vexations – Filed words

Nuisances of life 7

I thought it was exceedingly unjust: the only person there who didn’t drink because he was driving home had his car crashed into the next morning – makes you sick doesn’t it.

We have been having an unadulterated diet of BSE and CJD on the radio, at every time we hear the news (and how often we do seem to hear the same items during the day). I hope that it doesn’t worry you too much. I must say I have been surprised how many mad cows there are. … Our government here seems to vary in their opinions from day to day, first one day banning all semen from Britain, and then issuing statements that we can’t possibly have any trouble because we have never had a case of BSE, and then the next day demanding that supermarkets remove from their shelves all products which contain any beef product from UK, and so on… It’s a gloomy subject to discuss, anyway, especially when I know so little about it, really!

I had forgotten that we had such heavy rain as to be separately memorable on the day we went to lunch with X, who I agree behaved very badly that day. I think he must have had a couple of quick ones while waiting for us, or something. Anyway, nil nisi bonum… he died a couple of years or so ago.

Last Sunday we had the Annual meeting and this week another issue of the monthly mag is due to the printer (and hasn’t been started at lunchtime Wednesday) so there is still no peace for the wicked! And at the moment my attention is slightly divided because I’m illegally taping bits of the Messiah from some records which are due back to the library with a horrifying penalty if they are kept overtime… PS The tape ran out just before the last chorus!

You’ll never believe what our batty son-in-law has done now, pulling a nail out of the wall with a hammer it came away suddenly and he’s concussed himself; evidently he wasn’t too bad the next day but they went to a party in the evening and ‘had a few drinks’ and the next day he doctor sent him off to have x-rays: all clear there but he had to stay in bed two days. Some mothers do have ‘em!

She got home the day before and found a police car outside, evidently someone had broken into the [student] house and pulled al the drawers out and helped himself to a glass of wine and gone off without anything. I hope they don’t miss things later. The police were very impressed with all their chains on doors and things but made a lovely parting remark which didn’t sink in until after they’d left – one of them said looking at their rather odd collection of house plants – ‘you can get out the rest of your pot plants when we’ve gone’!!

Fears

She got a birthday invitation today and after looking pleased she suddenly said, ‘No – balloons’ and refuses to consider going, so traumatised is she on the subject! Oh dear. I’ve promise to ask Y’s mum if there’ll be balloons, so we’ll see.

Altho’ sad that yet another old friend has left I feel it was a joy for her – she always worried she would go the way of her mother and aunts with what, I suspect, now is known as Alzheimer’s Disease.

I took the infants to see the animals in the field – poor X strapped in a pushchair nearly went berserk when the 4 calves as high as my hip loomed over her agog to get at our paper bag of goodies – I had to find a young enough couple who knew how to unbuckle the straps to get her out.

I was worried to see from your writing that you look either very tired or not very well at the moment. Try to get a real break in the two weeks off which are coming up. [Amateur graphologist!]

I really think X is fast heading for a full-scale nervous breakdown (to put it politely – my inclination is to say loony bin!). She swears, cusses, kicks and bosses them all and then gives them large unwanted presents so she can claim what she wants from them ’after all I’ve done for you’! Yes, I know I’m a cow but she makes me sick.

We have two couples coming to dinner Saturday night. I’m so bad at entertaining, the very thought of it has removed all my nails on one hand tonight.

You may be infuriated with your doctor’s ‘well you seem to be all right’, but that’s not as bad as my recent doctor who had the absolutely infuriating habit of listening to my dissertation of symptoms (said in a flat, unstressed voice so as not to give emphasis to those that smell of coronary or whatever) and then asking ‘what would you like me to say is wrong with you?’!

Strikes

We haven’t had any proper letters for two days and I suspect the rail strikers – the last straw was when some little jumped up Union man who looks like that rag and bone father on TV said the public could go to hell – why should 4,000 railway men lose their jobs (reduction is numbers of guards on freight trains because they’re in the red, like most firms). At least he put some of his mates’ backs up so it could be a good thing.

Couldn’t agree more about the strike and I think all the staff everywhere are fed up with it. Our people all seem to have stopped bothering about days of action and such like and even the most militant only just sit and mutter together in a corner of the staff canteen at lunch time instead of doing a militant picket or something!

Transport 3

Forgot to tell you of X’s embarrassment last week… We left bridge very late and very dark as usual, having parked the car in a different place to usual. X backed out and with a great flourish turned the car to go down the road – unfortunately he drove down a ditch instead! He got a couple of blokes to help him ‘rock’ it out – all they did was roll the 2^nd wheel into the ditch and car was stuck, almost over. Still more blokes turned up and eventually they managed to push car out of the ditch and to date nothing seems damaged – miraculously!

Apologies

[from a pre-schooler!] I am sorry for being so naughty on Friday. It was a mistake.

Sorry about the erratic typing. This is a new machine just delivered to us and I am trying to break it in a bit as it is very dodgy about the touch and reluctant to move. For a week it just sat and mocked us, as we undid the package and assembled it and found the space bar wouldn’t move. Being a hospital we then had to go through much fuss and bother to get the mechanic to come and fiddle with it. So now we have three typewriters of varying degrees of awfulness plus one that is really round the bend and is reserved for lending to the ward for patients trying to break themselves off some drug or another. But no electric one and my old fingers find it very hard work after a weekend’s intensive weeding!

X seems to be getting into New Age stuff! … She was also fascinated with some ‘art’ by a woman which very heavy ‘magical’ overtones and strange things happened to people who bought it.

I’m not going to read this through – or I’ll miss the post – guess when it doesn’t add up.

