Wednesday 18 July 2007

It Never Rains But It....

Dear Racers

I wanted to leave you a post as I will be away for a few days and will miss two coffee mornings, and wanted you know that I care and haven't dropped out or anything like that.

What a week it has been! Just when I think I've a clear run at thebook everything goes wrong. The husband is away in the states until the day before we go on holiday, which of it's self isn't too bad, because much as I love him I get to watch what I want on TV and have the whole bed to myself. But it turns out that despite my claims to do everything in our lives while all he does is lark about in an office all day, sleep and eat food, actaully I do rely on him rather a lot. When he's not here and things go a bit wrong I realise how much!

My poor mum was admitted to hospital on Monday with a serious (but not life threatening) infection, on the way to visit her in the pouring rain my windscreen wipers packed up completely and the garage assures me it's nothing so cheap or as simple as a fuse, so I'm looking forward to that bill. The washing machine finally gave up the ghost mid cycle, flooding the floor, and now I'm hoping there's one at the holiday cottage because so far we're taking a suitcase of dirty clothes (a suitcase I can't reach by the way, jammed as it is on the other side of the garage that is full of furniture, I'd need a mountaineering kit and a Sherpa guide to get to it), The dog is pining for my husband and not eating anything except for the chocolate she stole out of my handbag. She lies around looking at the backdoor and sighing and won't talk to me at all.

And then there is the spider. The giant spider the size of a dinner plate (practically) that decided to move in to our house yesterday. Both myself and my five year old are brave and gusty people but we are not spider people. We are the sort of people who can neither kill a spider, pick it up and put it out of the window or ignore it and go about our lives as normal. It turned up last night on the landing, and it still just sitting there now. You know that at any minute it's going to scuttle somewhere with it's horrid little legs tip tapping on the floor, and do something profoundly evil like eat a woodlouse or ....make a web.

And don't try telling me that IT is more afraid of ME than I am of IT. OK, I know spiders in the UK are not known for being lethal, but that's not the point. The point is I can feel it looking at me with its eight beady eyes sizing me up. Under normal circumstances the dog would eat it. But the dog is pining and the spider is not chocolate.

The long shot is that although I have still made progress this week it's not been as nearly as much as I wanted. Which has taught me two things. You can plan to write but you can't plan for life AND husbands are good for more things than lawn mowing and putting out the rubbish. Who knew?

8 comments:

Rachel Green said...

*chuckles*
You could probably make another book out of the experience.

As the most macho woman in a house full of femmes it falls to me to do those tasks you rely on your husband to do. I could handle each of those tasks with ease but put me in front of the child and I quake.

Rowan Coleman said...

Ha!! Kids are scary, and it's not a fear that is automatically cured by having one of you own. I am getting quite good at being a parent now I think, so some fears can be overcome - but spiders! NEVER. If you were my neighbour I'd have been banging your door down last night to ask you to deal with it. Unfortunately my neighbour is eighty-seven and can't bend down.

DOT said...

I am with you 100%. My solution, which is probably not very ethical, is to spray them with deodorant. I am not sure why it works but I think it has something to do with the fact that they have eight armpits - or the equivalent.

Helen said...

Oh Rowan you did make me laugh. On a morning where I was having a lie in 'cos I'm feeling a bit grim at the mo (no I'm not pregnant!) - husbands are good for some things you're right - but then I get downstairs and they're watching toy story and have to leave for school in 10 minutes and neither are dressed and packed lunch hasn't been packed...

Hope you have a lovely holiday and hope you're mum is ok.

Helenx

hesitant scribe said...

But... awful though spiders may look, they do eat flies, and flies are much much worse because they vomit on your food, or worse, suck your blood. Hope that helps!

Do hope you have a good time away, and that your mum gets well soon :)

CL Taylor said...

I'm with hestitant scribe on this one. I leave the spiders to wander around at will so they eat the nasty little moths that seem to have decided to take up permanent residence in my flat. That said I do squeal and run away if they come anywhere near me!

Hope your Mum is okay Rowan and I feel for you on the washing machine front. The same thing happened to me a few years ago and it was a total nightmare!

Kate.Kingsley said...

Oh Rowan, what a week! It did make me smile though (which is due to your telling of it, not the cr*ppy time you've had!)

"You can plan to write but you can't plan for life AND husbands are good for more things than lawn mowing and putting out the rubbish" ~ this is my new mantra!

Hope your mum is okay,

best wishes
Kate K

Rowan Coleman said...

Thanks for your cheering comments! Mum is on the mend, the husband is back, the spider is gone and I'm off on hols tomorrow - see you in a couple of weeks!Rx