Saturday 17 May 2014

It's the little things......

I was going to say I'm easily pleased, but actually I'm probably not!
 
 However I did have reason to smile last weekend, mainly I was thankful for the weather - yes the torrential showers, grey skies, thunder, lightning and occasional hail stones!
I should explain..... I know that this is the time of year most people are wishing for sunshine and just the odd shower to water the garden and by nature I would be the same. But as a cricket widow I sometimes despair of the fine weather and endless matches,  the many hours spent driving to and from fields dotted around the county and often the country. Much as I like a picnic there are limits and spending at least 2 days every week between April and September eating sandwiches, fruit and cake (and inadvertently taking part in the 'who's mum/wife bakes the best cake and prepares the best snacks' competition.) for three meals a day on each of those days, I reach my limit pretty quickly!
 
 We start the summer going to county cricket meets where I'm always feeling like a round peg in a square hole surrounded by Boden clad skinny ladies and men in mustard coloured corduroy trousers (I think it's a uniform) but I do have a great picnic with home made salads, quiches and cakes. However come early September I've run out of steam and turn up in my leggings (see earlier post) with a Tesco carrier bag full of budget sausage rolls and a cheese bap.
 
Anyway last weekend had been making me nervous from the previous Monday as, according to the calendar, we had 7 cricket matches to attend one way or another, between Friday and Sunday. I woke in a cold sweat more than once (some would say it's my age but as ever I blame the cricket!) wondering where I should be and at what time.
 
Friday dawned and Number 2 son hauled his enormous cricket kit bag off to the school bus, scraping most of the paint of the hall walls and front door as he went. The schedule was that after the school match in the afternoon someone had to pick him and his kit up and drive
 him straight to the next match to play for his club -
possibly picking up a snack from a takeaway if there was time.
 If there wasn't time for food he'd have to starve, my husband prioritises these things you know!!
 
However due to the torrential rain all matches were called off, cancelled late enough in the day to throw me right into a muddle but cancelled none the less - 1 point to me I believe!
 
Saturday dawned and Number 1 son had to be dropped off for his match and The Builder and Number 2 son got ready for their match, by some strange fluke both of these matches were played despite the grey skies. 1 point each now.
 
Sunday was weighing heavily on my mind as Little Miss was due to play in a morning cricket match starting at 9am at a pitch 40 minutes away, and I was on taxi duty. Number 2 son was due to play in his first County match of the year and Number 1 son was playing club cricket, both in opposite directions! I woke early with thoughts of picnics and flasks of coffee but by 7.30am the first call came, Little Miss's match was off - another point to me I believe, I stayed in bed! At 8am the other 2 matches were called off, another 2 points to me and I'm very happy now.
 
So with a rare moment of time free The Builder agreed to tick an item off
my to-do list of DIY jobs around the house.
He actually doesn't know I have a to-do list, he'd probably leave home if he saw it!
 
It was a simple job of putting up 2 shelves in the laundry room, I've waited about a year for them. We got a step closer when he claimed an off cut of solid oak worktop which was being thrown out from a job he worked on but sadly that was 6 months ago. I bought the brackets around a year ago but some jobs have taken longer than that so I mustn't grumble
(I will obviously, and frequently)

 
Anyway saws and sanders appeared and holes were drilled, within an hour I was arranging things on the shelves and admiring them.
I did get a few strange looks when I photographed them!
I am super happy with the result, possibly worth the wait??
 

 
Actually when I look at the photo's I realise that they are, after all, just two shelves!
But they've made me smile anyway!
 
 We also managed a trip to a tea room just along the road, dodging another shower. You can't beat a cup of tea and a homemade scone, especially if it wasn't made in my home.
 
So all in all I won at the weekend, thanks to the "perfect" weather!
 Hooray for rain I say, I expect I'm alone in that!

It's a different story this weekend though, all the cricket seems to be on, three matches today and two tomorrow. I was on Number 2 son's school match duty today, I wasn't too cross as it was in a favourite town of mine, with a very favourite deli come coffee shop.
 I know I should be on the boundary cheering (or clapping politely as it's cricket)
but I have a Little Miss to entertain so what can you do?
Holt is a beautiful place and one which I generally only see on Christmas Eve, I didn't realise how busy it could be on a Summer Saturday.
"Entertaining" Little Miss with cocktails and scones!
Lots of houses faced with flint stones, very common in North Norfolk in particular, and very pretty.



Oh and we saw a little cricket, lovely ground isn't it?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, it's a sunny one!

24 comments:

  1. Phew. You must have a huge store of patience Jay. I've done the standing on the side lines at rugby, (husband, and later sons) drew the line quite quickly at river bank sitting - there are always midges - done the socialising with people I had nothing in common with when he was in the navy and later at hospital 'do's' (though there were sometimes people I 'clicked' with) . The only way to get through is to be yourself, and if that means opting out of the competitive baking and Boden wearing, then so be it! Wear your leggings with pride!!!

