Mr Brightside

Can I just start by saying I love this song, massively. It makes me smiley and bouncy when I hear it on TV.
I had a few days off work at the end of last week and beginning of this week. It was not quite the relaxing, getting over the last couple of months time that I’d planned. In fact, it was so far from that, that I feel robbed in some way. I was promised time off and now, here I am, back at work, feeling like I never left. In fact, feeling more tired today than I do any other day. How has that happened?
We were off on Thursday morning and after a rush round of last-minute shopping and chores, the flat (and me and Duncan) were ready for the arrival of my family. They arrived, deposited 4 girls of varying ages between 10 and (almost)16 and left for Paris. Which left us with four girls who didn’t really want to do anything except watch kids tv and play games for four days, which was fine as it rained for most of the time and there’s really little to do in Newcastle that’s outside, uneducational and doesn’t involve shopping. We went present shopping on Friday and cleared a large chunk of the christmas-present-shopping extravaganza by letting them choose their own presents. Much easier this way. Now they are all wrapped and back in Scotland, so one less thing for me to worry about.
By Sunday night, I was verging on tired. My mum and stepdad arrived just after 9pm, complete with hastily-applied plaster to my stepdad’s head. Apparently my mum had tried to shut the car boot on him and made a 2 inch long gash in his forehead. That’s what happens when you go away to Paris for the 20th anniversary of your first date.  I advised them to steer clear of Newcastle General (it being newcastle v sunderland in the football earlier in the day and it would undoubtedly have been filled with drunken idiots who had fallen over/been stabbed/etc, etc) and they drove home, stopping at their local hospital around midnight to have his head glued up. The marvels of modern medicine.
So, with children gone we had, in theory two days to ourselves. Or not. Apparently, Duncan had arranged to go out with some friends on monday night, news to me as I had tickets to the theatre for Monday night. We went to see Scrooge, with a friend of mine in the chorus. It was fab. Anyway, Niall decided he was staying at ours on Monday (nice to have the choice) so turned up on Monday afternoon with his bags, hung around until we had to leave for the theatre and then met up with Duncan in the pub afterwards. They rolled in at 3am. Niall stayed on Monday night and then hung around on Tuesday until around 3pm. By the time he’d gone and Duncan had a quick nap to recover from his hangover, it was time to go to the Arsenal v Sunderland Carling Cup game at the Stadium of Light. Arsenal won 3-0, I got to shout abusive chants at Sunderland fans and I didn’t get to sleep till gone midnight. I’m now back at work, feeling like I haven’t had a break at all and wondering what happened to those few days off I planned to spend with my husband, recovering from last month and preparing for Christmas and the move. Pah.

Until there is a next time…

xx