Mrs Grumpy Pants

I've been having a bit of a run of it.  There's something about the weather, something about the time of year, and something about what feels like everything conspiring against me.

So to get it down in the hope of getting it out of my system and starting at the end: my car has a crack in the windscreen, which developed from a small chip which was so small I'd forgotten about it so I'm kicking myself but it's really annoying; the windscreen therefore needs replacing (with £75 excess) which they can do after 1pm tomorrow, meaning I'm going into London for a 9.30am meeting, coming back at 11am and then working from home for some of the day; I've still got the cold that left me house-ridden for a week after Christmas (I now share an office in the interests of space saving and I didn't want to inflect my staff); the i-pad (his i-pad) and my phone don't let me update my blog so I'm not getting stuff down as often as I'd like; and I'm really, really struggling with the house-sharing thing at the moment.

I think all of the above is making me grumpy but it's the latter than is really killing me.  We hosted the 18th birthday party for v nice man's eldest who lives with us - which in the grand scheme of went very well, she wanted her dad's band to play in the front room so we were allowed to be there, which kept my mind at rest.  Just two lots of vomitting on the floor (both on tiles so easy to clean), a couple of spilled drinks (again in areas easy to clean) and one couple we threw out of a spare bedroom for ....... well you can guess (they were relatively respectable at the time).  But it took ages to prepare for, putting away breakables and the nice alcohol (my malt whisky, nice red wine) and even longer to clear up from.  But hey, they are only 18 once right and her mum had been flaky as usual and she'll appreciate what you do right ......

So last week she says to her dad that she's feeling a bit unhappy at home because she feels she's getting nagged all the time to do things.  [Please note, she told us originally that she doesn't notice stuff sometimes - which is v true - so we should ask for help if we want it.]  And we don't cook food she likes.  [This child doesn't like: raw peppers, potatoes in any form other than chips or mash, green beans, Thai curry - a new one, roast dinner.]  And she is feeling miserable. 

Me, I'm feeling something like the little red hen, as my dad would say to us occasionally when we were growing up.  Between my v nice man and I, we have strengths and weaknesses.  I freely admit that I am not tidy by nature.  I'm trying really hard to be because I like the house better when it's tidy but it does involve effort.  I'm good at keeping the place clean - even when my own house was messy, it was clean.  He's not so much with the cleannig but he will load the dishwasher every evening and tidy up and he's excellent about doing washing and even does my ironing (my v v small amount of ironing, I buy non-iron where I can).  So I can live with cleaning more because he does other things.  But the teenager does but does v little, bordering on nothing.  And I could live with occasionally prodding her to get things moving.  But now apparently that's taboo.

Actually that's an exaggeration.  This is not going to stay like that.  He has had a word with her already and will come down harder if needed because this one annoys him as much as me.  But today, right now, whilst I'm in my grumpy mood, I've just got home to plates on the side, dishwasher full after last night, shoes in the hallway (which are now on her bed, because that's where everything goes for her to deal with) and I'm looking forward to pasta for dinner which isn't my favourite but is just about all she'll eat. 

And breathe.  And it'll all be already soon.  But right now, Mrs Grumpy Pants is going to have a large glass of red and do things that I want to do......

Happy New Year - and goodbye 2012

Happy new year all.  Hope you had a good 2012.  2012 certainly moved my life on in leaps and bounds.  I went from living on my own and doing what I wanted, albeit in a happy relationship where I did consider my other half, to living with not just my very lovely man and also his 17 yo daughter.  I don't think that I've fully settled in to what that means yet - we're all still being polite to each other and we've still got some boxes to unpack so I think that there'll be more from that to come.  I've moved into a job I really enjoy after a couple of years of doing a job I could do standing on my head but that gave me no enjoyment in a place that was not motivating or even happy.  I had some lovely times with friends and some lovely holidays, capped by El Salvador in early November (El Sunzal is a beach and a break on the Pacific coast, to answer your question Lesley!)

I'm looking forward to 2013 but there is some trepidation too.  I've got a busy January ahead already looking at my diary and so I'm conscious that I should not overstretch or exhaust myself (I seem to have picked up a post-Christmas cough which I'm hating already).  I want more trips and travel - well I always want more holidays - and I'm thinking about where I want to go carefully to make the most of my leave.  There are things I want to do with the house - starting off with my unpacking the final 4 or 5 boxes in the office/music room (sounds much more glamorous that it is - it's the not quite converted garage which is another job I'd like to take on and do properly).  

That's a good start yes?!

Christmas has been quiet and very fun.  We had faux Christmas when 2 of the 3 kids came to stay with my very nice man (I'm not going to dwell on why it was only two and what the evil ex did to ensure that one didn't come, which really, really upset my very nice man and was truly horrid at Christmastime).  And then the kids were dropped at/near their mother's on 23 December and we were on our own until 27 December.  We dropped in on friends at their open house evening on Christmas Eve but otherwise didn't go anywhere and more importantly we didn't drive very far which gave both of us a welcome break.  The weather was quite hit and miss but we had a fab walk on Sunday 30 December with friends which made me feel virtuous and also made me think "we should do this more often" - as I always do when we get out.  But that should be a resolution of sorts (I don't really do resolutions).

I am going to spend more quality time with my friends this year.  More time would be good but making it good quality so that we get time to talk in the way we used to.  Years go past so quickly and at the end of the year, I can sometimes think I've wasted time with people who I don't really want to see and have not seen those I really care about.  Try harder next year.

And blog more!  I enjoy it and I've been pants for the last few months.  There's one to hold me to account for!!