Another Day, Another Play Date

Bear is getting a bit old for play dates.  Pretty soon he will be just hanging out with his mates. The latest guest arrived as bear was playing football with another pal and just dived in.  I just hope the house is almost fit when his mother picks him up later.

DH did wonders in the study this morning (so much for his annual leave!) and I've been pootling around, so things are starting to pick up.  It is still completely chaotic, but in different ways.  I am still bewildered.

I think I can have a big push after the funeral then I can pick up the slack with uncle when school starts.

Some time later, after all the interruptions, I have fed them treats, provided various drinks, mopped up spills, supervised a scrape down of mud, a token wipe of the dirt and I am hiding from what they are doing to the piano (discordant rather than destructive).  Now I am taking five minutes before getting back to the coal face.

This weather was not forecast

I like watching weather forecasts.  I am not a farmer, I do not depend on the weather for anything, especially as I can't even dry washing outside without the clothes smelling.  However I do know that the downpour that just happened was so severe that it interfered with the Sky signal.  We were only supposed to be slightly overcast.  At least I don't have to water the garden.  I may have to chase after the pots if they float down the street.

Fortunately some random people came and cleared up the fly tipping across the road before it all started belting down.  I have no idea why they came, they were definitely not from the council, but they did an amazing job.  It is odd.  This time last year there were cars and boxes from the back of lorries and trailers and stuff in the street.  Now there is nothing.  The tyres have gone (apart from my painted tyres), the drums of oil have gone, now they have even taken miscellaneous crisp packets and soft drinks bottles along with the battered sofas and the strange and oddly shaped bits of wood.  It's nice, I suppose, but empty.

I've got someone to house sit during the funeral, as everyone locally will know about it.  I've sorted the flowers.  I've gone for bright.  Father liked bright, and to be honest a formal lily-and-roses thing wasn't him.

In the more reasonable rain previously the lavender was still full of buzzing.  If I do make any lavender bags I shall purchase the lavender flowers.  It will be worth the money to avoid the fear, dread and terror at trying to get past the bees!

Display Cabinet

Our display cabinet is up.  Now I just have to put the study back together.

It could be worse.  The amount of stuff that is leaving our house at the moment is a lot more than stuff coming in.  We need to start disposing of father's stuff.  Most of it is clothes.  He came up to live with us with one van, and most of that was bed.  I'm sleeping on that bed, so there's no chance of that going.

There is a cupboard I need to get to that is full of more clothes and diy stuff.  I've just found two more drawers full of papers with further clothes in the lower drawers - I am not impressed.

I wish father could see the cabinet.  He would love it and would have been so supportive at DH putting it together.  I'm missing him a lot today.

Another bee photo.  They move so fast!  Some of them are seriously butch.  I'll leave the lavender strictly alone for now.

Bolshy Bees

Bear has almost unlimited screen time.  I'm strict about things being age appropriate and no screen time near bedtime but otherwise I am negligent.  I let him get on with it.  This is probably why he was out playing football this afternoon.

He has already lost several balls, some more than once and some not belonging to him, behind Matalan's fence.  I had warned him that I would purchase no more.  So I feared the worst when I heard, 'Muuuuum...'  He hadn't exactly lost the ball.  It was just under the edge of the lavender.  The lavender is full of bees.  Bear decided that retrieving the ball was definitely a job for mum.

I couldn't blame him.  Not only were there dozens and dozens of bees, but some of them were huge.  The ones from the chimney are just honeybee size and while there were a lot of them they did not look nearly as threatening as the myriad bumblebees bustling around.  I am sure if you knew bees that you would find more than one variety.  However there were a lot of them, some of them were very big, and they all looked very determined.  I used a rake.

Here is the best photo I managed - the little buzzers move quick.  It was taken on a cool and overcast evening at 8pm.  I leave it to your imagination what it looked like at 2pm when it was sunny here.

I think I need to practise with my phone before I enter any photography competitions.

