Monday Part II

The problem with trying to write up nearly a week all at once is that you forget things.

I forgot the Farewell to Taffa, Gaz and Ross at the Bull’s Head last Wednesday. The Builder and I had ambled around to the flat after he got home from work. I had a tea set to pack up. Margaret and Jack left it to me; it got moved into the sideboard in the flat whereupon I completely forgot about it. Can’t leave it there if everyone is decamping, though! And now the tea set is packed, boxed and loitering in our lounge room. Really must do something sensible about it.

Ross cooked us all roasted chicken with roasted potatoes and lots of veg.

Then we all ambled up to the Bull’s Head. There were loads of people there. Freyja turned up. Gareth’s mother came. So did his father. And his sister with her partner and his nephew. Ginger Rich was there, so was Rob. John Griffiths was there. Dave from the shop came. Kath and Mandy attended. Bob and Marcia also turned up. There were loads of people there. It was like the last ten years completely revisited. The Builder and I didn’t stay for long, just a pint each. The Builder is still getting up at half past five and we are getting quite sleepy in the evenings. But still, it was good to be there. Might well be the last time I go to the Bull’s Head and it’s been a part of my life, in an occasional way, for nearly a decade.

I’ve had a very productive day today. I’ve been to the flat and collected the garden pots, some odd bits and pieces, the vacuum cleaner, a step ladder, generally filled the car up. I went to the allotment and picked some runner beans, a few dwarf beans and some beetroot. Won’t be very many weeks before the sweet corn is ready. I called in to the hairdresser to see if I could make an appointment for during the week. There were no suitable ones. Then Lesley (my preferred hairdresser) said: "Can you stay now? I’ve just had a cancellation". So I’ve had my hair cut. I’ve been into town and collected The Builder’s safety glasses. Just as well they’re ready. Not only does he need them for work, but he quite royally snapped his reading glasses in half yesterday when he and I were trying to unload the van around the washing machine. His spare pair will do, but they’re not ideal. I’ve been to the supermarket, then to another one. I’ve filled the car (diesel was 93p at Sainsbury; quite remarkably cheap. Even cheaper for me – I had a 5p per litre off voucher :-) ).

And so home. Because there was so much stuff to get out of the car, I parked in the ‘driveway’. It’s a very, very tight squeeze. There is *just* enough room to get the car in between the edge of the wall and step on one side and the edge of the wall and a rusty telegraph pole on the other. Just! Then you have to edge around the rockery wall, which I can’t see from the driver’s side. Plus, of course, you have to stop before you hit the wall between us and next door. I parked it perfectly. I shall never do it that well again. And I’m buggered if I know how I’m going to get it out. I think I might have to try at around 05:30 when there is absolutely no traffic at all!!!

The cat seems to have satisfied his curiosity about Outside the Side Gate. Since I got back he’s been following me about like a little dog. He helped me unpack the car. He helped me do some weeding. He helped me do some pruning and some planting. He’s helped me do some tidying and a spot of watering. And shown no interest at all in wandering off. I assume his interest in the outside world will come back but it was rather nice having a companion in the garden.

The Builder has fallen backwards off some scaffolding and broken it! He was sent home early in disgrace. Well, no, not really in disgrace. It seems that a wheel broke off the scaffolding and it tipped over backwards, then all fell apart, pinning The Builder’s leg underneath it. Alarm! But I don’t think he’s very much damaged. He’s got a very splendid bruise on his leg. He has a grazed chin. His arms are grazed. One arm hurts quite a lot. He looks a bit grey. But he says he feels all right – apart from the hurting arm. Could have been worse. Much worse. But if any more scaffolding collapses underneath him, the building firm at Rampton will have ME to deal with!!!!!

Ross went to the Proms on Saturday, to hear the Berlin Philharmonic, one of his life’s ambitions. Yesterday there was a small fire in the Albert Hall which resulted in the cancellation of the scheduled Prom concerts. They’re back on today. But it did make me think of one of Ross’ other life ambitions, years and years ago, when he wanted to see one of Wagner’s operas (might it have been Tristan?) which tended to be a bit hexed. He made a couple of attempts to see it and people got sick or various catastrophes occurred. It was ages before he did achieve that ambition. If it was Tristan, we eventually saw it at the Festival in Adelaide. At least his ambition to see the Berlin Phil was not thwarted. Just! Since then he (and Freyja) have been cleaning. And cleaning. And cleaning. Freyja eventually had to stop. She had to go to work today. Ross was still at it when I finally left the flat at lunch time today.

And so we are all gone. For the first time in nearly ten years there are no Hyde-Gillards in Ranmoor/Nether Green. Apart from a 5 week break when I went to Gill and Peter and Tabitha went to Paul’s and Ross, Austin and Freyja went back to Ballarat, we’ve been there since I arrived in December 1996. There’s been at least one of us in the flat since February 1998. And Tabitha has been in Sheffield since January 1994. It’s a bit sad, really. And just a touch ironic. The only one who never really wanted to come to Sheffield but was brought anyway, is the only one who still lives there!

Tabitha reports that she has found a co-op in the not-quite-in-March estate. Seems that the little old ladies are not entirely milk-less and bread-less after all.