos of the gala event.
(wanna see that tart thingy himself put together, of course!)

 
At 7:54 PM, Blogger Zig said...

I hope that this is the last post about cleaning eh?! I've developed a twitch when I look at the mess here and it's down to you making me feel inadequate! :)

Not inadequate to make a start on it though! Too much sunshine outside; hope you're enjoying it with your family.

 
At 12:03 AM, Blogger I, Like The View said...

oh you do make me smile so

thank you

:-)

(I trust it's all gone swimmingly, and by the time you read this there won't be any tidying-up [or cleaning] to do!)

XXXX

 
At 12:32 AM, Blogger mig bardsley said...

Smartasses generally end up doing a pratfall Sorrow :) But I'm prepared to pay as and when it's required since, as you say, right now heaven loves us :) (The sun shone all day!!!)

We had an excellent day thank you Betty and the family were as lovely as always :)

It was lovely Mel. The chocolate tart was pretty amazing too (but I'm sorry, it was all eaten before I even thought about getting the camera out - in fact I was lucky to get any myself!)

Ziggi, I'm so sorry! the times I've felt twitchy about my grubby corners (and all bits in between corners) because someone else is just TOO clean!
I'm seriously hoping that the cleaning I've done now will last until next year! If it doesn't , I shall fail to notice.

Dear I , if it makes you smile, we'll do it all again!
(Well we will anyway, next year :)
And thank you! Your wishes were most successful! All the tidying up has been done and as I said to ziggi, there'll be no more cleaning till next year :)
xxx

 
At 1:06 AM, Blogger Mel said...

Well, what matters is folks had a wondrous time, you got a piece of the tart and the cleaning is DONE for another year! Wooohooo!

 
At 10:44 PM, Blogger mig bardsley said...

You've got it exactly right Mel :)
All was wonderful (Including the weather!!) and that's my major clean up done for a year :)

 
At 11:50 PM, Blogger I, Like The View said...

hope you've been having a nice rest in the sunshine

XXX

 
At 3:38 AM, Blogger mig bardsley said...

Dear I , I've loved the sunshine and I hope you've enjoyed it too.
Rest - Um! Well that's coming later I think :)
(and also catching up with you - big hugs in the meantime :)

 

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