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    1. I have made some lifelong best friends through the cricket Lynne, so I should look at the positive side - thanks for reminding me!

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  2. I feel the same way about swimming meets, Im glad you got your shelfs up.

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    1. So many mum's do they same thing in so many sports; our kids are very lucky to have us aren't they?

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  3. A beautiful cricket ground indeed. You are an absolutely top mother, but I can totally relate to late season fatigue. I am almost at the end of the football season now. Just a couple of tournaments left. I stood and watched eleven short matches yesterday. When I got home we were just in time for the end of the FA cup final. Sigh. I still have the headache. As a gardener I'm quite happy when it rains too - I don't have to water things. I totally understand your excitement over shelves. There are a few I'd like put up around here, but the only likelihood of it happening is if I do absolutely everything myself. I love the oak you managed to get, it always looks good. Enjoy your Sunday. I'm afraid the sun is shining again, so I know what you'll be doing. CJ xx

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    1. You definitely seem to do your share of the "watching from the sidelines" CJ!
      It seems most of our house is built from off-cuts from someone else's house!

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  4. Lovely cricket grounds! You are a wonder, I have no idea how you keep up with it. We only had one child, she did soccer, basketball and baseball and then ballet. That was enough.
    I must be honest and say that though I'm a great sports fan (American football, baseball and golf) I cannot figure cricket out, it's just similar enough to our baseball (which I know is probably based on your game of rounders) to make it confusing. I didn't know girls played cricket.

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    1. Girls do play but it is mainly boys at the moment, this is changing though. And it isn't as complicated as it looks but I just can't concentrate for that long, some matches go on for 3 days! Some of the pitches are gorgeous and steeped in history, my husband always tells me if I'm lost and looking for a cricket pitch (as if I'd actually want to find one!) it's nearly always near to the village church - I guess it would be the village green in the centre of town in years gone by.

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  5. Your shelves are lovely and it makes perfect sense to me to admire and be happy with such mundane things...and of course when all your kids are world class cricketers and flying you around the world first class all this will have been worth it.............

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    1. Oh of course when they fly me 1st class to Barbados to watch a match I'll pay a little more attention!

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  6. The shelves look great, and I'm sure after the long wait you now smile very time you walk into that room and see them! As a Canadian I have to say I don't understand a single thing about the game of cricket. After reading your schedule for getting your kids to their cricket games it makes the days when I was ferrying kids to soccer games sound like a breeze.

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    1. I do smile at the shelves (although they're still waiting to be sanded down and screwed into place!)
      And I don't understand cricket either - I've only been watching it for 33 years though, give me time!

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  7. A different kind of "shelfie" (photos of your wardrobe) Funny how getting stuff out of the way does make you smile! A love a few stacked shelves, there's nothing more harmonious. Little Miss looks so happy eating in the outdoors (warm enough to sit outside that cafe, or does it just look that way) there is nothing like the scones in England. Hope you're having a lovely weekend. I pray for rain every time I have to carpool, sometimes the Gods answer sometimes not

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    1. The best kind of selfie from me, the shelves look far better than my wardrobe!
      And it was a scorcher over the weekend (as the tabloids would say!) so yes eating al- fresco was perfect.

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  8. I am not surprised you love rain on a weekend! Just reading your post makes me tired. There is an advantage to having children who are not interested in sports, or at least only participate in those that can be done within walking distance. Having said that, the littler ones are shaping up to be big footballers.... sigh. I love your shelves and I am ever so jealous of your laundry room, I want one of those. x

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    1. Many years of cheering the football ahead then Christina?
      My husband thinks I'm mad that I love my laundry room and huge airing cupboard, I lust after a pantry and an attic too.

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  9. Oh I so know what you mean about jobs waiting a year to be finally done. It's funny how when they want a special shirt ironed or dry cleaning picked up or a favourite meal cooked - we don't whinge, we just jump to it! Love em though. Enjoy the rain.
    Patricia x

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    1. Oh yes, I like to think I jump to it, the others may beg to differ though!

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  10. You remind me of my best friend who spends Friday nights praying for rain on the weekend so she doesn't have to bring her boys to soccer! Haha. Well, glad to see you and the Little Miss got to enjoy some cocktails and scones

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    1. You can't beat cocktails and scones, outdoors, in the sunshine. Apparently we're in for a long hot summer over here, so I've been told.

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  11. Hi Jay, my two sons were swimmers, we spent every weekend at swim meets al year long. My oldest still swim in college, but now I only get to see him swim once or twice a year. I miss those meets with lots of friends around.
    Hugs to you,
    Meredith

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    1. I expect a small part of me will miss it when those days arrive, seems a long way off just now though.

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  12. You deserve a medal Jay! I would've put the shelves up myself, the waiting would've driven me to distraction.

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