Dear Blog,

I know. I can’t give you any decent excuses for why I’ve neglected you for 5 days. All I can say is, I’ve let things get on top of me  but I promise to try harder next time (this is, by the way, also the same thing I say to my French teacher every single Monday morning).

Gains and Loses

 

 I’ve lost more ground (literal) in my battle with the Husband and his chaos this week than I have in a long time. 

He played a clever card in our warfare. He told me ‘ok, from now on I will finish one room at a time.’  I believed him. The room was going to be the kitchen – fabulous? Great? Let’s have it finished.

Since that statement he has:

-knocked through an ancient window opening onto the stairs, painted four outside windows, drilled what started as 1 small hole between the playroom and kitchen and ended up in being a rather big, big hole on both sides of the wall so he could run an internet cable (and needed trips to three different neighbours for drill bits and then a trip to the town to buy the longest drill bit in France and which cost about as much as an engagement ring), cleaned the pool, bought cases and cases of wine to take advantage of the supermarket offers, tidied (not in my understanding of the word) the office (totally chaotic) and 4th bedroom (neither room we’ve ever been able to use other than to dump tools and shite), knocked out part of a wall of the fireplace, knocked through part of the actual fireplace floor in my bedroom, researched………whatever he researches……..but work in the kitchen? well…. He has moaned a lot too. An awful lot.

So total gains to him: 5 rooms (and I’m being lenient) in a chaotic state

Total gains to me: 1 wardrobe with the door hanging off for a year was finally moved (out of my sight) and the door put back on. Oh and the Australian canvas of photos was finally hung up after 3 1/2 years.

I don’t mean to sound like a spoilt brat but after 3 1/2 years of waging a Mess/Renovation battle with the love of my life, I think a little break would do me good. A little break to say? our other house…………. oh, no, hang on a minute. That one is worse than this. 

The husband is stubborn. He wants to do it all himself. He also wants to do every room at the same time. I’m wondering now if he regrets the conversation of February 2010 :

‘hey love, check out this house. Isn’t it perfect? we could move straight in and enjoy ourselves.’

‘I don’t want to pay for a house in which the work has already been done.’

OOOOH, I bet he REGRETS THOSE WORDS now!!!!

This evening

I picked up the Prodigal, brought him home and he was SHOUTED at by the Husband (my husband, to avoid confusion) because he, the Prodigal, had cooked chips last night and spilt chip fat all over the new made to measure slab of wood/kitchen stand that IVE ONLY BEEN WAITING THREE YEARS FOR!!!!!!!

The Prodigal went out (and I don’t blame him), shortly after arriving home, and got drunk with some Petanque players (or so he said) and fell in through the door, on top of the dog around 9.30 p.m.

The Husband went to bed at 8.30 p.m. probably under the weight of his House Woes.

The Fatty was being difficult until 10.15 p.m.

I am now enjoying the first half an hour of being on my own today…….except that it’s almost tomorrow.

And so the day ends with some words by Dickens:

Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

Until next time.