Seven years of bad luck?

In the last line of my last blog I wondered what could possibly break down next.  Well, I didn’t have to wait long to find out.  When Phil got up for a pee early on Saturday morning he discovered that the glass mirror had fallen off the tiled wall and smashed to smithereens all over the floor.  To be honest, I wasn’t too surprised because I’d spotted that it was loose at the top whilst I was cleaning the bathroom.  I did mention this to my dear husband but he was having one of his no shower stay in pyjamas days and was deeply engrossed in his OU study.  I did mean to prise it off the wall myself after I’d finished carrying out my going to bed ablutions but I clean forgot.  I just hope and pray that the old saying is just a mith; seven years of bad luck is something I could well do without!

I left Phil to do more study on Saturday morning while I hopped in my car and made my way to the United Reformed Church hall in Newport.  I’d promised to help Vanessa out at her Spring Fair.  Vanessa is working really hard at raising funds for her trek in aid of Willen Hospice and still has a way to go to meet her target. As to be expected from Vanessa, everything was highly organised.  There was a book stall, a couple of bric-a-brac stalls, face painting, homemade cards, plants & pots, tombola and a raffle stall.  Chris & Alex were in charge of the tea and homemade cakes and yours truly was manning the Raffle stall.  We had a respectable flow of traffic into the hall but it was just a shame that it was raining and I’m sure that kept a few people away.  I’m not sure how much money she raised but hopefully it was worth the tremendous effort.  Vanessa will kill me for putting this picture on the blog; she may even stop speaking to me.  Sorry V, I just couldn’t help myself!  

Phil studied for most of the day but at 4pm he had to get dressed and go to the OB flat to collect beds and mattresses.  The couple that moved in before we got back had their own furniture and so wanted our stuff cleared.  When Phil got there he discovered the tenant’s husband came from Philip Island in Australia.  We went there 2 or 3 times when we were staying in Melbourne.  Funny world we live in.  Just a few months ago we’d never of heard of Philip Island, let alone been there.   Phil said the flat was immaculate which was a huge relief.  Unfortunately the bed removals took two trips and now the garage is chock-a-block.  We’re going to have to get us another storage unit. 

We’d not long sat down when a knock on the lounge window alerted us to someone outside.  It was Kevin from across the road, he’d been knocking at the front door but when we sit in the conservatory with the telly on it’s impossible to hear the door.  Phil let him in and offered him a beer which he accepted.  The boiler ignition light had packed up across the road and they have no central heating so Kevin wanted to borrow one of our heaters.  He’s a gentle giant Kevin with an infectious smile.  He’s not like you or me but Phil has a soft spot for Kevin and is always up for a chat.   

By some fluke we were awake around 5am on Sunday morning and by pure chance were in time to watch the beginning of the Australian Grand Prix.  This was lucky really because we had quite forgotten about the clocks going forward.  I stayed in bed to watch the programme but Phil got up and watched in the conservatory because the telly is so far away from our bed that he couldn’t read the screen.   It was a lazy start to the morning.  The sun was sort of shining so we decided to walk along the canal to the shops to get the papers.   We hadn’t got far when the clouds came over and we thought it was going to rain but we got there and back without getting wet.  The rest of the morning was study for Phil and some domestics for me.  Lunch was roast chicken but without roast potatoes and the Yorkshire puddings.  We are trying to be good in the diet department but it doesn’t seem to making much difference.

After lunch, I left Phil alone to his own devices and went over to Great Holm to see Christine.  She’s off on holiday to Cuba on Wednesday (lucky girl) so this was our last chance to catch up before she goes away.  We had a good catch up chat over a cup of tea and walked the dogs, who were just as boisterous as ever.  Last night was Sunday newspapers and Come Dine with me and the film ‘The Truman Show’.

This week we really do have to get our arses into gear. The focus has to be on finances which are not looking good and we do have to do some hard work on the end of year accounts. I’ve had the jet lag to blame for my laziness in this department but now it really is case of pure procrastination. We really do have to get our affairs in order and then we can seriously concentrate on the job hunt. Mind you, there is still load to sort out; the damaged wall where the mirror fell needs sorting, the bath needs sorting and the panel is still hanging off which looks awful.   Phil did manage to find the key for the padlock on the big plasma but we still to find a way of getting it off the wall so we can get it in for repair.  The house needs a good spring clean and the garden needs major work.  Where will I ever time to work a proper job??