It’s not much good saying ‘Sorry I haven’t written for ages’ (tho’ I am) ‘cos it sounds kind of hollow. I do actually start lots of letters, both on paper and in my head! but that’s not a great deal of use as I don’t get around to actually sending them.

Apologies for appalling typing – writing’s worse!

Sorry this is so late – first I didn’t have envelope, then I bought one but couldn’t find your address. I’m also sorry to say the delicious honey we ordered was only available at Christmas, so I’ve ordered an alternative which should arrive within the fortnight – SORRY! I also got some of the photographs I took back and they’re AWFUL! If it’s a ‘good view’ the colour’s wrong e.g. white sky that should be blue! or vice versa. Even those of the kids are not good enough to send.

Temper

I trust your heart rate has settled – I usually feel het up when I speak off the top of my head voicing strong views – in my old age I usually find it safer to write them – and read again in the cold light of day!! I still find people v. difficult and keep much to myself.

So, at all times of the day and night the poor managers are rushing out to fight any fires as the Fire Service is really not up to it. They came to fight one that was surrounding us on three sides and her brother suggested what they should do and in a fit of pique because they were being ‘organised’ they did quite the opposite. In the course of which they backed one of the two fire trucks into the stone stairs and broke the ladders and pumps!!! They are really rather over-officious and very ready to assert their relatively new-found authority. Another night X went to fight a fire on one of his fields and the Chief Fire Officer was supervising as he put it which meant he was in a private car behind the first truck in mufti and with a woman!!! He also was parked in a private estate road in such a manner that X could not get his own fire cart through to the fire and would not move when asked. X is a colossal man of about 20 stone and 6 ft 5 and although charming when he wishes to be (I haven’t seen it fail on any woman yet) has a temper that has I believe got him into trouble in his younger days. However, he restrained himself from actually manhandling the CFO but gave him some good solid curses instead.

She now works on a telephone exchange and at a bible study discussing patience etc X asked her if she had many difficult people on the phone and what she did about them. Evidently one man had just recently been v. abusive, so she plugged him into ‘dial a prayer’. I’d have loved to see (or hear) his reaction!!

The whole trip went so much beyond our wildest hopes of success, my only regret being my clash with X, who I admire so much when I’m not with her!

Siblings

… feeling absolutely exhausted and unenthused for several months. I got v. worried and trotted along to my doctor, had x blood tests done and the outcome was I ought to get more exercise and move away from my sister (she is a very dominating sort of person).

Shopping 2

I lost one of my stud gold earrings down the bath plug recently and a local sold me some for $9 which was so cheap, as another man said they would cost $76. I queried as to whether they really were 9 ct gold, as if not they could infect the ear. The man was quite hurt I should question his honesty, and said if they did ‘bring them back’. I have had a cauliflower ear which took ages to clear up so when it did I put my old gold one in it, and one of his in the other ear, whereupon that ear got infected so I did take them back. He didn’t seem too put out and gave me some that cost $2 more with a ticket on them stating 9 ct gold, so I now hope for the best.

X gone v. with it – went shopping on his own and came back with emerald green tight cords and a voluminous padded bum freezer like yours.

Diet ideas 2

I’ll certainly see if I can get a ‘frugal cooking’ – I’m so idle about my cooking I think it’s pretty frugal anyway – but we weren’t tonight which was a little shaming as it’s Ash Wednesday. We had pancakes for lunch as I forgot them yesterday – cheese ones first then lemon and honey – and as X’s last night home we had chicken legs with sauté potatoes and pear, nectarines and cream – now it’s on paper I think I am more ashamed of it! But it was very nice!

I felt absolutely flattened and a head threatening. I left their coffee ready and went to bed after dinner – and quite stupidly took half a pound of Continental chocs to bed with me – the result was a roaring migraine for 24 hours (not helped by the fact it was self-induced!!)

She’s my bete noir, thoroughly ungracious and unattractive, poor dear is huge, practically as broad as she’s long, and I suspect a lot of behaviour comes from this, foolish of her as she has super hair and could look quite attractive if she lost about 4 stone, but eats and eats, even Weight Watchers failed as she didn’t keep to the rules.

Christmas didn’t do much for the figure, I’ve gone up to 12 again, however now the kids are back at school I’m back on egg for breakfast, yog for lunch, no spuds and fresh fruit – ONE day I’ll be that elusive 9 1/2 stone – don’t know when tho’!

She’d just finished a 4 day fast too and she looks ‘as different again’. I hope it inspires her to keep up more exercise and less temptations in the food line! I might well take heed of that myself too, I was looking at some old photograph albums t’other day, and was amazed how much better I looked when I was half a stone lighter – and 10 years younger!

We’ve just had a celebration tea with homemade meringues and lots of cream (I’ll start slimming Monday!) Has everyone gone bran mad in England? The doctor said I should eat 6 tablespoons for breakfast – I think I should have worked up to it slowly – it did disastrous things to my inside! I am baking wholemeal bread tho’ – I’d forgotten how simple it was – far easier than going to the village for it.

Gossip

Great goings on at the school. The mad cook had left and they had a man who committed some dreadful indiscretion with one of the staff so was replaced pretty smartly. Evidently there had been a minor rebellion amongst the nuns, and a lot of them left the Order.

In a letter from X – which may well have a few frills on it! – she said Y was being horrid to her husband and not enthusiastic about settling in S.A.; I don’t blame her I think I’d hate it. It’s just a matter of time before it blows up. I must get the book by Van der Post ??Flamingo Feather again – very frightening – very real.

I’m most intrigued about X and SHAEF as to us it stands for Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force. Don’t tell me there’s a war on and no one’s told us out here?