Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 1753

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The Daily Dormouse.
(aka Bike)
Part 1753
by Angharad

Copyright © 2012 Angharad
All Rights Reserved.
  
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I told Simon we had a cook starting tomorrow, as usual he fell into the trap of assuming it would be a woman.

“It’s man of 32 who is a professional chef, and he seems quite nice.”

“Is he good looking?”

“He’s okay, I didn’t employ him for looks, I engaged him for his ability to cook.”

“So, are we gonna have decent food at last?” I hoped he was joking or it means I’ve nearly killed myself for the last four or five years for nothing.

“I hope so.”

“What’s his name?”

“David.”

“Oh well, what we having for our last meal from you, then?”

“Nothing. I’ve been ill, remember. I didn’t do anything today.”

“Oh, so does that mean I’m taking us all out for dinner?”

“You can take the rest of them out, I’m having an early night, I still don’t feel right.”

“Let me order in then, how about Chinese, they’ll deliver nowadays.”

“Be my guest but leave me out of it,” I turned on my heel and went upstairs, I felt exhausted, like I’d worked all day doing hard physical graft. Whatever the bug I had was, I wasn’t quite over it yet.

I was vaguely aware of Simon in the bedroom. I think he spoke to me but I ignored him, too tired to listen or talk. He got the message and went back downstairs after changing.

“I had vague recollections of the girls coming in to me to say goodnight. I felt cold noses touch my cheek but not sufficiently annoying to wake me up properly. Then sometime later, Simon got into bed which did wake me up and I had to go for a wee. He wanted to talk but I simply turned over and went back to sleep.

Suddenly, it was Friday morning. I crawled out of bed and got the girls up and ready for school. It was their end of term parties and they were all complaining that they had no things to take for their parties, which they do as individual classes.

I promised to send some stuff into them–David could sort it when he arrived. I drove home and tried to stay awake. I wasn’t very successful. Jacquie found me asleep at my desk–David had arrived and wanted to know what I wanted him to do.

I woke myself up a bit and then went to see him. I explained about the children’s parties and that I hadn’t been well and kept falling asleep. He smiled asked how many he was to cater for and I explained the three girls. He nodded, reeled off a list of party foods–most would be unsuitable for eight year olds–but we agreed on a list and he poked about in the larder and the fridge.

He made a list of things we needed and I gave him the money to go and buy it. I tried to stay awake by doing the ironing while Jacquie and Stella cleaned the place. He was back an hour later and set to with gusto.

He did things like sausages on sticks, and finger rolls with real fillings like freshly made egg and mayonnaise. He did celery sticks and for dessert did them individual fresh fruit salads. While that was going on he also had a chicken in the oven for dinner and he did a salad for the rest of us for lunch.

I think I could get used to this, was my initial thought–someone else worrying about the catering. Part of me resented giving up the role of cook because it’s what women do as wives and mothers, but the numbers of the family and the desire to hold down a job which I enjoyed, meant I had to get someone in. My recent illness showed me that if nothing else.

The weather was getting me down as well, it looked as if we were going to have the wettest summer since Arthurian times. I remembered seeing a programme about it years ago. They discovered a comet hit the earth in the fifth century and caused a nuclear winter, one of the consequences was poor weather and loads of rain.

If you remember, one of the problems faced by Arthur was the general blight that was affecting everything, which would be due to the climate change caused by the comet impact.

What was really interesting was they found records in China and also in tree rings from bog oaks in Ireland, they even suggested which year it happened, though I can’t remember which one. We also had lousy weather after Krakatoa went up as well, and more recently Mt St Helen in the States upset the weather for a couple of years. Not surprising when half a mountain becomes airborne. This time, besides the jet-stream being too far south and generalised global warming, I had no more idea of the exact cause anymore than the Met office seemed to.

Tom went to get the girls and I fell asleep watching the le Tour. I was glad David was still here when they got back because it saved me answering questions. I did dash to school with all the goodies for the parties, so they wanted to meet the person who’d made it all for them.

I heard Trish saying her thank you before she launched into all sorts of questions. David answered them with good humour, and told them what he’d cooked for their dinner. He’d spotted the ice cream maker, so had made some of that as well–it was better than my efforts last year–but then he’s a professional.

I sent Dr Smith an email to say I’d engaged David and got one back, saying he was glad, as he was sure I’d been overdoing it for a long time. He also asked how come he came to see me as his patient and went away with the pain he’d had in his knee for ages cured and yet I wasn’t much better.

I told him he was obviously a better doctor than he thought if he was curing himself. I had an email back.

‘Cathy,
If that were true, I’d have been treating my putting, which is chronically sick and loses me a fiver every week. I play with Ken Nicholls, so I know all about your other activities. Thank you, perhaps I’ll beat him tomorrow after your ministrations.’

