Sunday, 8 August 2010

Away

Well I have been at my daughter’s for a week babysitting the cat and my g’daughter.  Has been nice and peaceful and decided I would use the time for a kind of retreat and bible study.  Not to be, that funny thing that happens the minute you want some peace and quiet, or pick the bible up happens.

First my hubby will come in.  Now this happens at home the same, whatever time I pick the bible up he is guaranteed to arrive through the door.  Then when he went I would try again, but g’daughter would emerge from the bedroom sometime around midday.  Eventually she would go out, so I settle down again.  By now it would probably be mid-afternoon.

Just over the back someone is doing building work and has been for months, the noise of grinders, hammering, machinery booms out louder than necessary because the road behind somehow works as some kind of echo bowl.  The noise reverberates and aims itself at me as if coming through a loudhailer.  This noise was used when the hubby and g’daughter distraction had passed. 

If all else failed then by that time of day the other great aid to bible reading would happen, I would fall asleep after the first few minutes.  Your eyelids get heavier and heavier and you just have to shut them for a little while, and bang your gone.  Deep sleep.

4.30pm saw the coming home of next doors young twins and out into the garden they would go playing and kicking the ball against the fence.  Then cooking commenced in neighbouring houses with the clatter of pans and the distraction of lovely food smells wafting in through the open doors.

There was nowhere to get away from it all as being a new town house all the living accommodation is at the back of the house and it was very hot, so doors and windows had to be opened.  Anyway the cat wanted to lay in the doorway, just out of the direct sun and with the gentle breeze blowing across her and as it was her house who was I to argue.  I after all was just the babysitter.

Now don’t get me wrong I loved spending time with g’daughter but I thought I would get to do both as teenagers don’t tend to stay in much do they?

Well the first 2 nights she actually came home early, the third she brought home 2 friends for a sleep over, and the funniest of all was on Wednesday. 

She wanted to go somewhere that both me and her Mum thought she shouldn’t go.  Now I had no problem if it had been early in the day but it wasn’t and Mum who was away anyway had said no over the phone.  Well you know how teenagers can be and a discussion was had with me saying, ‘well you know what I have said so it is up to you now’.  With that God was on my side, the heavens opened, the thunder rolled and the lightening flew across the sky.  The person she was going meet who was fishing, phoned and said, ‘don’t come I’m scared of the thunder, I’m leaving’.  Well this made us all laugh and I said, ‘see, told you Nanny knows best.  They met at a far more suitable place.

So the week ended and I had a peaceful and enjoyable week and loved spending some time with g’daughter but as for the rest, well, it didn’t quite happen the way I thought it would.

Jenny <><