This  is a gift from my Mum. She gave it to me today… She worked hard to finish it for my birthday last week and just a few days later she was struck with macular degeneration which has left her with blurred vision.

I admit, I said a few unkind words to the person who allowed this to happen….(whoever is in charge)

At almost 85 she has been able to do the finest embroidery and cross stitch and we marveled at her ability… now even that has been taken from her.

Yesterday was freezing, the temperature dropped from 90 last week to 40 yesterday….. I shuffled round with my arms folded muttering nasty words to the weather boss.

Keith forgot to mention that the insurance Co. were coming to repair the ceiling in our small dining room….  he sort of remember just as they arrived….

"Well we need everything out of the room" XXXXXXXX the young man said.

"can't you just patch it up" I asked.

"NO….

I went to the shed.

I had the fire roaring in the entrance room, and the workmen said they were hot and opened the windows to the 40 deg elements….

so I went back to to the shed.

I thought I'll just check what they are doing… so I braved the rain, hunched the shoulders and went into the house…

Gees, it was like a demolition site…. they took out the whole ceiling… I could see the roof tiles and the wind was whistling through the rooms… all the windows were open, and they traipsed white plaster across the floor.

So I went to the shed once again.

Half an hour later I saw the guys in the back yard shifting my "stuff"

"Oh, we can't do anymore, there are more leaks in the roof… you have to have them fixed before we can finish" we need to leave the plaster….."

Well I was real grumpy… this was NOT the plan for my day, when I got up, the house was warm and inviting, the music playing softly and I felt a sense of satisfaction that I was on track…..

"Sorry, you need to take your stuff with you…." I was in visioning that the plaster would have to stay there for the next 8 weeks until we got home…. how can you get an entire roof repaired in a day?

So they mumbled off.

I went back to the shed to find there was a terrible smell… has a rat died in the cavity… I didn't notice it before? or was it gas?

The fire spluttered and went out… NO GAS, Ohhhhh cold inside and cold outside…. I was on the phone to Keith, HELP…

The gas man turned up and filled the bottles and the shed was warm once again.

I managed to shut the door of the dining room, stoke up the heater and clean up after the workmen…

Friendly workmen arrived this morning and took control…. there are no extra leaks in the roof, he talked to the workman who will come and put in a new ceiling under his gaze and the family will be in the house to make it all happen….

Whoow.