Darkness

Image Pixabay

 

It always amazes me how quickly the light changes in Winter and in Spring. Though obviously I prefer it in Spring. Every morning since March/April I have got up nice and early and taken the dog out for a walk. At the height of the summer, when son was on holiday and didn't need waking, I was even able to leave before 06:00 and get the walk done with time left to have a coffee before work.

Then Two weeks ago I needed to leave at 06:00 earliest because it was getting light later. By last Friday I was leaving at 06:15. This morning at 06:30 I found myself standing in the middle of the park and it was still dark. I initially felt confident that the light would soon arrive. It never really did.

Yesterday I was in real trouble, dog did a poo and with the best will in the world I couldn't find it. Given that I get so angry with poo leavers it was not a great moment when I had to do exactly that. I was prepared today and took my mobile with me to act as a torch.

I was disconcerted to find myself alone, in the middle of a park in the dark. I needed have worried though. Very soon after arrival the dog did a poo. I got out my phone to light the way. As I fumbled in the dark and the rain the dog thought I was going to give it a treat and started barking excitedly. Then realising I wasn't going to give it a treat it started to bark even more to encourage me to throw the ball.

I gave my usual 'no barking' command, which usually works, but by now she was in a total barking frenzy. Plus, because she is matt black - I didn't actually know where she was because in the darkness she is like a shadow.

I'm reasonably confident that even if there was somebody lurking in the trees that they would have stayed well clear of the mad old bat in the middle of the park fishing around on the floor for poo whilst screaming obscenities at the top of their voice whilst a strange invisible animal was making loud high pitched (oh, so high pitched - it makes my ears bleed) barks.

Needless to say I've let husband know that from tomorrow we will start out winter routine. This doesn't work so well for either of us. This means that husband takes dog around block in morning before he starts work and I take the dog out at lunchtime. Which is somewhat disruptive for work - but actually quite good for my mental health because it clears my head from the morning stresses.

On the subject of work stresses, I'm really struggling this week. I think I'm at breaking point. Hopefully I can get to the other side of it, but I've got to that point where when you are not at work all the problems you're dealing with at work are just churning through your head.

We have vermin again - can't believe it. I've had a mad morning hunting for the hole I missed when we had the rats earlier in the year. Less dramatic this time - it's either a brown mouse or a very small rat. I found the hole and filled it - and put a plant pot in front of it and now I've sprayed the whole patio and drains etc with peppermint. I refuse to have a vermin problem again!

We discovered it late last night (we being dog and I) when I let her out for a wee. At last we have discovered dog's talent - she is a ratter. She chased it all over the patio and with few places to hide now we have had the patio sorted I know that it ended up under the barbecue.

I've purchased some peppermint balls that will slow release a smell that vermin hate. Watch this space. I don't actually mind mice so much - but I just can't risk that it was a small rat. Rats I mind about a lot!

Dog is obsessed with the balls because she thinks they are something yummy. I've put them in Jam Jars with cling film over the top with holes punched in it. Hopefully this will keep dog safe.

Saturday started with a bang - literally. When I woke up it was still dark, befuddled with 'I've just woken up' I made my way downstairs. I missed the last step completely. This meant I pitched forward onto my knees (which are still painful from last weekend), Wrenched my arm, which was holding onto the banisters, then the momentum carried me forward towards the wall. Fortunately I pitched head first into the baby gate we have so we can shut dog in kitchen. Such was the force when I hit it - that the gate actually came away from it's holdings.

Sounds dramatic, but the fact the 'door' I smacked into moved with the force, meant that actually the head injury was very minor.

I sat at the bottom of the steps taking stock. Was I badly damaged or OK. Dog was very excited that I was on the floor and assumed I wanted to play. So she started bouncing all over me having the time of her life. I quickly worked out that there were no nasty injuries, told the dog to bog off and carried on with my day - though a little gingerly. Looks like falling over is my new favourite game.

Then I started my busy busy day. I took dog out for a walk and then prepared supper for 6 - well the slow cooker bit of it anyway. Then at 09:00 son and I left home to go to his school to take a look at their sixth form. We got half way there when I realised I'd forgotten my phone. Expecting to need it for parking we had to turn around and head home. It really throws me needing to remember my phone. I remember my keys and purse, but the phone always gets left behind.

We headed off for the school again - when we parked it turns out I didn't need my phone anyway - annoying. School 6th form looks really good. Which is a shame, another 2 years of school fees to find. Looks like I'll never be able to replace my car - unless it literally stops working. I know this doesn't sound like a big thing - but you haven't seen my car. If you use the mirror in the sun visor it falls off. The back parcel shelf has lost all its fittings so it swings free, the boot doesn't shut without tender loving care and  the paintwork is peeling and lights ping up on the computer every 10 seconds.

I remember how proud I was of that car when I first got it, but it was 6 years old then and I purchased it about 11 years ago. Since then I've done about 140K miles on it. If I was commuting every day still I would definitely have had to replace it, but now it's mainly just for the odd short hop as most of what I do is within walking distance.

Returning home I finished supper and then in the evening friends came over.

On Sunday it was a quieter day. I swept the patio of leaves (determined to stay on top of it this year, because once winter sets in you're stuck with them) and planted some bulbs for Spring. Then as it was a nice day, as a family we wandered down to the seafront and had a light lunch at the cafe. It was really nice to do it as a family - I'm so used to doing walks on my own.

Then Monday morning dawned (work again - doom), it's got even darker than when I started writing this post a week ago. I decided to leave home at 06:30, thinking it would be light by the time I got to the park. As it was p'ing down with rain I got into my waterproof trousers, raincoat, rain hat and wellies and looking foxy I set off. 

When we got to the park it was still pitch black, but I was committed now. So dog walk today wasn't great. I basically stood at the start of the grass and threw the ball for the dog 40 times - exactly (I counted). Dog was definitely knackered by the end of it, there was little energy left to get back to the car. But I'm not kidding myself that was a good walk.

Final bit of excitement for this post is that dog has stopped doing it's main job of the morning - which is getting son out of bed. I basically rev the dog up and then open son's door and turn the light on. The dog does the rest jumping all over him and licking his face. This has worked as the morning alarm for a good few years now. Problem is that son is now a fully fledged teenager and dog is too. For the last week I've not heard them for 15 minutes so I've gone up to check for movement and both of them have fallen asleep next to each other!

I've set an alarm to go off every morning 15 minutes after wake up time. Alexa is very accommodating. I'm smiling about her statement "6.15am recurring alarm set from Monday to Friday to say 'son' it's 6.15, you smell and get out of bed". I look forward to seeing if this works.