Having a Dither

Morgan - I am sorry I doubted the depth of knowledge that didn't even need google, and I am incredibly impressed.  Actually I am still impressed that anyone could google 'spider' and not come up with an arachnid, but there you are!  That certainly doesn't take away from you actually knowing what a spider is in this context.  You definitely have my respect!

I don't know what to do first.  I really don't.  I should be doing A but I am going to have to start with B because it means that there will be enough room for DH to assemble the new display cabinet.  At least it is our stuff and not father's.  That's probably next on the list, but who knows.

The trouble is, there is no space to put stuff from B, but even if I did A first there still wouldn't be that much more space.

I Hate to Housekeep is a book by Peg Bracken and she said the best time to entertain people is when you are decorating because people will excuse you lots of mess and dust and give you credit for being incredibly brave.  I have people coming to visit around the time of the funeral.  Stripping wallpaper has never looked so appealing.

I Forgot to Say Thank You Even Though I Really Felt Thankful

Some really amazing people used phenomenal google-fu and found the details of spider cake.  I've cut and pasted

Ravylesley found a recipe! - Sybs I have had a good google and found this for your Spidercake puzzle

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/06/spider-cake-skillet-corncake-recipe.html

Lesleyxx

Morgan found this - I THINK that a spider was a cast iron pan on legs [like a spider!] that people used to use over a camp fire - tis probably on good old google somewhere! Memories of Little House on the Prairie type of stories spring to mind xxxx

And Witch Hazel found this which includes a link to a site which I am so going to save - spider – A spider is a cast-iron skillet or frying pan. At one time, this cooking vessel had three long metal legs (enabling it to be set directly over the coals of a hearth fire). It was from these legs (since discarded) that the utensil received its name. Thought the legs were discarded with the coming of the range, the name has remained in many locations, referring to the cast-iron vessel only. 

I don't pretend that I had any idea what it was.... I googled it and found the definition here http://whatscookingamerica.net/Glossary/S.htm

If I try the spider cake recipe, I shall share the result.  

The Methodist Minister has been and was lovely.  I already knew the reading, the psalm and the hymns, so it was fairly straightforward.  I have taken delivery of some illicit fleece and two large cardboard IKEA boxes.  I am starting to get an idea for numbers for the funeral - I'm not baking!  Not even Spider Cake!  I am getting boxes of sausage rolls etc from Tesco.  I am not doing sandwiches, except possibly for father's family if they get here early.  

Looking around the house, I could cry.  However things are getting slightly better.  Just slightly, but better.  I have decided I am not going anywhere tomorrow or Friday.  I need to get on.  One of the things I need to work out is how to divide things up.  At the moment I have rubbish in bin bags, coloured bags are for stuff for the clothes bank/charity shop and white pedal bin liners are for stuff to be relocated.  However the coloured bags aren't really strong enough for the books that I am about to be sorting, and I don't know how to put aside things of father's that he wanted passing on without them getting confused with stuff that needs to go out/relocate/charity shop.  The only rooms unaffected by the turmoil are the bathroom and bear's room, neither of which are good for a stash.  

Also bear has managed to lose his fourth football in three days.  Actually it's three balls, one twice, and one of those three balls doesn't belong to him.   They are seriously lost, either in deep, deep brambles or down the cut where the drug users hang out.  I know that DH will object to bear getting another ball.  On the other hand, it is so wonderful when he is actually out happening to something that isn't a computer.  I am thinking that the £2.25 isn't a bad deal.  

I'm taking the rest of the evening at a quiet pace.  Tomorrow I start again.  

Shouldn't be Here

I should be doing.  I have a large display cabinet being delivered this afternoon and I am expecting a Methodist minister.  I am trying to make a space for both and failing on an epic scale.

Also - I've told everyone the wrong time for the funeral service.

Also - I need to feed several small boys.

Also - I am expecting a delivery of fleece that DH isn't expecting

Also - I have dining room chairs that need to be assembled.  I am not feeling very confident, even though they are from IKEA.  IKEA is usually very possible.

On the bright side, you would not believe how much stuff is getting cleared out.

Off to float a tentative suggestion of beans on toast.