Weather.
I woke up early this morning and was staring vaguely at the grey-looking window thinking, 'Ah .. foggy again .. thank god I don't have to go anywhere' when my eyes re-focussed. There is a f.cking BLIZZARD going on. WHAT? The last time it snowed in November was ... never.

When I looked out there was the most snow I have ever seen here fallen at one time .. more than six inches. The forecast last night having predicted snow in the north and down the OTHER side of the country. AND ... comme d'habitude .. my older daughter left 24 hours ago after three weeks of being here practically constantly. Now I expect the power will go off and I will be ALL ALONE in the cold and dark. No one can get down our drive in this .. or even along the 'top road' probably, which is very steep. Arse. I am not mentally prepared .. it should still be brisk windy weather with bright frosty mornings. Where you joke with the postman , 'Pretty nippy out today, har, har'. etc...

OMG! I just glanced down the valley and the sun has come out over the woods and it is unbelievably beautiful. All the trees are edged in silver and .. oh for a camera ... not only was there a magpie (black and white bird) perched on the barn roof but on the ground below were two black and white cats playing in the snow. Of course in an actual photograph it would look grey and fuzzy with black and white dots .. so it will rest forever only in my mind.

The weather does not affect my plans which are to drag on with dull 'home improvements' as it is that time of year. Invariably we do nothing right through until October when somehow the thought of Chri1stmas makes the crap state of the house more apparent. I can't imagine December without my romantic mincepie-making being accompanied by the sound of hammering and the merry shouts of builders. This time a huge painting blitz is meant to be supplemented by one end of the roof being waterproofed so that we can use a large bedroom again. It is my middle daughter's main present - that this room, once hers until water started pouring in .. err .. four years ago - should be restored to a palace-like state. A teeny drawback is that in that time all temporarily unwanted stuff from London has been driven down and dumped into its handy emptiness plus any crap that anyone couldn't bear to throw away and various bits of furniture and some mattresses. And many boxes of files and exercise books from many schools and universities. And bags and bags of clothes. The room is completely full.

But .. as each cloud has a silver lining .. also in these intervening years rats have found their way in through the wall. Which we discovered on moving some of the lower strata of bags. So vast amounts of the unthrowawayable stuff is chewed and worse and totally trashed. Phew! So my daughter has been staying here and we just threw many bags and boxes out of the window unopened (wearing plastic gloves) where they are now mercifully covered by an attractive blanket of snow. My only rule was that anything with a face .. even if slightly tainted by rat ur1ne .. was to be saved into another saga of bags. Could YOU throw a blue furry rabbit out of the window to be carted away? I don't think so ...

Anyway the painting blitz is actually being carried out by me - on my own - as the workmen are mysteriously not answering their phone and have not turned up at all. So I will be painting the staircase all day in the ice and snow. Having yesterday started on bits of the drawingroom with special 18thc.-type paints chosen with vast care from the chart to match what is already there. Da DAH! They all looked a totally different colour and ridiculous when on the wall etc. I can hear a faint screaming noise .. oh .. it is me. Well .. at least the staircase paint is white .. or its subtly different 18thc. form .. so f.ck it .. I am using it no matter what. The cats are hovering ready to spring onto the wet paint and than run hysterically all over the wooden floor of the hall but at least I KNOW that will happen. It is the unexpected possibilities of more bizarro weather and even more unauthentic paint colours that keep me on my toes today.
- posted by Iris @ 11/25/2005 08:26:00 AM comment