What a wash out

Were back.

From a week in Devon, well 5 days as it was SO wet and cold we decided (I decided) enough was enough, and we came home.

Never been to Devon before, didn't like the place we stayed in, everyone was called John and all where very surly as other visitors mentioned in the guest book at the house we rented (which I might add at this point was beautiful, only it didn't have any curtains in the lounge so made viewing Dr Who rather difficult when the only sun of the day came over at 7pm; invention to the rescue with bin liners and sticky tape), but we did find a beach about 30 mins away from us which was fantastic for surfing which we all enjoyed very very much.

Although after surfing we were all bloody freezing, with gale force winds whipping around our ears, at one point children and I huddled around smallest member of the family like penguins to try and banish the cold, which took the edge off it all a bit.

I realised on this holiday that my eldest children are ready for a bit more adventure from there holidays, although we had lots of fun, the girls definitely wanted the chance to wear there fashionable summer clothes instead of the fleece and thermal socks which where a must.

It would be very nice to wake up in the morning on holiday and think that we could just go to the beach and spend the day there,and not ,that we can stick it out for a few hours before we get hypothermia.

What with packing lunches, the daily washing of clothes, it didn't really feel like a holiday at all. The only plus was that we where all together and we had Dr Who to watch, and the surfing (body boarding queen I was - even bested the children - ha!), but after three days I was pretty much done, and I think so where the children. I guess after 13 years of sticking it out on a freezing cold beach we are due for a change, and I think next year a change it will be, probably will spend the whole time moaning its too darn hot, no pleasing some people!.

WE came home however to a house full of plaster dust and not much done. Our builders had been given our week away to complete the project, believe me when I say the task involved was not the krypton factor, but none the less has not been finished which of course means they have to return - deep joy.

So we are frantically trying to finish at least one room; the builders obviously have a sense of humour here as they have started 3 rooms and finished none of them, which makes our task slightly impossible. Husband is a master ceiling painter and has achieved 3 ceilings but sadly has run out of paint, so the ceiling he started 4 years ago, yes 4, in the lounge has eluded him once again as this was not a priority.

I have gotten used to order in the home (thanks to Anthea Turner)and feel very very aggravated at the fact it is now not organised and clean. Clean; oh don't get me started on clean, it was a terrible state when we got home, still as the more we try to sort it, the dustier it becomes, I have to keep telling myself it will get better, several times a day, I do hope so.

To top it all we lost 2 of our chickeroonies to a very sly old fox, which was a blow, and very unfair on my poor mother in law to have had to suffer that as she was minding them for us, nothing is going right at the moment.

Still have the dog to collect tomorrow, and chickens will have to be replaced (have told tweenie children that they where sick, so by the time they have got the new ones they will have hopefully forgotten about the old ones -oh the webs we weave)Husband has told me we can get another dog and some piggies, should say hurrah to that but am low on the gusto at the moment, still will keep anyone posted who cares to listen.

Chicken Run!

Well, a few days to go before we depart on our yearly week away, and boy do we need a break.

The builders are still ploughing away as I blog, and yes I have cursed and praised them (more curse than praise this week), and made oceans of tea and coffee but finally I think there may be a light at the end of this never ending building journey, or maybe if the electrician turns up a light at the end of the hall, the landing even, one can only live in hope.

Hope springing eternal that whilst we are away the builders will drift in and plaster there little trotters off so upon my return I will have a plaster perfect haven of perfection to glide into and wistfully throw myself into a comfy armchair with a steaming cup of coffee in my hand whilst our pets ever so "snow white like" take charge of the laundry, budgies and chickens hanging out the washing which the dog has picked up gently with his teeth and placed in the machine on an Eco friendly 30 degree wash. Which if not for the goldfish in the machine pummelling away at the cloths with there fins would come out more or less the same way as it went in.

I some how don't think the realms of the real world can be stretched this far thus I am expecting not everything to be done but the house buried under an inch or two of plaster dust ready for me to chase the pets around the house with mop and bucket in hand, shout at the children a few times to help out whilst hubby sits in the comfy chair with my hot cup of coffee, that's the vision I will keep in my head so anything slightly better will be a real treat, the only change is that husband will probably have tea instead of coffee but none the less I will visualise.

So this week I have managed to tile a shower, tile and grout a floor from hell, (nothing is level in thes house, including my head), sort out a plumber 3 builders and a serially late electrician. Search the entire county for flip flops for my daughter, ship off the dog to his kennels, whilst trying ever so hard not to cry. Make tea of course for the street it seemed at times, ship off 5 chickens an 8ft run and a make shift hen house over to my mother in laws with 5 children. Negotiating acro props and scaffolding getting the run and chickens through the house which is peppered with every building tool you could imagine and some you can't!.

Cut the grass, clean the fridges and start the arduous task of de dusting the entire house whilst washing and packing and feeding the children every thing in the freezer, oh we had time as well to watch the Illusionist which was cracking, and also The Good Shepherd, which is an illusion as it is dreadful, I had to sit and watch the end as I though something major was going to happen, it did in the form that it took ages to end, I was losing the will to live. Awful!.

So I have today burned a few discs for the car for the journey, scrubbed the bathroom floor, and shot to the shops to get drinks and stuff for the car, whilst trying to relay to the builder that in fact yes we will need a letterbox fitted before we go away, and also it would be nice to have a wall surrounding the front door as my husband does not want to stay behind with a torch and german shepherd, we could just run the Good shepherd I suppose that would keep people away from our door in there droves!.

I now have 5 children fighting over not wanting to share a bag to take every item of clothing they own away after stating pack lightly.

I love my life!

See you when I get back!

Pains in the arse!

Rather an apt title for me I think!.

Start of the school hols, good so far , although we have an army of builders with us yet again, which is exactly what every mother in the country wants during this rather pleasant interlude from school.

I always look forward to our school hols, too much time spent at school I think.

But due to the bad weather and a stroppy roofer , our latest project spiraled into the first and of course will flow into the second week of the holidays, which doesn't make me feel too happy, as after today things started to go horribly wrong.

Shower tray, 765 x 765 mm. All we needed was a base to fit it, not to much too ask considering the same builders have just built a rather nice extension for us, did they get it right - of course not, but being true builders they fudge the f**k up by making up some hairbrained idea of chiselling walls to make said shower tray fit, well not for them actally to chisel the walls but for the poor plumber who's job it will be to fit the shower to chisel the walls.

My idea (note 5 days ago when cock up was first done) was to knock the thing out and rebuild it to size, not a wild idea I thought, but obviously fell on deaf ears until the 11th hour when I needed the bloody thing to fit so as I could tile the shower area in readiness for the poor plumber to fit it all.

So complete frustration ensues, and after stamping my foot in an email to the builder boss, I get the wall cut out and a shower tray fitted snugly to the shower base, leaving poor poor craftsman late to go home on a Friday night wishing he had built the base in the first place and had not left it to "I cant use a level or a tape measure properly, anyway someone else can sort out my mess" fellow builder.

Please!

So now I have the joyous task of tiling the area, tiling part of the floor in readiness for the poor plumber and for the return of the builders on Monday to knock out several walls and move a few doors- 2 days after I have pissed them off over the bodged up shower tray base.

So all bodes well for Monday then.

Too top it all , Husband has had a crap week, my sons had his hair cut and hates it, and we are going to my mother in laws for a lunch I can't eat.

My life is so full of joy!