dependance

Strictly speaking, after last Saturday Handsome and I have no children… Mouse has made it to the grand age of eighteen, and theoretically I have no dependants. Yeah, right… All it means in real life is that I have larger dependants who need bigger, and therefore more expensive, clothes and shoes. He leaves school in a few weeks – even although his last exam isn’t until June, he will have officially left school once his exam leave starts a week on Friday, and as he only has three exams this year (plus a  music practical, date as yet unknown) I foresee a lot of free time on his hands.

I did suggest he could try and get a job – it was met with a certain amount of hilarity, mostly from my husband. Mouse just didn’t seem to understand the concept. Just wait until he runs out of beer food money at university, I bet he’ll get a job then.

oh blast, my credit card has exploded…

After several weeks of thinking, and planning and looking Handsome and I have finally committed ourselves to the actual purchase of the new kitchen. It was difficult. I had to ‘phone up the credit card company for permission to overspend, and in order to do that I had to get Mouse to read the number off the back of the card – because the writing was too small for me to read, and it was white on pale green. Obviously old, slightly colour-blind people are not supposed to spend lots of money…

But, it’s done now, and we have ordered, paid for, and had the delivery date confirmed (not until July when Handsome is free to fit it) – no going back.

All we have to do now is

• decide on the worktops (we’re not finding common ground just now)
• find the tiles – multicoloured ones
• get the new hob, and oven and extractor
• re-plaster the ceiling after having removed the not-working extractor fan
• choose the paint
• floor it

Oh for goodness sake, we haven’t got time for this!

yes

In answer to the question I have just been asked… Yes, that is the previously written about bright yellow hoodie that Mouse is wearing in the photograph. You will note, that, thanks to my care and attention whilst washing it, it is still bright yellow.

I’m afraid Mouse’s laundering skills are not quite as good as his cooking ones, so it may not be quite as egg-yolk-wow coloured by the time he’s been away for a few months!

taking after his father

As part of his preparation for heading to university Mouse has been working on his cookery skills, and as he is on holiday this week he has cooked dinner every evening (with advice from Handsome). He hasn’t needed to be rescued yet!

On Monday we had lentil and sausage casserole, Tuesday was chicken stir-fry, tonight we had leek and smoked haddock risotto and I believe tomorrow we will be having chilli con carne – with red kidney beans included. That’s a family joke, Handsome frequently makes the chilli and then forgets to put the kidney beans in.

I’ve always known Mouse would probably manage to look after himself – he’s a very capable person – and if he actually enjoys cooking for himself he’s more likely to do so rather than eat too much junk. After all, his father cooked for both of us when we were at university! I can’t help feeling that he might have to lower his expectations very slightly ‘though – most student store-cupboards are unlikely to stock saffron, arborio rice and parmesan.

…and white

Almost exactly one week ago, Mouse managed to get his nose sunburnt during a misspent study period at school. Today, my daffodils are bravely sticking out through the snow in the back garden and every half an hour or so a wave of hail batters against the windows.

What is going on?

red and yellow and purple and blue… with a touch of green around the edges

Last week, both Tuesday and Friday (but Friday in particular) I was climbing with flair and energy, and attempting things a grade above my normal level with some success. It felt really good, and I didn’t mind the bruises that I got from all that over-enthusiasm.

Although it’s probably just as well that I don’t wear shorts.

Tonight I was climbing like a muppet. I fell off everything: I was awkward and clumsy and completely uninspired. I clunked my knees off the walls and holds, slipped off things that I normally climb as warm-ups, and bruised myself on top of last week’s bruises.

I really, really mind about these bruises.

At least the weather’s cold enough for thick tights at the moment!

Dis-synchronicity

Mouse and Handsome would claim to have very different tastes in music – and can, in fact, be quite scathing about each others’ I-pod contents… So I was reduced to helpless giggles when I realised that, whilst clearing up after dinner tonight, Mouse was playing a Neil Young cover in the kitchen and Handsome was humming along to Red Hot Chilli Peppers in the dining room.

pride

Mouse heard today that he has an unconditional university place at Stirling – he’s a very, very happy bunny – and it’s his first choice of university.

Happy, unstressed Mouse – it’s all sunshine and roses tonight (oh, and league of legends as well, naturally).

wbd part 2

It was magic.

I did not make a particularly convincing orang-utan, although the bananas proved popular – I had none left for my own lunch. Luckily we had an extremely convincing Miss Haversham, complete with dead flowers, and full explanation speech for those who didn’t know who she was. Two Cat-in-Hats came, along with Mr. Bump, Lucy, Long John Silver, Julius Caesar… lots of dressing up!

We had kids enthusing about the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, anything written by Chris Ryan, Wuthering Heights, Maximum Ride and many many more – and they were really enthusing. They were reading bits out, explaining why they loved these books, persuading others to read their favourites and in some cases getting into arguments. I almost had to intervene when one child’s best book was another’s worst book.

Who says kids don’t read – I can show you lots who do.

wbd

I seem to have got myself talked into spending tomorrow lunchtime dressed as an orang-utan who can only say ‘oook’ and who will loan out books in exchange for bananas… or is that bananananas. Luckily Mouse has a bright orange hoodie.

I really wanted to go as Thursday Next, but we decided that none of the kids would know who she was. Mouse suggested the Grandmother from Inkheart, but then said ‘But she’s already old and dumpy so no-one would know you were dressing up’. Thanks, son. And Giles from the Buffy books is a man, and I’m not feeling adventurous enough to do cross-dressing tomorrow. Just cross-speciesism.

I can’t wait to see who else turns up.