Hey Friend!
How’s it going? I really hope you’re not complaining about the heat! We spend too many months in dreariness in the UK to be moaning about a wonderfully long summer!
We are already in the second week of August, which means I have a week and a half left before I’m back at work (booooo!!).
On the upside, I only have two things left to buy in terms of school uniform, one of which being Little Dude’s (LD) shoes. I got him to try everything on yesterday and it was a bittersweet moment. It’s like he shoots up another inch every time I blink. A whole decade has passed since he came into the world as my calmest baby. He has since proven that it was all a ruse and is my most energetic, chatty and busiest child.
Well, actually, Older Miss (OM) is my most chatty child. But LD is a [very] close second.
The other thing I have to get are skirts, which I’ve just re-ordered for Littler Miss. It appears the ones I bought were ‘longer length’ and she said it makes her look like she’s part of the Amish community…
In my defence, last year I couldn’t find a black pleated skirt anywhere. Every single shop I tried was out of stock. So, when I saw they were available this year, I just clicked without paying attention to the finer details (very unlike me, of course). But it’s all sorted now and she’ll have skirts that don’t extend past her knee (shocking, I know).
We’ve currently got replacement cladding works going on which is particularly fun in this weather (still not complaining though!).
A friend of mine had work going on for her building through the winter meaning she was forced to wear her coat and hat indoors on the coldest days.
For us, we have to judge where they’re working. If it’s right outside, no windows open – far too much dust flying about and very noisy. If it’s another floor or across the way, windows can be opened.
But it’s all very awkward being at home while they’re working.
I pretend I can’t see them, they pretend they can’t see me – even when I’ve just opened the blind and there’s a man stood right there.
Even though I’m up before 8am when the workmen start clomping around the scaffolding, I don’t open the blinds until much later. Simply because, in those moments where it goes really quiet, I don’t want to forget the workmen exist and accidently walk into the kitchen in my underwear (which has happened to all of us at least once…).
Now, we’ve got their timings down to a tea. There’ll be drilling, banging, stomping from 8am-10am. Then there is silence. A tea break, I assume, until anywhere from 10.30am-10.45am. Lunch is from 11.30ish and they’ll reappear somewhere between 12.30-1pm. After that, there’s a solid time of drilling etc. until 4pm when they start packing up. Silence resumes by 4.15pm.
You can quite literally set your watch by them.
The men spend a lot of time talking in languages I don’t understand and I find myself wondering what they could be saying.
Maybe they’re talking about the state of my home because with everyone in, promises of completing chores are made, but not often followed through as quickly (I’m looking at you, OM, and that basket full of clean clothes that needs to be put away; oh, and you too, LM, and you’re collection of stuff on the sofa; Oh, and you, LD, and your books, toys, pens – everywhere!)…
Maybe they don’t actually care what our home looks like. Hopefully…
There was one day that LD and I were sat playing cards and we heard raised voices.
So, of course, we stopped talking so we could hear what they were saying. It seemed the polite thing to do.
One worker was annoyed that his colleague had given him work in the sun while the other worked in the shade.
LD laughed and said, ‘This guy’s in the wrong job.’ I had to agree. Why choose to work outdoors if you dislike the outdoors?
OM likened it to miserable bus drivers – why choose to work with the public if you hate the public? (This one is suitable for a range of jobs, including bank teller, cashier, shop assistant, customer service, receptionist – especially GP receptionists actually. I could go on!)
Anyway, we edge closer to the finish line and I will be so happy to look through my windows again without the shroud of scaffolding and mesh marring the view.
Apparently we’re going to hit 35 degrees tomorrow.
I’m off to stock up on ice lollies.
Speak soon xx
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