The Week So Far

OK so the build started 7 am Monday morning Mr B arrived....had a chat and looked around and did some sketching and left! Promising to return just after 8 am with labourers.

When I left at 8.30 am to take Christina to school they had not returned...when I arrived home 15 minutes later Mr B was just leaving again as apparantly there was a problem with the times and they had thought he said 9am.

A little while later things started to move...Markings were made and spades sruck soil and hammers struck the outside parts of Jonathan's room and we had this!

There was a little problem with a reluctant labourer and a sharp parting of the ways at Lunch timish...Mr B left around 5 and we were assured that it wasnt a problem and one good labourer was better than being hindered by someon not wanting to work and distracted by the need to drink and smoke etc.

9am Tuesday morning as I was sorting out a party invite Christina had had for that evening my mobile rang.....Mr B would use today to order materials and sort out othe stuff seeing as the forecast was for rain! But it wasnt raining....oh but it forecasts rain...well if the work is going to stop everytime it drizzles will it ever finish....apparantly the forecast was for heavy rain and despite the fact there was not a drop right now he would use the day for otehr things...OK fair eough we will see how things go!

Wednesday 7 am and sure enough Mr B is on the job with a labourer who David thought was the one who had been a problem on Monday but apparantly it wasn't....I am not convinced he was here at all and suspect he is soeone else completely but anyway...he dug and dug and barrowed away and....well it was hard to actually decide what exactly was acheived as it was not deep enough to be foundation footings but was the right size and shape. Anway both had reason to depart earlier than hoped but it really did start to look as if it was taking shape.

Thursday and the day dawned dismally...however Mr B arrived a tiny bit later than previously as he had been copllecting folk from an airport the night before but had arranged for the building inspector to come to inspect the footings so had to get on and be ready...meanwhile Eve and I had appointments galore for school issues so we headed off with Christina David had an apppintment for his eyes so we left Mr B to his footings!

The school thing held positives and worries and deeep concern on one instance. We were invited to go and join class one whilst waiting for the school medicl advisor to arrive...the lesson plan for the time we were there before the advisor arrived convinced me that we had made the right decision for Eve. I love the staff of the school...it is where Jonathan and Rosie go and we have always felt a part of the school when we visit. I have nothing against the school or the category of school or anything else about it. However it is a school for children with severe learning difficulties and Eve just does not fit that category! There was far too much waiting aroud for everyone else, far too little actual cognitive input for her to keep intersted and learn from the experiences. I was a little concerned about the lack of linking between sessions...we spent some time looking at the letter Aa and pictures and objects and a tactile letter a to feel round...then when everyone had completed that we moved quickly to the table with little interaction with the pupils to talk about making porridge! there was no link to the letter Aa...maybe if they had had some porridge oats on a board to draw a letter A a in it would have been a nice link! maybe better stil to have made porridge for goldilocks on a day we were looking at P....or G....or even B but there was no link with A whatsoever! The children were then mostly bystanders in the events again...each taking a turn but spending most of their time staring into space whilst they waited their next turn....not even a bowl each to experiment with the ingredients...although they got to feel the porridge...well some of them did and those who wanted were able to tase the honey! but it all seemed far too remote. Eve enjoys people watching so was quite amused....but I dont think she learnt a whole lot from the experiences.

And so we headed home with hopes of transport being arranged in the near future!

Arriving home to discover the Inspector had passed the footings having arrived as Mr B took the last shovel full from the ground!

So it was tidy up and ensure the mixer was organised and hope the labour arrives and good night Mr B...it seems very little sleep was had by any of us the night before and an early night was hoped for.

Friday dawned with promise..the sun was creeping through and looked as though it may be a good day....it dawned far too early by my reckoning but Miss Eve felt it was time to waken us all as the Dawn broke! Sadly my the time Mr B was at the door the drizzle was falling...not enough to call it off thankfully but enough to be a nuisance! More of a nuisance was the fact the labourer had neither arrived nor rung.

I had things to do as Christina had woken early too but with a raging ear ache in the other ear...so whilst trying to battle Rosie into her chair for school I was also trying to get through to the Docotrs who have this crazy system of ringing at 8 am to get an appointment...at 8 am I am always up to my eyes in children's needs. However Christina's need was for an appointment so here I was with phone pressed to ear and trying to bend Rosie's leg to get the ankle huggers round her ankles and I ended up with the foot in my eye!...eventually I manage to get through to be offered an apppointment at 9 am...hmmm not possible..David has to take Joshua to school then take the bus to the garage 45 minutes drive in the opposite direction...cant easily take Joshua to school in the bus so he takes the car then drops me the car home so he can take the bus...this means I can't get to the docs before 9.25 at the earliest...we settle for a 9.30 appointment.and everyone starts to leave...hmmm that seemed to include Mr B!

Christina Eve and I were ready as David arrived back and we manhandled the car seat into the car...the child into the back brace to enable her to sit in the car seat and then the braced child was threaded into the car! it worked! Just! we arrived at Doctors at 9.28 according to their piosh touch screen announce your arrival to the world doo dar!

All a waste of time as the ear is not too bad and they dont think antibiotics are warranted so go away and come back if it gets any worse...By The Way the out of hours is in Spalding!

Back home to find the Mixer has just arrived and their is confusion over the aggregate for the concrete....like it hasnt arrived with the mixer and possibly was ommited from the order!

There is a local builders merchants who often is able to deliver same day...Mr B is concerned as it would not be in the big crane bags but loose....I point out that actually that is an advantage as he wants to use it today and will be shovelling it into the mixer so actually on the drive is an advantage! He agrees phones said company and an hour later is doing battle with a mixer that wont start!

It is lunch time before anything actually happens but by 7pm this is the result!

Monday hopefully the bricking should start! Will show you more then!

Tina