I wasn’t even aware he had a bad knee let alone sorting it for him, so I think that’s one we can put down to coincidence.

I told David to include mileage as an out of pocket expense, he shrugged but I insisted and when he told me he hadn’t recorded the amount, I gave him a five pound note and told him next time to make a note of it. He thanked me.

Before he left for the evening, I asked him if he was okay for money. Anyone who has been out of work for any length of time usually gets through any savings quite quickly and the unemployment benefit is rather poor.

“I’m okay at the moment, thanks, Mrs Cameron, though I’m going to have to find somewhere new to live. I’ve been staying at my old room at the hotel but they want me out. They’ve given me a month to find somewhere.”

“Let me know if you can’t find anywhere, I might be able to help.”

“This is going to sound crazy because I’ve only been here one day, but I feel so at home here. I guess Dr Smith told you of my background, did he?”

“That’s none of my business unless you need time off for recuperation after surgery.”

“No, that’s all been done–it’s taken four or five years–but I reckon it was worth it.”

“Good, I’m glad you think so.”

“You are the first boss I’ve had who hasn’t asked stupid questions about it.”

“About it?” I wasn’t quite sure what he meant.”

“Yeah, you know changing sex and having a penis constructed.”

“Ah, that it.” I nodded, “Shall we say unless you shut it in the oven door, or some such other disaster, it really is none of my concern. Shall we say my husband has one which causes me quite enough distraction, so what happens elsewhere is a matter for those concerned. I don’t mean to sound patronising but really I take you as I find you until you either ask me to do so differently or cause me to have to reappraise my opinion.”

“You are just so laid back, Mrs Cameron.”

“If that was true, I wouldn’t be down with this blessed bug.”

“Get some zinc, it helps boost your immune system.”

“I think I’ve got some here somewhere.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” With that he walked across to his car and left just as Simon drove in.

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Comments

That was wonderful

"Shall we say my husband has one which causes me quite enough distraction"

had me laughing so hard, it really is a classic. Hilarious.

Thanks Angharad, Jo-Anne

Oh my

Making a penis, it's hard! Ermm

I don't know how functional it is even so though and it is painful as it entails skin grafts, lotsa skin grafts.

He is definitely in the minority as I understand most just don't have the dosh (50K+!) to do it and usually for a less than ideal result.

Kim

Something has to help Cathy

She can't be down this long. Hmmm.. zinc protects boat metal parts from corrosion... Maybe it would help protect Cathy from exhaustion.

Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 1753

Hope that this down time for Cathy does not interfere with her and Simon's outing to see the tour

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

Burning Candles from both ends.

Burning Candles from both ends uses the candles up quickly. Catherin must become more self.
friendly As an extremely gifted person she must concentrate on those things only she can do. Things like saving the odd bits of our endangered planet even AT ONE Dormouse at a time, or a life's of her children and family, solving her own mysterious connection with a biblical deity, who by the way wants her to do what only the Goddess realy knows.

Keeping her self distracted from the bigger things by burying her self under important but mundane things that others can concentrate better on. Yes she can cook and has earned respect of her family for her grand efforts, but she needs to teach, earn her PHD manage her research, raise a passel of children including Simon and Tom, then take care of her self, Like any wise mother of a brood she needs to delegate those chores to the people who can learn how to do them so they appreciate and know how to take care of them selves. I speak from first hand knowledge and the School of Been There Done That and all I got is this dumb T shirt.
Misha Nova

With those with open eyes the world reads like a book

celtgirl_0.gif

Clearly Cathy's going to feel somewhat inadequate

but she DOES have a large family, of which nearly half are adults. It's a source of pride to many women that they can cope with the pressures of a large brood although many children help to a greater or lesser degree commensurate with their age.

Think of the woman in the news this week who, in her late 30's, still has her husband and 18 of her 20 children at home.

S.

Cathy is still ailing...

Cathy is still sick, whether she realizes it or not. She definately needs to slow down and delegate as many of the household chores as she can to the kids and Simon. I am not sure the vacation Simon has planned will happen. She needs to go her gynocologist and get a GOOD physical, including the prostate exam.

++VOTE++ ++VOTE++

Don't let someone else talk you out of your dreams. How can we have dreams come true, if we have no dreams?

Katrina Gayle "Stormy" Storm

Cathy illness

Hi

I hope she hasn't got Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (sometimes known as ME). I've had a friend with that and it really impacted their life for quite a while.

Karen

It seems the

break cannot come too soon for Cathy, Fatigue is never good for anyone least of all for a busy mother/lecturer ,Which brings me nicely to my second point I notice that Cathys Doctor mentioned his knee is no longer painful, Seems Cathy can heal without out her knowledge now , But that does beg the question .... Has Cathy's blue light sprung a leak ?

Kirri