Drained

One way or another it's been a draining week.

The Nation has been in 10 days of mourning. This means that the radio has talked non-stop about the Queen and the Royal family, music has been downbeat and loads has happened in London.

Royal commentators have been making the most of every single moment, probably because they're not sure if they have a job any more! You literally couldn't turn on the television without a so called Royal expert on there.

In the end I gave up on my normal listening (LBC) and turned on the television and watched the news from the US as it was more interesting to hear a range of perspectives. It's not that I have a problem with Royal commentators - the problem is everything they say is just their opinion - it's not like they actually know the Royals or anything - so it's all just made up.

It's been really tough on my friend whose partner died just before COVID as all anybody has talked about has been death. Add to that that the father of the friend that died was friends with Prince Phillip and many of her family worked in the palace. So I think my surviving friend will have spent the week thinking about them and how they would have reacted if they were alive.

We invited him over for supper on Sunday, he was in a bad way and only spent a few hours with us. At least he knows that there are still people out there thinking about him and that's the main thing.

So much happened last week. People queued across London for up to 14 hours (in fact I think at the end it was 24 hours) to file past the Queen. Though it was strange when watching on television as at least a third of the people filing past didn't even acknowledge the coffin. I can only assume they had spent that time in the queue to be part of what was going on, to take photos and to have something to post about. Though two thirds were clearly emotional and many had to be moved on because they spent too long with the coffin.

I watched a few things over the week. I watched King Charles doing his first speech and I watched the movement of the coffin from Balmoral to London. I also watched the journey of the coffin to Westminster Hall and the short moments where the Queen's children and Grandchildren took watch. Apart from that I didn't get massively involved with what was going on as in the background life goes on as normal.

On that subject. You'll recall that our very spoilt son got taken to Rome for his birthday present. Though he was disappointed he didn't get a party with friends. I refused to spend more money on a party, but said he could have 4 friends over for a mass sleepover.

This happened on Saturday. Around 14:00 the friends turned up. I might point out that an hour before they arrived husband came downstairs rattling his keys. Where are you going I asked - it's football today - he said and promptly walked out front door (I will get revenge - I just don't know what that is yet).

I'd covered the dining table in various types of food - because basically that's all teenage boys need from an adult. I'd anticipated that they'd spend the entire time gaming - they did, but not how I thought they would.

Out came the 40 nerf guns that son has. There ensued the most massive nerf war in the house. As far as worries about breakages are concerned, we don't have anything of value so that wasn't a worry and also our carpets are basically falling apart. However, after about 2 hours my nerves were in shatters.

Husband and I had decided that we'd leave the teenagers to their own devices and would go out for a meal. There was no way I was going out with the nerf bedlam going on. So I put my feet down and shrieked that all nerf guns needed to go away.

We then ordered the boys pizza, put a film on and when all was quiet we left the house. I might say that dog (who had been barking and hiding behind me during nerf war) just looked at us with pleading eyes 'take me with you' she seemed to say.... we didn't.

We decided to go to the China Garden in town, haven't been there for a while. We love China Garden - it's where we had our wedding lunch. Not that we told them that this is what it was in advance. They were slightly confused when we turned up - all 19 of us. Though I wasn't in a wedding dress (a story for another day).

When we arrived in restaurant there was a family in front of us with a small child who was breakdancing in the restaurant with nobody controlling it. I mentally prayed we would be on the other side of the restaurant. When it came to us being seated they went to put us next to the family - I called the waiter over and just said 'we've just left a brood of children at home'. He was great, he immediately changed direction and took us to the quietest corner of the restaurant. Which turned out to be a mistake! 

We ordered our food and starters turned up ok, but husbands drink didn't - as we were tucked away it took ages to grab a waiters attention. Then main course turned up - well husband's did, but mine didn't. Again it took ages to grab waiters attention. When they came back they said there would be a further wait - I told husband to tuck in.

I didn't have a huge wait, but that was a shame - I'd ordered roast duck. Clearly they'd forgotten my order and cooked it in a rush - none of the fat was rendered so it stuck to the duck in a huge flabby gloop. Utterly disgusting and I left half of it on the plate.

Next to us was a table with a loved up couple, they were smiling at each other and chatting animatedly, taking time over their food to savour the moment. They were also very dressed up and looked wonderful. When husband and I bundled ourselves to table - me with barely any makeup and with a post nerf war frown and husband in jeans and t-shirt - they looked at us as if we were space aliens.

