Monday 22 July 2013

Paying back the spoon overdraft after three weekends of social interaction

There has been a largish (that really doesn't look like a proper word!) gap since my last post.  I've been a bit busy ... too busy as is now obvious.
Spoons (found on Google Images)

Currently wondering whether there is any point in getting out of bed and dressed ... depressed, well yes, probably - and the OH too by the look of his Facebook post from last night.  He went out campaigning (for that read delivering beer mats or magazines or otherwise promoting CAMRA) last night and returned to his house (yes we have two, please will someone buy the other one, please) to find he had no food but porridge.  It is not like the OH to moan, he must be really upset.
 
"Something has to give.
Been out tonight to do some campaigning stuff costing me about £15. Something I am passionate about, however I come home to a house with no food.
I am living at this house because Barnsley Council charge 150% council tax on empty properties.
Its not a second home, its actively up for sale.
Myself and the wife are in separate houses and I am the only one with a wage to supporting both.
I now go to bed with no food and look forward to porridge for breakfast.
I know people are much worse off than us but something is going to have to give.
If my hobby was collecting stamps I would have sold them by now."

I am doing the washing, but as the sun has not appeared over Barnsley this morning it's going on the indoor lines so that's not given me a reason to get dressed.  I turned off the alarm at 9am and didn't go to the Cudworth History Group ... far, far too tired to cope with explaining MS Access to elderly people this morning.  I've made it as user friendly as I can ... if they don't know how to work it they'll have to ring me.

The cat is in ... no she's out ... or is she in ... oh, heck I don't know!

I feel as if my legs and arms are wrapped in lead rubber - that stuff that they used to put on your lap when they X-rayed your extremities.  I can't think complicated things through and my knees and ankles are clicking ... I can't stay awake for long and there's a funny fizzing feeling in my back and neck. 

It is all self inflicted, however (well maybe not my illness although I know people who think I'm swinging the lead) as in the last couple of weeks we've been to a wedding, a birthday, a meeting and a graduation and visited my mum twice.  We have another birthday and a wedding this weekend.  All close friends' or family celebrations, should we not participate in these just because I'm ill and can't hold down a job or the housing market is in a depression and the other house has been up for sale for 18 months?  Should I not try to help my elderly mum with her gardening jobs - she's 75 for heck's sake, she can't do it all herself!

In a few weeks time we are due to go to London to volunteer at the Great British Beer Festival - we get our accommodation on expenses but we still have to pay to get there and for our food whilst there.  Did I mention our bank account was already in the red and the OH only got paid a week ago?

This will be my last year at the GBBF, I've already announced my decision to resign to the Working Party (the organising committee) - the rate I'm going I won't even last the week out.  But once I'm there I would have to stay as we need both of us to work to pay (claim expenses) for the hotel room we've booked and we can't afford a train fare to send me home anyway.  So expect a mega spoon crisis at the end of the month - hopefully the adrenaline will keep me going through the essential stuff.

The OH has just arrived home (it's lunch time) to scrounge a sandwich.  I'll go and put another load of washing in ...

Published this post and then spent 10 mins correcting the typos and spelling errors - told you I was tired!

2 comments:

Robyn said...

Oi, Mrs. You know full well that if you were poorly - you, of all people, who do so much, and put in so much time, there would be no question of your expenses not being paid. They'd sort something, of course they would. Have a big (((hug))) until such time as I can deliver it in person. And above all, do NOT be worrying yourself with "what if I'm poorly during GBBF" type thoughts - take it easy, pace yourself once you're there (oh yes you can!) and if you need to do shorter days than normal, well that's what you do. Love to OH too - he did sound so down last night, and no, that's really NOT like him is it. xxx

BarnsleyHistorian said...

Thank you Robyn.
xx