Categories: uncategorized
Date: 01 January 2005 09:57:03
A happy new year's greeting to you, from amidst the coughs and splutters. And what a way to spend the night on New Year's Eve.
After blogging, I retired to my bed (on the sofa still, seeing as the decorations are still up) and determined to sleep the new year in. Unfortunately my darling brother hadn't received my text message asking him not to ring me at Midnight. This year was a first for him - he had sat down in the chair for a nap at seven and not woken until eleven, so by the time he got to the pub to join the rest of his croneys the bells were ringing and he was stone cold sober!!! Hee hee!!!
I decided I had better ring my Dad, seeing as they hadn't rung me to say they were going to bed, so I did and had a nice chat with him as the fireworks went off. I was glad I had rung as my sister and brother-in-law had gone out to a party and he was watching the New Year's TV on his own. The talking, however, set off the cough well and truly and it was a decided struggle to get to sleep.
I vowed not to send text messages this year because the delay in them getting to their destination can make them more of a nuisance than a blessing - and that was my feeling when one arrived at just after one in the morning, just as I'd dropped off into a restless sleep. Immediately the coughing started again and it was a couple of hours before I dropped off properly again... just as some of the decorations decided to drop off as well. With a tremendous thud!
Back to sleep, only to be woken at five my a persistant meowing at the lounge door. Charlie is an irritatingly clever cat who has worked out how to open the kitchen door unless I barricade it, and last night I'd forgotten the barricades. I tried valiently to ignore him, but to no avail. In the end I opened the door and....... in ran the tiniest mouse you've ever seen and disappeared under the sofa. Oh no! Having banished Charlie to the kitchen once more (and barricaded him in) I returned to the lounge where there was no clear sign of the whereabouts of little mousekins. I tried lying down and going to sleep, on the premise that he'd probably lie still in a dark corner and still be there in the morning, but of course I could not sleep. I had to wake Tiddles and the two of us went on a mouse hunt.
If you've ever seen my huge and cluttered lounge, you'll know what a nightmare this is. I was convinced he'd be under the sofa still, but having lifted the sofa and found two pairs of slippers, a sandal, Tiddles' French exercise books, two Pritt Sticks, a pile of tissues and a large quantity of dust but no tiny mouse. We moved cupboards and bookshelves - no mouse. We moved piles of bits and pieces. No mouse. In the end I decided that I would force myself to forget about it and go back to sleep, though between the coughing and thinking and my alarm (moved out of reach in the mousehunt) going off repeatedly it was quite a struggle to return to any semblance of slumber. The last straw was at 8.30 when Tiddles banged on the door to inform me that Charlie had two more mice in the veranda and what did I want to do about it. I am afraid I was not very polite!
So the plan for today? Find that mouse! Any bright ideas how I might set about it, bearing in mind that it may no longer be alive? Oh, and with my rather heavy head, help Tiddles experiment with his new tool set - sawing and hammering to make his brother a treasure chest. Funny to think that this year I've probably got a bigger headache than my brother!