a) my family descending and causing havoc over Christmas - highlights included calling Bea's niece Carella (named after her parents Carson and Ella) Cruella because they didn't "get" the meaning of her name, my mother in law Amelia taking in huge intakes of air every time Mac opened a present and Uncle Jim choking on a a mince pie on Boxing Day and going purple.
b) the fact that I've eaten so much rubbish (chocolate, pies, copious amounts of Pringles) to get over point (a) or
c) the fact that my mother in law is getting married to my next door neighbour and expects me to arrange everything.
Is it any wonder I have a cold, a cold sore the size of Australia and permanently cold feet? I am also sluggish, irritable and "don't want to do anything". I've therefore given my self a swift talking to this afternoon while Mac and David were at football and have a plan
a) ignore my family - they will always be there, will always cause me grief and so it's pointless to get stressed about them. Hah!
b) attempt to eat healthily and drink more water. I think, to be honest, that will have to start tomorrow because I've just polished off sweet and sour chicken and rice, six Roses chocolates and a Baileys. I've also promised that I will stick to my Philosophy skin care regime come hell or high water and there will be no more of this "falling into bed at half ten with a cats lick and promise to my mush" lark. I outlined this aspect of my Plan to Bea this morning and she shrieked down the phone "PROMISE me you'll always exfoliate darling, PROMISE me" in a slightly hysterical fashion.
c) try to get out of arranging the wedding of Amelia and Jack Next Door.
This latter bit may prove to be a bit difficult if I'm honest. It's not helped by the fact that everyone around me is so pleased that "they've found love together at their time of life" that I feel a bit mean not wanting to get involved. When they announced their impending nuptials just after the after dinner mints on Christmas Day you could have heard a pin drop. Then the comments/questions started:
Bea: "How, erm, marvellous!"
David: "Erm, right, okay.......right"
Janey: "Oh lovely, when is it?"
Auntie Ivy: "June's nice for a wedding"
Uncle Jim: "Ere, you haven't got her up the duff have you?"
Me: "Where will you live?"
My question/comment was, I felt, the most valid. My mother-in-law is barely tolerable in deepest darkest Kent: to have her next door would be impossible.
She graciously accepted all the congratulations, squeezed Jack's hand on one side and David's hand on the other and fixed me with a piercing look. "Jack will be moving in with me at the residential home, we've managed to get a double flat"
My relief was extremely visible and I shakily put the mince pie down that I was about to stuff into my mouth.
She later revealed to Ivy, whilst poking around my fridge, that they managed to secure the double flat because "Florrie William's husband John died and they've moved her into a single flat. Poor soul. One minute he was scraping the ice off the birdbath, the next he was face down on the privet". Jack, a lovely man, watched her fondly as she pulled out a wizened old lemon from my fridge and asked me "Do you need this for anything?". Ggrrr, ggrrrrr.
"It'll be odd, leaving my garden, but they've agreed to let me look after their gardens now, what with poor old John not being around any more" Jack revealed as we sat down to coffee. "You'll help out with the arrangements won't you Joanna? You did such a good job with Darren and Janey's wedding" he went on, gesturing for Ameila to join him at his side.
What could I say other than yes? Bea has offered to help (although I think her budget wildly exceeds what Jack and Amelia have in mind) and so has Janey. "I can get the limo we had" she promised, entering the reminder into her newly received Blueberry "When were you thinking of? June?"
"Ah" said Amelia. "We've had a cancellation, we were lucky. So, put the 6th in your diaries."
"Of June?" asked Auntie Ivy
"No, February" said Amelia. And then started writing me a list that will take me until February to read, compute and act on.
5 comments:
OMG. It doesn't bear thinking about if she had decided to move in with him next door. What a lucky escape you had.
You can't believe how relieved I was (and the blue was leaving my face) when I got to the part of them living SOMEWHERE ELSE! OMG!
Of course - you just must order black roses for everywhere! How could you not!
Golly- talk about starting the New Year with a bang.....OMG!!!!
I thought you were fond of Jack. Wouldn't it be kinder to push him under a bus than organise his wedding to that woman?
Cruella - hysterical!
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