Its been a thought provoking summer, my Mum becoming ill, the thought of Granny going into a home as Mum will be unable to care for her as dominated the last months.
Summer holiday cancelled, wedding anniversary, birthday all put on hold.
I have been working like a navvy, along with others, clearing Granny's house, emptying a shed with many a creepy crawly having lived undisturbed for 4 years, I have seen many species of spider and become immune to them, there has not been the time to jump and shriek.
The presence of a rat visitor who lost his way and ran in the kitchen last week, I have become the only person who is unafraid of them, and so sent into new areas with a hoe to make lots of noise and gingerly remove old bags and boxes!
The only mammal we found was a dead mouse poor thing had got into a filing cabinet made a bed and then unable to escape had perished literally it was like a papier mache model.
The hard work which before the beginning of August consisted of mere housework has been at times so physically tiring I have fallen asleep slumped over my laptop! The day I think of a 'day of groans' saw us shovelling rubble and tarmac into a skip, we filled it in two hours and it was a biggie!
It was in part hilarious, as we started realising a heavy wheelbarrow just does not go over a skip ledge if you are not musclebound, we nearly ended feet up in the mud and muck!
So this week we have cleared the shed and been shopping for bedding, I never thought I would walk upright again, my back so stiff.
When I arrived home one night, absolutely black and needing a bath, the thermostat had packed up, so no hot water. I just sat on a chair feeling like a dead thing from a horror movie! My friend rescued me with a hot bath and Chris supplied fish and chips and sanity was restored.
At the beginning this task seemed impossible, now we can see a garden shaped green space, due to lots of chopping which sadly had to be done, the trees had all crowded in pushing shrubs into gnarled stumps. We discovered the lost greenhouse so overgrown we thought it had been stolen.
It needs new panes and a tidy up, but I already dreaming of home grown veggies and Granny giving me advice, she had a vine in there at one stage. Cucumbers, courgettes, all manner of produce she grew with amazing expertise!
We had taken lots of wood to the tip, but decided to have a bonfire each day to make faster progress! A bad Usain Bolt impression, think my mind was starting to go at this point!
Although I did love the beauty of the wilderness that had taken over, the undisturbed haven for birds has to make room for people again, bird tables being added from mine as I spotted a Thrush, not seen one for years.
The house has a wet room taking shape, cracked sewage pipe fixed, the builder Mick Vernall if you live in Peterborough an amazing builder who has worked into late evenings to help, and fixed so many things. He put a new bay window the one above will be recycled to pane the shed and other bits it was finished on Friday, even down to releading the bay roof and painting the sill.
He has gone above and beyond a normal builders day, fixed little problems and even stopped moaning about my rubbish tea making.
I like mine like a builder strong and little milk and he likes his with soya milk and it resembles the liquid from a gnat!!
Now begins the joy of of putting the room together and adding back lots of wonderful ornaments and pictures that Granny holds dear! The wallpaper is on, new curtains and carpets.
The old 60's gas fire condemned and gone to reveal an amazing tiled fireplace and its been cleaned up and the greens in it will be in touches of decor in the room that is the new bed sitting room.
Will be bringing you more news of this next weeks happenings soon.
Also check out the real live chimney sweep in the house and he did not look anything like I imagined. http://www.giventodistractingothers.co.uk/2012/08/a-chimney-sweeps-tale.html
My summer has been a strange one and I know my real work will be when Granny arrives back as I will become a full time carer. But would I change my decision to give up my life, home and my summers and days out.... No, never!