Husband and I managed a reasonable conversation - though we are with each other all the time and so there wasn't a lot to discuss. "Can I remember the name of the person who came out to fix the washing machine" - "why" - "The spin dryers broken". And lots of other exciting things like that.

I was also checking phone every 5 mins to check son was ok. First message "Are you at the restaurant yet?", second message "Have you eaten yet?", third message "Will you be home soon?". I started to worry what was going on at home that meant son wanted us back (though in retrospect, I wonder if they were trying to gauge how much time they had to cause chaos - or do dubious things).

So we bolted down our food, asked for the bill and got up to leave. Other couple looked at us in bemusement, they'd barely made it through their starter. "This is how long a meal takes when you've been married 20 odd years" I explained. Give them their due they both laughed.

We got home and all boys were now sitting down and gaming - son never did mention why he wanted to know when we'd be home so badly - I don't think I'll ask - that can be for him to know and me to wonder.

Then of course we had the fun of getting them to sleep. At midnight we forced them into pajamas - at 00:30 we insisted on lights off. Though there were still mutterings going on well into the night.

I woke at 07:00 feeling shattered and made my way downstairs, first getting dressed so son's friends didn't see me in my threadbare pajamas. I cleaned up, keeping half an eye on the room the boys were asleep in. The door opened and I immediately grabbed dog and shoved her outside so she didn't bark.

By the time I came back in the door was shut again and I breathed a sigh of relief. Only to see through a window (it would be a long story to explain the layout of our house) one of the boys grabbing a beanbag and beating the others up with it to wake them up.

Of course they immediately wanted food so I pulled together breakfast and put on the table. Right after breakfast they went straight into another nerf war. I managed about another hour of this and then insisted they tidied up and GOT OUT OF THE HOUSE.

There was a blissful moment when the house was quiet - I used this moment to immediately go back to bed. Being rudely awakened about an hour later when they came back home - having lost the dogs ball and asking for lunch.

Lunch was supplied - cold pizza, sausages and popcorn - all the nutrition a teenage boy needs (well wants, anyway). I then curled up on the sofa praying the parents would soon turn up.

All but one parent was late for pickup (I will also remember that). I had actually gone back to bed before the last one had left. Needed to get some energy together to cook for friend who was coming in evening.

The day after all this was the Queen's funeral - we had a Bank Holiday Monday in her honour - I didn't know how much I would watch, but I was interested to see the pomp and ceremony and to say goodbye to the Queen properly.

In the end I watched it from 07:00 until 17:00! Though I had a few gaps in watching. Between 09:00 and 10:45 I took dog out for a walk on the beach. It was lovely and quiet as I assume everybody watching the telly or sleeping in. I got back just in time for the Journey from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey, which was the plan.

Though I missed one bit I want to see, which is all the world leaders turning up in a bus. Hopefully I can catch that on YouTube. 

The funeral was stunning to watch, the parade through the streets afterwards was also stunning. The coffin was then put in a hearse and driven to Windsor Castle - some of the people around Windsor got the best view of the whole thing - a parade started in a country road with only about 5 houses on it. Outside each house was a handful of people getting the best view in the world.

By this time I was beginning to feel a bit saturated with the events. During the day I'd been calling son down whenever anything important happened. Around this time we started to play tag team, I had some cooking to do for week so I went into kitchen coming down when he shrieked there was something to see.

It was a very poignant moment when the Queens coffin was lowered through the floor of the Abbey and when the Crown was removed from the coffin. I also cried a bit when God Save the Queen was sung for the last time. Very strange that she's gone - I sort of thought she'd keep going forever because she's always been there.

My absolute highlight of the day were the pipers - when there were about 200 of them piping from Westminster Abbey, about 100 piping through Windsor and the lone piper who piped at the end of the Windsor funeral (Mum tells me there was similar in Westminster, but somehow I missed that).

Needless to say - after all of this I woke up feeling quite drained this morning. Work starts in a few minutes and it's going to be a tough day. Especially as today started with a family row as we hunted for sons wallet that he hadn't got ready and the minutes were ticking by before the minibus turned up.

So basically the world keeps on turning and whilst huge events happen - real life is always there to keep you on your toes.

Oh and I didn't even discuss the cupcake in the photo! Basically I tried to keep sugar for party to a minimum, just buying a tray of cupcakes to be shared. Every single boy that turned up bought copious sweets - so they spent the entire time on a sugar high. Don't think I will not remember this when I send son round to have sleepovers at their house.

Needless to say we still have most of the cupcakes left!

Gosh I'm tired.